Former Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Urban Meyer's name is being connected to the Florida Gators' coaching job after Billy Napier's team lost 18-16 to the USF Bulls this past Saturday.
While the Sporting News' Bill Bender doesn't believe it's likely Meyer would take the job, Bender does foresee Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold's similar age playing a factor in UF at least having the conversation with the former two-time national champion in Gainesville.
"Meyer, 61, won two national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2008. He was 83-9 from 2005-10, a run that was dominant with Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow but was also marred by 31 player arrests. Meyer won a third national championship at Ohio State in 2014," Bender wrote.
"A reunion would be complicated, but there is no question Meyer was an elite college football coach with Florida and Ohio State before a rough NFL stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars that incredibly lasted less than one season. Meyer is an analyst on the Big Noon Kickoff – and a good one at that. This is a long-shot at best and we don’t see it happening. But the fact Meyer and Leipold are the same age is a reminder that at least a conversation might be worth a try."
Meyer has been hands-off in the college game since handing the Buckeyes over to his offensive coordinator, Ryan Day. He's been out of the SEC since before the College Football Playoff era, so jumping back in now would be a tall order for a 61-year-old.
Not to mention, his off-field headlines with the Jacksonville Jaguars may have given opposing schools too good of ammo in the negative recruiting department.
The right opportunity would probably inspire a return to the sidelines for Meyer. But UF isn't that at this moment in time. The Gators haven't adjusted to the NIL era and may take a while before figuring it out. Lord knows Napier has set the school's reputation back in a similar way Bryan Harsin did for the Auburn Tigers. AU is finally on the up again, some three years later.
More than likely, a job with Ohio State would be the preferable option for Meyer. Returning to be the Buckeyes' head coach probably isn't possible, though, unless Day gets a godfather offer to coach elsewhere.