Meyer To Resign From Florida Due To Health Issues

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Two-time national champion coach Urban Meyer will resign from Florida.  Athletic director Jeremy Foley broke the news via press release late Saturday.

“I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years and I have dedicated most of my waking moments the last five years to the Gator football program,” Meyer said in the statement.  “I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to reevaluate my priorities of faith and family.”

“After consulting with my family, Dr. Mache, Jeremy Foley and my doctors, I believe it is in my best interest to step aside and focus on my health and family.”

Meyer was hospitalized for dehydration after Florida’s loss in the SEC Championship Game.  He said at the time that he had also suffered chest pains and had lost weight over the course of the season.

Meyer was diagnosed about a decade ago with a non-threatening brain cyst.  The cyst reportedly causes extreme pain when he’s under stress.

(Additional coverage from The Gainesville Sun and The Orlando Sentinel.)

Here are some immediate thoughts regarding the situation:

1.  Has any school gone through as much turnover as Florida is about to go through?  Meyer is stepping down.  Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong has already left.  So has wide receivers coach Billy Gonzalez.  The winningest senior class in SEC history is set to depart along with Tim Tebow, considered to be one of the best college quarterbacks in history.  In addition, the eight to 10 juniors considering an early departure might be pushed toward the NFL by the departure of their coach.  The 2010 Florida Gators will be a far cry from the 2009 Florida Gators.

2.  Is Strong kicking himself for accepting the Louisville job right now?  Had he stayed in Gainesville, it’s possible Foley and the UF family would have turned the program over to him.

3.  Mississippi State fans can start worrying now.  There is certainly a chance the Florida will make a run at Dan Mullen… Meyer’s longtime aide and the Gators’ former offensive coordinator.

4.  There will no doubt be a push for Florida to find someone quickly to salvage this year’s recruiting class.  That should be the last thing on the UF administration’s mind.  Better to sacrifice one class than to rush into a bad hire (Ron Zook) and blow four or five years.  Florida is a plum job — arguably the best in the land — and UF should have no trouble finding a top notch replacement for Meyer.  They just need to be calm and steady. 

5.  Speaking of pushes… is there any chance that former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer has his agent make a phone call or two to Gainesville?  The man actually tried to push the door open at Notre Dame so that idea isn’t as laughable as you might think.  (The idea of Florida actually hiring Fulmer, well, yeah… that IS laughable.)

6.  Could Tommy Tuberville’s name come up?  Like Fulmer, he’s available.  And he’s a few years younger.  And unlike Fulmer, Tuberville actually had some recent success against the Gators.

7.  Could their be anyone in Gainesville (aside from Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun) who would like to make a run at Steve Spurrier?  I don’t see that happening as long as Foley is the AD, but we’re just spitballing here.

8.  Keep your ears open to hear what remarks Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin might make about this development.  Kiffin has taken shot after shot at Meyer and it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that he might open his mouth again.  That said, I would imagine that UT athletic director Mike Hamilton has already talked to his young coach and asked him to say something nice… or say nothing at all.  Any ugly remarks about Meyer at this point and Kiffin could really damage his reputation.

9.  Let’s hope that fans across the conference appreciate what Meyer has accomplished AND that this is a health-related issue.  No fan of any school should rejoice in the fact that Florida’s program might be hurt by Meyer’s health problems.

Finally, our best wishes toward Meyer as he deals with what is likely the most difficult decision of his life.

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