Urban Meyer Reflects on Golf Outing with Trump, Saban

Former Jaguars coach discusses bipartisan meeting to discuss improving college sports

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer recently played golf with President Donald Trump, Alabama football coach Nick Saban, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Meyer described the outing as a "bipartisan" meeting focused on ways to improve college sports, despite the political affiliations of some attendees.

Why it matters

The meeting between high-profile figures from college football and politics highlights the intersection of sports, politics, and policy discussions around the future of college athletics. As a former college coach, Meyer's perspective on potential reforms carries weight.

The details

According to Meyer, the golf outing at Trump's West Palm Beach property was an opportunity for the group to have a "serious conversation" about the positives and negatives of college sports. Meyer emphasized that the meeting was bipartisan in nature, despite the Republican political affiliations of Trump and DeSantis.

  • The golf outing took place recently.

The players

Urban Meyer

Former head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and longtime college football coach.

Donald Trump

46th President of the United States.

Nick Saban

Head football coach at the University of Alabama.

Ron DeSantis

Governor of the state of Florida.

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What they’re saying

“I got invited to play golf with Coach Nick Saban, Governor Ron DeSantis, and Donald J. Trump, our President. And what brought this on was a conversation about the positives and negatives of not just college football, but college sports. It was an awesome day, awesome sense of humor, and also a real serious conversation about it's interesting to get Coach Saban's take, my take, who's been in it for so long.”

— Urban Meyer, Former Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach (clutchpoints.com)

“No, no, no, this was bipartisan. This conversation was all bipartisan. It just so happens that a Republican President and a very conservative governor of our state. Coach Saban and I were there as guests. And it was all about our thoughts on how to make this thing better.”

— Urban Meyer, Former Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach (clutchpoints.com)

The takeaway

The meeting between Meyer, Saban, Trump, and DeSantis highlights the complex intersection of college sports, politics, and policy discussions around the future of amateur athletics. As a former college coach, Meyer's perspective carries weight, and the bipartisan nature of the discussion suggests a desire to find common ground on potential reforms.