Urban Meyer shoots down potential Florida return: 'That ship has sailed'
Urban Meyer is already shutting down any chance of a second run at Florida.
UF head coach is on the hottest of hot seats after a 1-2 start that has dropped his record with the Gators to 12-16. Though Napier hasn’t been fired yet, a separation feels inevitable, per ESPN insider Pete Thamel. Two high-level UF athletic donors told Saturday Down South that if Florida ends Napier’s tenure, the search will focus on a premier and proven name from a Power conference.
Among Gator Nation, Urban Meyer is one of the most celebrated names in Florida history, leading the Gators to 2 national championships (2006, ’08) in his 6-season tenure (2005-10). Meyer, who turned 60 in July, has been out of coaching the past few years. He ended his championship tenure at Ohio State after the 2018 season. Meyer came out of coaching retirement to give the NFL a shot. The Jacksonville Jaguars dismissed Meyer before he completed his first season.
After the disastrous season in Jacksonville, Meyer returned to being a college football commentator. Meyer, an analyst on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, is also a host of the Triple Option podcast. On Wednesday’s pod, Rob Stone recalled a viral Florida fan’s video from the Meyer years that used Coldplay’s “Fix You” about Meyer fixing things in Gainesville.
Meyer shot down Stone’s suggestion that he might return to UF to fix Florida football again.
“That ship has sailed,” Meyer said on the podcast. “I want that program to do well, so bad. I know so many people there and we gave a big part of our life to that program. But that ship has sailed.”
Meyer’s fondness for Florida and his time in Gainesville was on display in last year’s Swamp Kings docuseries for Netflix. Considering Meyer’s availability, resume and connection to the Florida football program, Wednesday is unlikely to be the last time he’ll have to address a potential return to The Swamp for Urban renewal.
I don’t blame him. I think it’s similar to Saban….the way that they are used to coaching, I doubt they want to deal with this new world of NIL. Especially with all they have accomplished. I don’t see how it would be worth it to them.
It’s not just NIL. It’s also the unlimited transfer portal that goes along with it. That combination undermines quality depth, as talented backups get impatient waiting their turns, knowing they may start elsewhere and get a better NIL deal too.
The new player independence undermines HC authority, which is hard to swallow for authoritarian coaches like Meyer. Saban also retired declaring he didn’t want to deal with it any more.
Good news always eventually emerges. Now let’s get serious about hiring the right coach.
First you might want to get rid of the coach you have!
Most coaches publically deny the rumors
Real deal normally done behind the scene.
Nick Saban initially would deny new job then he takes the job .
You can try Nick Sabin he will do really good in Florida
Holy smokes is that a pipe dream. Absolutely no way Saban comes out of his short retirement for any program, let alone one that isn’t 100% turnkey ready to start firing off championships.
Glenn Shumann will be the next UF HBC…I hope I am wrong.
Humpy, that will not happen. You are safe.
Humpy, it has to be a name coach with P4 success this time around. Can’t be an assistant, a coordinator, or a G5 head coach. Every hire is an over-reaction to the previous hire.
Nash, I’m beginning to get the idea that, for multiple reasons, Napier may get to finish out this season without his dismissal getting announced until the end. Obviously, losing to MSU on Saturday could change that, but let’s assume the Gators win the games they’re favored to win the rest of the way. The HBC is signaling UF’s official approach by giving Napier a public vote of confidence after hammering him this summer.
The primary candidates to replace Napier, everywhere I’ve read, are Kiffin and Drinkwitz. Both are involved in serious SECC and CFP runs. Even if either accepts the Gator job, they’re likely to withhold announcing it until the end of the regular season, when their current teams better know their fates.
There’s also a dark horse candidate that would be a great fit for UF, whose fate may be determined at the end of this season. I’m expecting Ohio State to pound the stuffing out of Michigan this season, but what if the Buckeyes lay an egg in Eugene in mid October and follow that up by losing to Michigan in the Horseshoe… again? Ryan Day could suddenly find the heat in Columbus too high to continue to tolerate and UF is a good fit for him.
All that points to a quiet hiring process at UF and a very late announcement of both Napier’s dismissal and the new HC’s hiring. So, get ready for more unhinged gaga rants the rest of this forgettable season.
StL, as per my multiple rants over the last week or two, firing a coach this early in the season is problematic because a successful P5 candidate is busy. But they may still do it soon anyway.
I am not excited about the names I am hearing. They do not include Kiffin or Drinkwitz.
Y’all keep saying “name coach” – I’d like to know who? The successful ones are far and few, most of them have pretty dang good long term contracts where they are at now. I guess we’ll see what UF considers “successful”.
Dan Lanning seems to have worked out for an inexperienced unsuccessful P4 coach. I’m glad Schu ins’t going to be considered, sure would like to keep him in Athens.
Lane Kiffin, Eli Drinkwitz, Jedd Fisch, Luke Fickell, Chris Klieman, Sonny Dykes, Rhett Lashlee.
Note that I am not endorsing any of these candidates, and I don’t believe Kiffin is being considered. Fisch’s stock took a precipitous drop following Washington’s Napieresque loss to Washington State.
Some retired names are being thrown around, but they do not include Spurrier, Meyer, or (a prima facie ridiculous idea) Saban.
Alex Golesh.
I actually think that Golesh is a good option. He’s an offensive minded coach who has managed to hire a good defensive coordinator, and having been at USF the last couple years he knows Florida recruiting. Plus the way that he turned around the program at USF is impressive to me. If they offer him a good deal I believe he’d be interested, and he’d be motivated to do well to prove himself.
Please stop with the silliness. Nobody inside the Gator administration wants — and none of the mega-donors want — Urban Meyer. And Steve Spurrier is 79.
Myself personally, I do not want Meyer. In my opinion he started the downfall that the Gators are in currently.
As said on Gatorswire, Meyer brought championships, a Heisman, and provided retainers for plenty of defense attorneys.
People can cry for the good old days all they want, but a lot of this cultural rot is leftover from Urban. Yeah, I enjoyed “Swamp Kings,” but it was also Meyer at his dishonest, selective recall, manipulative best. He is a bad guy, I’m glad he’s gone, and it’s sad to see how many would forgive his lies about the program he helped build.
Yes, this!!
The dumpster burns strong in Gainesville…