JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer says “there’s no chance” he takes the open job at Southern California.
“I’m here and committed to try to build an organization,” Meyer added Wednesday.
Meyer’s name was immediately linked to USC after the Trojans fired Clay Helton on Monday. Meyer has found success at every college stop, building winners at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He won two national championships with the Gators (2006, 2008) and another with the Buckeyes (2014).
He stepped down after the 2018 season and spent two years working as a college football analyst at Fox Sports. Jaguars owner Shad Khan convinced him to return to the sidelines in an effort to deliver a consistent contender in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars (0-1) lost their season opener 37-21 at Houston, a debacle of a debut that included 10 penalties, six dropped passes and three turnovers. Jacksonville essentially looked unprepared to play from the first snap.
Meyer expects a better performance Sunday against Denver (1-0).
“I was warned many, many, many, many times it’s a journey; it’s not a sprint,” he said. “We’re healthy, attitudes are good, we have good players and we’re building something.”
Meyer said earlier this month he didn’t miss recruiting and has said repeatedly how different college football is now compared to when he stepped down for health reasons, pointing to the ever-changing landscape and the addition of rules allowing players to earn money from their name, image and likeness.
Meyer took over a 1-15 team in Jacksonville and chose Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick. He insisted the Jaguars have talent and needed better coaching, but across a franchise-record losing streak that’s now stretched to 16 games, it appears they’re lacking at several key playmaking positions.
“I don’t want to ever fall into that trap of saying, ’This is … a four-year plan, a three-year plan,’” Meyer said. “That’s not fair to players. This is a one-game plan and then we’ll worry about the next game.
“There’s some guys that have played a lot of football in that locker room and they deserve our very best. That’s what it is. Other than a bruised soul that we all have right now, we’re still swinging away. Like I said, you’d probably see a little different look on my face if I had bad guys. That’s not the case at all.”
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