JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Cleveland native Mel Tucker has earned a shot at the full-time head-coaching gig in Jacksonville.
The low-key Tucker doesn't want to say much about it, however.
"What's next for me is I'm going to grab my wife and we're going out to have dinner and relax a little bit," Tucker said Sunday. "I'm going to reacquaint myself with her and introduce myself again to my children."
Tucker, 39, took over as the Jaguars' interim coach in November following the firing of Jack Del Rio. He went 2-3 in five games as head coach including Sunday's 19-13 win over the Colts.
Tucker figures to at least be considered when the process begins. Transfer of Jaguars ownership to Illinois businessman Shahid Kahn will be finalized this week. The Weaver Family, which brought the Jaguars to the NFL in 1995, was honored at Sunday's game.
"It's premature to talk about right now," Tucker said. "Those are hypotheticals I'd rather not get into. This is a time right now to enjoy (Sunday's) win and what the Weavers have meant to this city and this organization. The picture is cloudy but it will become clearer at some point in time."
Tucker, a graduate of Cleveland Heights High School, was instrumental in developing the pipeline from Cleveland Glenville High School to Ohio State that brought the Buckeyes eventual Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and top 10 NFL draft picks Ted Ginn Jr. and Donte Whitner. He also helped bring Anthony Gonzalez (St. Ignatius High School) and Alex Boone (St. Edward) to the Buckeyes.
Tucker, 39, worked under Nick Saban as LSU's defensive backs coach in 2000 before spending the next four years at Ohio State, three as defensive backs coach and one as co-defensive coordinator.
His first NFL job was with the Browns from 2005-08, also serving three years as defensive backs coach and one as defensive coordinator. He became the Jags' defensive coordinator in 2009.
