Jaxson De Ville
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The report that the Jaguars are expected to fire coach Doug Marrone and target former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer had an interesting follow up, suggesting the Jaguars very much want to emulate the Ohio State program.
Current Ohio State coach Ryan Day is a potential target of the Jaguars if Meyer stays retired, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
If Day were to take the Jaguars job, that would immediately raise the question of whether Jacksonville would take Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the first overall pick in the draft. Everyone has penciled in Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick, but Day’s two years as head coach at Ohio State have been with Fields as his quarterback. Given the success the two have had together, Day would have to consider coaching Fields in the NFL as well.
Would Day leave? He might, if the money is right. The contract the Panthers gave Matt Rhule showed college coaches that, as lucrative as college coaching jobs are, NFL jobs can be even more lucrative. (Day also might benefit from the perception that an NFL team is interested in him if he’s planning to ask for a raise from Ohio State.)
The 41-year-old Day is 23-1 at Ohio State, having taken over a program that was already winning big under Meyer and not missing a beat. Day spent two years coaching in the NFL as a quarterbacks coach under Chip Kelly in Philadelphia in 2015 and in San Francisco in 2016, so unlike Meyer, Day has NFL experience. Titans coach Mike Vrabel reportedly offered Day the Tennessee offensive coordinator job in 2018, but Day chose to stay at Ohio State. An NFL head-coaching offer, one that comes with the opportunity to coach the quarterback of his choosing, might be enough to get Day out of Columbus.