Urban Meyer hasn’t coached college football since retiring from Ohio State in 2018 and was fired before he could even complete a full season as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. But rumors are swirling that Nebraska could be interested in bringing Meyer out of retirement once again – and Fox is feeding that speculation.
This week, Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show was broadcast live from Lincoln, Nebraska ahead of the Cornhuskers’ matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners. Meyer, who rejoined the show this season, was an analyst on the pregame show and joined the commentary booth in the second half after Gus Johnson left early due to an illness. Meyer’s presence led to quite a few bizarre moments on the air, given the speculation.
During the pregame show, fans in attendance began to chant “We want Urban” in the middle of the show. The Big Noon team acknowledged the chants but quickly steered the subject towards the raucous crowd, not the content of the cheer.
"We want Urban!" 👀 pic.twitter.com/g0pLheTfOL
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 17, 2022
The moment was innocuous enough – Fox is hardly responsible for what fans chant in the crowd and the analysts did a fine enough job at acknowledging the crowd while keeping on topic.
But later in the show, things got a little weirder.
During the broadcast, Fox commentator Rob Stone turned to the crowd and flat-out asked them if they wanted Meyer to become their head coach.
FOX out here trying to have Urban Meyer coach TODAY against Oklahoma: #Huskers pic.twitter.com/scR4nkwSPl
— Dan Corey (@DanCorey_) September 17, 2022
“Anybody out there want Urban Meyer to be their head coach?” Stone asked the Nebraska crowd, which drew massive cheers before the cameras cut to Meyer laughing. Meyer also picked Nebraska to beat Oklahoma during the broadcast, though they were a 10.5-point underdog.
During the broadcast, Fox even showed a fan wearing a “Hire Urban Meyer” shirt, which was made all the more bizarre by the fact that Meyer even joined the broadcast as an analyst in the second half, where he was very complimentary of the program.
“This used to be the Alabama,” Meyer said during the broadcast. “This was it. “You’ve got all the former players. You’ve got the fanbase.”
Nebraska has reportedly reached out to Meyer about the job. While it’s not clear whether or not he wants it, it sure seems like Fox wants him to take it.
