Even amongst Urban Meyer's friends — the allies and supporters who have stuck with him through controversies and suspensions and, of course, lots of championships — there was reason for concern when he took over the Jacksonville Jaguars last spring.
Could a coach who won three national titles and produced two additional unbeaten seasons during stops at Ohio State, Florida and Utah adapt to the NFL?
In taking over lowly Jacksonville, even with the No. 1 pick (quarterback Trevor Lawrence) and nearly $100 million in free-agent cap space, he was assured to lose more games in a season then he was accustomed to in half a decade in college.