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Urban Meyer says his ‘heart was pulling’ for Justin Fields during NFL Draft

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Urban Meyer didn’t get the opportunity to coach Justin Fields at Ohio State. But he still knows an awful lot about the two-time B1G Offensive Player of the Year and has nothing but positive things to say about the former Buckeye.

Fields arrived before the 2019 season, shortly after Meyer retired as the head coach of the program. This winter, Meyer accepted the job to become the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and picked Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Meyer admitted, though, that he was pulling for Fields during the event.

“I talked a lot to Justin,” Meyer said. “I actually texted him after the draft. My heart was pulling so hard for him because, obviously, there’s the fact I’m a Buckeye. My son-in-law (Ohio State quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis) coached him. Ryan Day, who I think the world of, brought him in here and look at the two years he had. And then I started hearing negativity, and I couldn’t even — I even called a few people and said, ‘What are you talking about? That’s not true.’ But the fact that he did, when the Big Ten said, ‘Stand down. Season’s over.’ He said, ‘No, it’s not.’ And he did it the right way, with class and great leadership, and I’ll always admire him for that.”

Fields was selected with the No. 11 pick by the Chicago Bears. The franchise traded up to get the quarterback, a move not many people had projected or expected on the first night of the draft.

Now, Fields is hoping to get on the field early in Chicago and become the Bears’ franchise quarterback.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB