Steve Spurrier reportedly mulling opportunity to coach in Alliance of American Football spring league
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It’s beginning to sound like Steve Spurrier really could make a return to coaching. Not at the collegiate or NFL level but in the new Alliance of American Football spring football league set to debut in 2019.
During a Thursday appearance on ESPN’s The Paul Finebaum Show, longtime Florida beat writer and radio host Pat Dooley shared some insight into Spurrier’s interest in the new league. Dooley said he spoke with Spurrier on Wednesday during Florida’s Pro Day event.
According to reports, the legendary SEC coach is one of the prime coaching targets of the league.
“He’s got the itch, it’s still there,” Dooley said during his appearance on Finebaum’s show. “To him, it’s kinda the perfect scenario. He wouldn’t have to give up his ambassadorship (at Florida) — he’d take a leave of absence, is what he told me. All he would have to do is coach.”
Dooley then went into further detail, claiming that Spurrier likely wouldn’t be interested unless the franchise was located nearby and that the aspects of the college game that distract from actual coaching would not be present in the Alliance of American Football league.
“It’s perfect for him because he can go coach for four months nearby. Look, he ain’t going to go coach the Shreveport team; if it’s in Orlando — which isn’t even a done deal, that’s who he would like to go to,” Dooley continued. “All he’d have to do is coach, that’s what he told me. No recruiting, no meeting with boosters, just go out and call ball plays.
“That’s what’s intriguing to him. But it’s not a done deal. As he told me, it’s not set in stone at all. They are just talking about it right now. He’s intrigued by it.”
While Dooley wouldn’t offer up any odds or a firm stance on which direction Spurrier is leaning, it certainly sounds like the former Florida and South Carolina coach is giving the opportunity a hard look — if the logistics of the job line up in his favor.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
