Twenty years after leading Florida to an NCAA National Football Championship in 2006, former Gators coach Urban Meyer supports the man who wants to lead the team to their fourth title in program history.
Joining “Sportscene with Steve Russell” on WRUF on Friday, Meyer said first-year coach Jon Sumrall’s values align with his.
“You need to get the right guy in charge, and I’m convinced that he is,” Meyer said. “I heard of him, but once we had a couple of phone calls, it was done in my mind. All he talked about was toughness, offseason program, Tuesday practices [and] special teams. [It] was all the things I believed in, so great conversations.”
Meyer, who coached the Gators from 2005-10, will join the University of Florida Ring of Honor during the 2026 football season. Across his coaching stint, Meyer posted a 65-15 overall record, including 36-12 against SEC opponents, while winning titles in 2006 and 2008.
Former Gators quarterback and two-time national champion Tim Tebow won a Heisman Trophy under Meyer in 2007 after finishing the season with 3,286 yards passing, 32 touchdown passes, 895 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns rushing.
In 2008, Meyer earned the All-American Football Foundation Coach of the Year award. He became the first Football Bowl Subdivision coach to post consecutive 13-win seasons (2008 and 2009).
After resigning from Florida in 2011, Meyer joined Ohio State as head coach. He won his third national championship in 2014 with the Buckeyes, but will never forget the moment he secured his first.
“I remember when Percy Harvin got that last first down near the end of the game, we ran a bubble screen,” Meyer said. “The moment I saw the official mark the ball and say, ‘First down Gators,’ I looked at the clock and said, ‘Oh my god, we won this thing.’ It was like a rush that I had never experienced.”
UF announced $1.45 billion renovations coming to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium June 11. Upgrades include more suites and improved entrances, concourses and concessions. The extent of resources dedicated to the project impressed Meyer, and he saw previews of the expected finished product.
“Obviously, I’m a big fan and biased, but when it’s cooking, it’s the best stadium in college football,” Meyer said.
After leaving the collegiate coaching scene following Ohio State’s 2018 season, Meyer coached 13 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 before being fired.
He experienced four seasons of the College Football Playoff era with the adoption of a four-team format in 2014, but didn’t try his hand at the 12-team expanded format, which launched in 2024. Meyer hopes the NCAA sticks to a 12-team field to maintain the prominence of conference championship and rivalry games.
“I just worry if you start making this all about the playoffs and nothing else, you kind of lose those things,” Meyer said. “The SEC Championship game and Big 10 Championship game are two of the most incredible moments for players, coaches and fans that you can experience.”
As college football steers toward the NFL model in the age of name, image and likeness, Meyer remains a strong proponent of education. Though he never dealt directly with NIL as a collegiate coach, given its adoption in 2021, Meyer noted that many people exaggerate the number of athletes taking home millions.
“I kind of hope we tap the brakes and keep it about the university,” Meyer said. “I know I’m that old guy in the room, but I’m just such a firm believer in education and career after the sport.”
