Paul Finebaum criticizes Urban Meyer’s TV career

Paul Finebaum, the longtime SEC and college football analyst, has publicly criticized Urban Meyer’s stumbling TV career, but the damage to Meyer’s reputation may have started long before his short-lived and troubled run as Jacksonville Jaguars head coach.

Finebaum, speaking on his SiriusXM radio show, questioned Meyer’s transition from coaching to broadcasting, calling it a “train wreck” and suggesting the former Ohio State and Florida coach had “lost his fastball.” The comments come after Meyer’s brief, chaotic 18-game tenure with the Jaguars in 2021, which ended with a 2–11 record and a string of internal controversies, including allegations of locker room dysfunction and a viral video showing Meyer berating a staffer. Meyer’s NFL stint followed his abrupt 2018 resignation from Ohio State amid domestic abuse allegations involving his now ex-wife, Shelley Meyer, which were settled privately and never fully litigated.

The Jaguars debacle capped years of Meyer’s reputation taking hits. His 2015 Florida tenure ended after three seasons due to health and family issues, but not before the NCAA penalized the program for major recruiting violations tied to a now-defunct scheme involving a host family. His Ohio State tenure, once a run of national titles and on-field dominance, is now often overshadowed by the 2018 scandal and the university’s $4.5 million settlement with former staffer Zach Smith’s ex-wife, Courtney Smith, who accused Meyer of mishandling domestic abuse allegations. Finebaum, who once praised Meyer as a transformative coach, has shifted tone over time, reflecting broader skepticism about Meyer’s post-coaching career.

Meyer has since shifted to a smaller role as a college football commentator for Fox Sports, calling games sporadically. But the public perception of his career arc—once a coaching wunderkind to a cautionary tale—is now firmly set. Finebaum’s criticism, while pointed, reflects a wider recognition that Meyer’s legacy is defined less by his Xs and Os and more by off-field decisions that continue to haunt him. The Jaguars tenure didn’t break Meyer’s image—it accelerated its decline. And in the court of public opinion, that damage may never be undone.