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Nick Saban believes Urban Meyer can do big things in the NFL
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After sitting behind a desk as an analyst for two seasons on FOX, Urban Meyer decided to make the leap back to coaching. This time, the three-time national champion is taking a shot at the NFL, hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars following the 2020 regular season.
This will be Meyer’s first attempt at coaching an NFL team and there’s some skepticism about the success he will have in the professional ranks. Some believe the leap from college is too big, while others point to his tremendous accomplishments at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State as reasons why he can do well with the Jags.
Nick Saban, who saw plenty of Meyer while the two were coaching in the SEC, believes Meyer has what it takes to find success in the NFL. Saban explained why during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show.
“I think he’ll do great in the NFL,” Saban said. “I think the key to it is you’ve gotta have a great staff and you’ve gotta get people in the organization on the same page in the NFL so everybody’s working together. If you can do that — I know he’s a good coach and a good motivator and players respect him — help the players get better, they’ll have success.”
Success in college doesn’t always translate to the NFL, and Saban has firsthand knowledge of that. College football’s greatest coach spent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins and was just 15-17 with no playoff appearances. After his second year with the franchise, Saban decided to take the head coaching job at Alabama.
In his career as a college coach, Saban has won seven national championships, most for any coach in the sport. While Meyer doesn’t own the same number of rings, he’s been incredibly successful at the college level, never once having a losing season at any of his four stops.
We’ll see if his style translates to the next level soon enough.
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