Carolina Panthers: Six college coaches the team should consider
By Luke Tucker
Urban Meyer
If Harbaugh were to be considered a good idea, then Urban Meyer could be even better. Meyer beat the Michigan head coach all four times they have matched up, and outscored Harbaugh’s Wolverines 165-99 in those contests. Meyer has won seven conference championships and three national championships in his 17 seasons as a head coach, and has the third-best winning percentage all-time. Due to health concerns, he had to step away from the sidelines for the second time following the 2018 season; however, his name has often been mentioned as a potential NFL hire.
One of Meyer’s best traits as a head coach is his ability to construct an elite coaching staff. During his time at Florida and Ohio State, he has employed the likes of Tom Herman, Ryan Day, Dan Mullen, Greg Schiano, Charlie Strong, Mike Vrabel, and others who have gone on to have successful coaching careers of their own. Despite all the turnover on his staff, Meyer has continually been able to keep young, up-and-coming prospects under his wing, and it has enabled him to achieve all the success he has attained.
As far as how Meyer would fit with the Panthers, he has successfully integrated his spread offense with a variety of quarterbacks in the past, including Alex Smith, Tim Tebow, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, and Dwayne Haskins. With that being said, hiring Meyer wouldn’t automatically signify the end of the Newton era in Carolina. By the same token, though, a player like Justin Herbert could be a more natural fit in Meyer’s system. Regardless, Carolina’s first order of business with Meyer would be to lure him out of the studio, as the 55-year-old is currently working for Fox Sports as a college football analyst.