National Football League

Jaguars Name Urban Meyer Head Coach

Updated Jan. 14, 2021 7:21 p.m. ET

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Urban Meyer is making his return to the football field.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced the hiring of Meyer on Thursday, officially confirming the 56-year-old as the franchise's next head coach.

Jags owner Shad Khan called the hiring a "great day for Jacksonville and Jaguars fans everywhere" in a statement.

Meyer is a three-time national champion at the collegiate level, having won two titles with the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2008 and another with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2014.

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His earlier stops included head-coaching jobs at Utah and Bowling Green.

Although he sports a 187-32 lifetime coaching record and went 12-3 in bowl games during his lengthy coaching career, Meyer had never tested the NFL waters ... until now.

With the Jaguars, the first order of business presumably will be deciding what to do with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

All signs point toward a pairing with Clemson Tigers superstar Trevor Lawrence, which would make for instant buzz in Jacksonville.

In addition to holding 11 picks in the upcoming draft ⁠— including two first-round and two second-round selections ⁠— Meyer will inherit a roster that has young talent on both sides of the ball, including wide receiver D.J. Chark, running back James Robinson, defensive end Josh Allen, cornerback C.J. Henderson and linebacker Myles Jack.

Furthermore, the Jaguars are projected to have the most cap space in 2021, with $77.3 million, per Spotrac.

Prior to landing in Jacksonville, Meyer was a fixture in FOX Sports' college football coverage, including weekly stints as an analyst on Big Noon Kickoff.

Here's how some of Meyer's colleagues, fans and new players reacted to the news on social media:

This is a developing story.

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