The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: Hour 3 – Urban Meyer Joins The Herd & Tomorrow's Headlines ... Today
Date: October 31, 2025
Host: Colin Cowherd
Featured Guest: Urban Meyer

Episode Overview

This episode centers on two major segments:

1. College Football & NFL Coaching Hot Seats – Colin discusses unstable high-profile college programs (LSU, Florida, Penn State), the Miami Dolphins’ decision to fire their GM, and why he thinks Lane Kiffin is an ideal NFL head coach candidate.
2. Urban Meyer Interview – The legendary former college coach joins to break down current coaching vacancies, recruiting dynamics, and key college matchups.
3. Tomorrow's Headlines Today – The weekly rapid-fire NFL predictions and analysis segment.

The conversation is high-energy and brimming with strong opinions on leadership, coaching transitions, and the state of both the NCAA and NFL.

Main Topics and Key Insights

1. Dolphins Shake-Up and Lane Kiffin for NFL?

[04:10–14:17]

• Miami Dolphins Fire GM: Chris Greer is out, but Mike McDaniel is kept for season’s end ("Smart. Don't put an interim guy in who reels off four or five wins and everybody goes, 'I'll hire the interim'." – Colin, [04:23]).
• Lane Kiffin as Next Dolphins Head Coach?
  • Why Kiffin?
    • Kiffin has orchestrated the "number one offense in college football, last several years" ([04:36]).
    • He's recruited or studied all the top SEC quarterback prospects ("Nobody knows the SEC quarterbacks better than the current best offensive coach." – Colin, [04:47]).
  • NFL & NCAA Are Merging: Transfer portal and NIL have made college jobs more NFL-like.
  • Coaching Presence: Miami lacks "an alpha," a "presence" that Kiffin would bring ("Dan Campbell hit you like a strong drink. Mike Vrabel, intimidating... Kiffin can be snarky. He can be a smart aleck...get out of that world." – Colin, [08:34]).
  • Process Recommendation:
    1. Fire GM.
    2. Retain McDaniel through season.
    3. Hire Kiffin and let him choose the GM and, crucially, the quarterback ("I'd have Kiffin pick the quarterback, then have the GM pick everybody else." – Colin, [09:51]).
  • On Tua and GMs: Colin is critical of past QB decisions ("Half the GMs wanted Tua in the AFC...What are we doing?" – Colin, [10:33]).

Memorable Quote

"This isn't about Tua. That ship has sailed. They gotta clean house. I would move off Tua. I would move off the coach. I would move off the GM."
— Colin Cowherd ([07:24])

2. Mahomes vs. Allen: A Heavyweight Rivalry

[12:54–14:24]

• Mahomes vs. Josh Allen: Facing each other for the 10th time, both are gifted but Mahomes benefits from Andy Reid, the “best offensive coach in league history.”
• Situational football, coaching, and late-game execution are what "separates good from great" teams.
• Early regular season is different from December–January, when "the games come down to inches."
• Commentary: Allen vs. Mahomes is the new Brady vs. Manning in terms of rivalry and talent.

Memorable Quote

"Mahomes and Reid do not beat you in the opening drive. They beat you late...situational football is the key to all of it."
— Colin Cowherd ([13:59])

3. Urban Meyer on Blue Blood Jobs, Lane Kiffin, and Key Matchups

[20:04–29:40]

Best Open College Job?

• LSU, Florida, Penn State: Urban picks Florida as the best job, citing recruiting base and internal stability.
• Penn State, like Notre Dame, has to "recruit the world," while at LSU and Florida, a top roster is "a short plane ride" away.
• LSU's current instability, with the governor’s involvement and no AD, is a "concern."

Coaching Buyouts

• Buyouts escalated the last decade due to pressures and expectations.
• Urban finds the trend surprising but understands the protectiveness for coaches ("If you're going to start getting fired after winning 70% of your games...gotta protect yourself and your family..." – Urban, [22:43]).

Lane Kiffin's NFL Readiness

• Colin and Urban agree that Lane Kiffin is a high-level offensive mind—as mature and relaxed as ever.
• Meyer: Kiffin is "successful at every level" and "has matured" ([24:23]).
• Both express some skepticism over the SEC QBs' NFL readiness: Most need another year; few are true first-round prospects ("I'm not sure...are those guys the first round guys that you take and say, you're my quarterback and I'm going to rest my career or not? We're not." – Urban, [25:04]).

Ohio State vs. Penn State & Talent Parity

• Penn State has "as many four or five stars" as Ohio State; slight edge to OSU due to program stability.
• Concern: Top-heavy favorites can be caught off guard; "talent is not the question" ([26:25]).

USC–Nebraska Preview

• Comprehensive: "USC is a Team A/Team B kind of team...if the good team shows up, it's a wrap. If the B team shows up, we've got a problem." ([28:19])

Notable Quotes

"Florida and LSU to me are right there. And it's all about recruiting base...LSU, you can fill a team with a short plane ride...what's happened with LSU is the reason I have them behind Florida..."
— Urban Meyer ([20:53])

"Lane's matured...he's a hell of an offensive football coach and a hell of a coach. So I thought...could be successful at every level. Remember, he went to the Raiders as a very young guy."
— Urban Meyer ([24:23])

4. NFL Headlines and Predictions: Tomorrow's Headlines Today

[41:55–51:03]

Colin and his co-host run through key NFL matchups and offer predictions with signature, pun-laden “headline” summaries.

Highlight Games & Analysis

• Colts at Steelers: "Colt-ture Geist: Steelers Stay Haunted at Home" — Colts’ offense seen as potent, Steelers defense "worst Tomlin's had in a decade."
• Niners at Giants: "Kittle Shop of Horrors" — Favoring Niners to bounce back.
• Broncos at Texans: "Texas Move the Chainsaw Massacre" — Edge to C.J. Stroud and Texans, noting Denver’s injuries and Stroud’s recent form.
• Panthers at Packers: "Silence of the Lambo" — Packers favored, Panthers in the "bad teams are very bad" tier.
• Rams at Saints: "Sour Patch Kids" — Rams expected to dominate, Saints in “soft tank” mode.
• Chiefs at Bills: "The Bills are, The Chiefs aren’t: Giddy Buffalo" — Against consensus, co-host picks Buffalo in what he sees as a must-win for Bills.

Memorable Quote

"The bad teams this season, Colin, are very bad."
— Co-host ([47:00])

5. Final Thoughts: The Lane Kiffin Case Revisted

[51:03–53:28]

• Colin reiterates:
  • Lane Kiffin's experience with the transfer portal/NIL fits today's NFL landscape.
  • College-to-pro coaches have unique personnel insights ("Lane has all these SEC guys. Lane's recruited him...knows the stuff that GMs and coaches in the NFL today do not know." – Colin, [51:35]).
  • Ideal to give Kiffin some personnel power, have him select the QB—then hire a GM amenable to working with him.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On Miami's lack of culture:
  "They got a smart guy in the building. They got no culture. They got nothing. They're flimsy. It's empty calories."
  — Colin Cowherd ([04:49])

• On Lane Kiffin in the NFL:
  "It's all different now. It used to be college coach, he went to high schools. Belichick now coaches college. He just write a check to get guys."
  — Colin Cowherd ([06:33])

• On College Coaching Buyouts:
  "If you're going to start getting fired after winning 70% of your games...gotta protect yourself and your family...That's the market value, man. That's what's happening."
  — Urban Meyer ([22:53])

• Urban on recruiting bases:
  "Lsu, you can fill a team with a short plane ride from Baton Rouge...The problem with Penn State, Penn State's got the same problem Notre Dame does. You have to go recruit the world."
  — Urban Meyer ([20:53])

• On Lane Kiffin & QB Prospects:
  "Half of these quarterbacks Lane's recruited him, Lane's seen him, Lane's coached against him, he's looked at film."
  — Colin Cowherd ([04:48])

• On NFL's randomness and luck:
  "Kansas City Chiefs nine fumbles this year. They've recovered all nine. Nice luck on their side...I think the fumbles are totally random."
  — Cowherd and co-host ([50:40–51:03])

Additional Highlights

• Colin’s Radio Hall of Fame Induction ([35:14–36:35]):
  • Celebratory moment, mentions fellow inductees Alice Cooper and Martha Quinn.
  • "Radio never gets old. TV, there’ll be a point…Radio? I could wear a hoodie and be like 104."
• Urban Meyer’s Columbus Routine ([29:16]):
  • Hitting Urban Meyer’s Pint House and Jeff Ruby’s steakhouse, maintaining his local tradition.

Conclusion

This episode showcases Colin Cowherd’s signature mix of sharp, impassioned opinion with high-level football insight, bolstered by Urban Meyer’s first-hand expertise on recruiting, program management, and coaching acumen. The evolving similarities between the college and pro football worlds are illustrated through the Lane Kiffin discussion, while "Tomorrow's Headlines Today" delivers entertaining, informative picks for the NFL weekend ahead.

For a rapid-fire, highly informed window into the state of football coaching and front-office drama—plus plenty of laughs and sharp predictions—this episode is a must.