As Urban Meyer returns to the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium to watch his former defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham practice, he can't help but marvel at how much the place has changed in the 20 years since he's been gone. I couldn't.
The stadium is now an enclosed bowl with a fancy new south end zone with luxury boxes and a swanky new locker room for the team. It's a far cry from when Meyer coached the Utes for two seasons in 2003 and 2004.
“I walked over there, and I think that south end zone is the best zone in college football. If you think about it, when I was here before, we didn't even have a training table. What? It was pretty cool to see what was happening,” Meyer said.
The former Ute State coach and three-time national champion was back in Salt Lake City to speak at a clinic set up by the state of Utah for high school coaches.
Meyer, one of the most successful coaches in college football's modern era, hasn't coached since 2021, was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars after a disastrous 13-game appearance, and is currently on FOX's ” He works as an analyst for “Big Noon Kickoff''. pre-game show.
Meyer took Utah's program to new heights as a young coach, leading Utah to its first outright conference championship since 1957 in 2003 and capping a 10-2 offseason with a Liberty Bowl victory over Southern Miss. He concluded.
The following year, Meyer's Utes went 11-0 in the regular season and became the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference to play in the Bowl Championship Series, defeating Pittsburgh 35-7 to win the 2005 Fiesta won the championship. bowl.
The school's first undefeated season in the modern era was led by Meyer's spread offense, quarterback Alex Smith, who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and was selected No. 1 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, and receivers Parris Warren and the receivers ran perfectly. Steve Savoy, running backs Marty Johnson and Quinton Guenther.
Whittingham coached a defense that included future NFL players Eric Weddle, Steve Fifita, Sione Puha, and Spencer Thune, and Morgan Scully led the team with six interceptions.
Although there was no College Football Playoff back then, Meyer still believes the Utes would have defeated USC, the 2004 national champion, that year, something that Matt, who was a star on the Trojan team, said. He also spoke to Leinart and Reggie Bush. Meyer worked with the two on “The Big Noon Kickoff.”
“The good thing is, what I always say to Matt and Reggie…I swear, man-to-man — we didn't have depth — but with the starting 22 and the coaching staff, we're going to be the best in the nation. We could have played any team in the world.''That year, we would have found a way to win that game.'' That's how great that team was,” Meyer said.
Wearing a white quarter-zip with the Utah logo on it, Meyer was introduced to the coaching crowd by Whittingham when Ron McBride was fired after the 2002 season. Whittingham said he and Meyer were planning on taking the head coaching job at Utah.
For Whittingham, who had been on Utah's staff since 1994, losing Meyer's job was initially disappointing, but working as Meyer's defensive coordinator was “the best thing that's ever happened to me in my coaching career.” It's the best thing that's happened,” he said.
“I've learned more in the last two years than I've learned in my entire coaching career,” said Whittingham, who took the job in 2005 after Meyer left to coach Florida. At the time, he said, “I was always ready to be a coach.''
“That's not to criticize anyone I worked for before, but I'm talking about a guy who is the most meticulous, organized, detailed soccer coach you've ever had. .That's what Coach Meyer represents.'' Nothing was left to chance. He has a plan for everything. ”
No doubt there was a sense of nostalgia for Meyer, who played on the same field where he won 11 of 12 home games against Whittingham (Meyer was 22-2 all-time at Utah).
“I remember, I think I called him and said, 'Hey, we did a good job of making it to the Pac-12. Now, Tiger, you've got to do it.' said Meyer. “He not only accomplished it. How about this? This is his second winningest program in the Pac-12 over the last five years. Kyle, I'm so proud of you. ” Meyer said.
Whittingham was a steady presence from Utah's defensive coordinator under Meyer, leading the Utes to an undefeated season in 2008, a move to the Pac-12 (winning two conference titles), and now the Big 12. A new era has arrived.
“…In 2003 and 2004, if someone said Utah State was going to the Pac-12, they would not only go to the Pac-12, but they would be second in the program and win twice. The last three championships have been won in the Pac-12 Conference, and now they're looking to do the same in the Big 12 Conference. I am so honored and so proud of Kyle,” Meyer said.
In a speech that lasted more than an hour, Meyer drew the biggest laugh of the day by telling the story of his first recruiting trip to California with Whittingham and visiting recruits at home. Ta.
“I swear, that kid's head is that It’s big,” Meyer said, pinching his index finger and thumb. “I'm moving my family out of the country to the Mountain West Conference, and I'm looking for someone to do it. When I look at this kid, he's this big, he's got a big neck, he's got a haircut like Fonzie. is.”
After securing the players' commitments, Meyer met with Whittingham in his car.
“I looked at Kyle and thought, 'Kyle, what the hell was that?'” I'm moving my family across the country…and that's what I'm recruiting for? No, we don’t do it that way,” Meyer said.
Whittingham told Meyer that he had been scouting Southern California for 10 years and knew all the coaches in the area, and every coach told him this player was the most competitive and toughest player in the conference. Told.
That player was Weddle, who played under Meyer for two years. He started four seasons on Utah's defense, playing cornerback, safety, nickel, and also on offense. He then had a successful 14-year NFL career that ended with him making eight Pro Bowls. Includes Super Bowl ring.
“I think Michigan State, Wisconsin and Utah are the best schools I've ever seen drafting that player,” Meyer said. “…I think Coach Whit has an uncanny ability to take something good and make it great with his staff.”
Meyer's talk focused on three things he learned when he was Earl Bruce's graduate assistant: academics, toughness, and selflessness.
Meyer certainly saw a lot of that as he watched Utah practice Saturday morning.
“If you want to see toughness, go out and watch Utah State football practice. They're different than everyone else,” Meyer said.
As for his thoughts on the current team after two days of play, Meyer likes what he sees.
“I love the team. I love Cam Rising. It's very important to have him back. He's a winner. They won two championships with him,” Meyer said.
Scully, who played safety under Meyer for two years and is now Utah's defensive coordinator, helped organize a dinner last night with Meyer, Whittingham and players from the 2003 and 2004 teams.
“There were just warm emotions and great stories. They were like fish stories, and they just kept getting bigger and bigger, but they were great,” Meyer said.
Returning to Salt Lake City brought back many fond memories for Meyer.
“We love it here. Sherry (Meyer's wife) and I plan on coming back. We have now agreed to come back here at least twice a year,” he said. Ta. “We only spent two years together, but I had great friends. I love Utah and Salt Lake and am Utah's biggest fan.”
