There is a storm brewing in Florida. A huge storm.
The Florida Gators lost their head coach this weekend when Urban Meyer suddenly stepped down from the program citing his health as a determining factor. It’s a shock to Gators fans and a belated Christmas gift for our Vols.
Meyer thankfully claims that there is no immediate disease or deadly illness but rather his overall wellness that forced him to rethink heading up the nation’s #1 team. Essentially, the cost of staying #1 took it’s toll on the coach.
Meyer met with his players around 7 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. “I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to re-evaluate my priorities of faith and family,” he said in a statement.
The vacancy of Meyer is easily the most determining factor in the SEC we have seen in years. The Gators are easily the team to beat in the SEC with 2 National Championships this decade under Meyer’s rule. This year the Gators used QB Tim Tebow’s final season as a springboard to another title but fell short to Alabama in the SEC Championship.
The Gator’s will not have Tebow next season which will make it hard for the team to repeat as SEC East champs.
Add in the loss of coordinators Dan Mullen (to Mississippi State) and Charlie Strong (to Louisville) with Meyer and the Gators are now looking at no immediate successor to the team during this pivotal recruiting period.
That’s good news for every team that is in a recruiting battle with Florida and we can imagine Vols coach Lane Kiffin smiling a little bit more than usual tonight knowing the division [and recruiting] just got a little easier.
