Urban Meyer named to New College trustee board

A national-championship winning college football coach is the newest member of the New College of Florida Board of Trustees, joining a pair of board members reappointed last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Urban Meyer, of late an analyst for Fox Sports’ college football coverage, was named alongside already-serving English professor Mark Bauerlein and attorney Debra Jenks on Dec. 30. 

Meyer, 61, won national championships twice at University of Florida (2006 and 2008) and once at Ohio State (2014). He also coached the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. In 2025, Meyer was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s in sports administration from Ohio State. 

Meyer has owned a home in Sarasota since 2022, property records show.

Bauerlein, 66, is the editor of First Things Magazine and a professor emeritus of English at Emory University. Previously, he served as director of the Office of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts. Bauerlein received his doctorate in English from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Jenks, a 67-year-old 1980 graduate of New College, is a partner at Jenks & Harvey, LLP in West Palm Beach. She serves as a commissioner on the Fourth District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission. Her law degree is from Lewis and Clark Law School.

Their appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.