Urban Meyer clears New College confirmation hurdle in Senate Committee

A former national champion college football coach who went on to be one of the worst coaches in NFL history is one step closer to influencing young minds again.

The Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee is advancing the nomination of Urban Meyer to be a Trustee at New College of Florida.

Meyer, who won three national championships at Ohio State and the University of Florida before winning just two games with the Jacksonville Jaguars in a partial season in 2021, will replace outgoing Trustee Christopher Rufo, assuming Meyer is confirmed by the full Senate.

Meyer’s nomination was not pulled for individual consideration, which suggests it’s smooth sailing going forward. He is part of a block of nominees who moved forward Wednesday.

Meyer’s portion of the hearing started off convivially, with Chair Gayle Harrell saying “Go Gators,” eliding in the process the circumstances of his departure from Gainesville, from which he resigned twice in one year, the final time for “family” reasons, only to end up being hired to coach at Ohio State 11 months later.

Meyer said the New College opportunity appeals to him as “proud resident of Sarasota, a father, grandfather, and a believer in the transformative power of the higher education system” who has already worked with the school on a “mentorship program.”

“When asked to serve as a Trustee for New College of Florida, I did not see a small school in transition. I saw an incredible opportunity to share by over four decades of being on college campuses as a student athlete, a coach, administrator, and as a professor,” Meyer said. (He taught a course in “leadership” at Ohio State.)

The coach has been extolled by New College President Richard Corcoran for his “strategic mindset and national stature … lifetime of leadership, building teams, mentoring young people, teaching excellence, and developing culture (which) aligns perfectly with our academic mission.”

Meyer also golfed last weekend with President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis. They discussed “the positives and negatives” of college sports along with former Alabama coach Nick Saban, who rounded out the foursome.

Meyer complimented both Corcoran and DeSantis during his remarks, but largely focused on how he could unlock the potential of the college that the New College President and the Governor have sought to reshape as the Hillsdale College of the south.

“For 30 years, I’ve attempted to move organizations from average to elite,” Meyer said, seemingly sidestepping his disastrous NFL stint.

“I see an incredible opportunity at New College to become an elite liberal arts college that the entire nation respects.”