What has the NFL learned from Urban Meyer Jacksonville debacle? 

The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer to be their head coach last January in hopes that he could help take the team to the next level. The Jaguars had high aspirations for the NFL Draft last spring, but questions immediately surfaced, with some wondering if the jump from college football to the National Football League would be something Meyer could pull off.

Urban Meyer's tenure began with the Jacksonville Jaguars being fined by the NFL for violating training camp rules. Meyer then made controversial comments about COVID-19 vaccine mandates and suggested that he was making final roster cuts based on players vaccination status.

Meyer's most infamous act as Jacksonville's head coach involved him staying behind in Cincinnati after his team flew home and then being seen at a bar with a much younger female.

Meyer's actions were already under the microscope as he continued to coach his two-win Jaguars team. Just days before his dismissal, it was rumored that Urban Meyer had called his coaching staff "losers" and was not well liked in the Jaguars locker room.

But it was the interview with former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo, in which he detailed an altercation with Meyer in which the former head coach kicked him while he was stretching during training camp. That was the final straw for Jaguars owner Shad Khan, who announced on Wednesday evening that he had fired Meyer.

What has the NFL learned from the Urban Meyer debacle?

With the rumor mill always swirling that successful college coaches are being hired in the NFL, will this situation with Urban Meyer prevent that from happening in the future?

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury was a college coach before being hired in 2019. He has found success, especially this season as the Cardinals sit atop the NFC West. But not every coach has made a successful transition into the National Football League from the collegiate ranks.

Legendary Alabama head football coach Nick Saban was also not a successful head coach in the NFL during his time with the Miami Dolphins.

Coaching college students compared to coaching well-paid professional athletes is completely different. Not only through how coaches communicate to their players but also through their play calling and overall decision-making.

In the future, NFL teams may want to consider taking a different approach when hiring college coaches. Perhaps bringing them in as coordinators first to get them accustomed to the NFL environment.

Also ensuring that the entire coaching staff is on the same page and that the team is also on board with the decision before hiring a head coach might need to be considered in the future before taking the risk of hiring a college coach..

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