Urban Meyer’s decision to up and retire at the end of the 2010 football season left a number of coaches — and their families — looking for new homes.  As of today, all nine of Meyer’s ex-aides have jobs.

DJ Durkin (linebackers/special teams) and Brian White (tight ends/fullbacks) were retained by Will Muschamp. 

Zach Azzani, who served as UF’s receivers coach was hired as Western Kentucky’s offensive coordinator today.  The remaining coaches who’ve found work elsewhere are:

* Steve Addazio — head coach at Temple
* Chuck Heater — defensive coordinator at Temple
* Scot Loeffler — offensive coordinator at Temple
* Teryl Austin — secondary coach for the Baltimore Ravens
* Dan McCarney — head coach at North Texas
* Stan Drayton — running backs coach at Ohio State

Just a couple of quick updates regarding possible SEC coaching movement:

* The name of Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee continues to bubble up in the great cauldron of coaching rumors.  McGee interviewed with UConn, but it’s believed the Huskies will move in another direction.  Former Miami O-coordinator Mark Whipple was expected to be Connecticut’s choice, but reports now link Dallas Cowboys assistant and former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni to the job.  McGee is still a possibility at Tulsa, however.  Bobby Petrino confirmed yesterday that his assistant did interview for the head coaching job at that school on Wednesday.  FootballScoop.com reports that McGee will meet with Tulsa’s president today.  Former Tulsa offensive coordinator Chad Morris is believed to be the front-runner for the Golden Hurricane job.

* Tennessee receivers coach Charlie Baggett has been reported to be a candidate for the same position with the Dallas Cowboys.  Baggett served in that capacity with the Miami Dolphins under Nick Saban.  Also on that Dolphins staff?  New Dallas coach Jason Garrett.

* Former Florida and Urban Meyer assistant Chuck Heater is expected to join Steve Addazio’s staff at Temple as defensive coordinator.  Heater was safeties coach with the Gators and co-coordinator.

* We’ve gotten some emails regarding rumors that Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is interested in luring defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel from West Virginia.  It appears — as far as we can tell — that that talk has died down and that Casteel will remain in Morgantown.  WVU head coach Bill Stewart announced last week that his “coaching staff for 2011 is complete” and that Casteel would be “heading up our defense.”

* And former Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges is moving with Brady Hoke from San Diego State to Michigan.  Borges — the man who directed AU’s offense that last time the Tigers went undefeated back in 2004 — will serve as UM’s quarterbacks coach and O-coordinator.

1. Atlanta TV station on A.J. Green: “There is a 100 percent chance he is gone,” but his Twitter posts indicate he hasn’t made up his mind just yet.

2. ESPN and Urban Meyer are talking.

3. The impact of Steve Addazio’s departure at Florida. Ivan Maisel thinks he’s a good fit at Temple.

4. First time in 30 years. Furman 91 – South Carolina 75.

5. Gators bounce back. Florida 66 – Radford 55

6. Doron Lamb sets a UK freshman record.  Kentucky 89 – Winthrop 52

7. If Tennessee loses to Belmont (9-2) tonight, it would be the first time in the Bruce Pearl era the team has lost four straight.

8. The 8-2 Georgia Bulldogs travel to Mercer tonight.

Florida fans need to say a big “thank you” to the folks at the University of Miami.  I know, I know… that’ll never happen.  But still, the Hurricanes’ decision to hire Al Golden helped lead the bane of Gator Nation right out of town.

Much maligned UF offensive coordinator Steve Addazio has accepted the head coaching job vacated by Golden at Temple.  Addazio is expected to remain on Urban Meyer’s staff and coach in the Outback Bowl against Penn State.

Interestingly, as much as Gator fans ripped Addazio this year — blaming every offensive woe on him — the coach was actually a pretty popular guy on the coaching carousel this offseason.

Orangebloods.com reported yesterday that Texas would be bringing in Addazio as the Longhorns’ new offensive line coach.  Instead, he’ll take over a now decent Owls program in Philadelphia.

All of this — as state above — is great news for Florida fans.  The chances of Addazio landing a spot on Will Muschamp’s new staff were slim to nil, but the Temple hiring removes all doubt.  Addazio will not be back in Gainesville.  And now the UF offense will be the best in the land again, right?

Right?

1. Gators offensive coordinator Steve Addazio is a candidate at Temple.

2. Kevin Scarbinsky likes Mark Cuban’s college football playoff-plan.

3. Auburn returns to the football field for the first time since beating South Carolina.

4. Quarterback Stephen Garcia is the poster child for the Gamecocks recent bowl struggles.

5. The 10 moments to remember from the 2010 LSU football team.

6. Joker Phillips clarifies the co-defensive coordinator relationship at Kentucky.

7. This year’s Tennessee basketball team is a history-making bunch and that’s not always a good thing.

8. The 30 things Andy Katz learned from watching college basketball on Saturday.

9. How times have changed. Back in 1962, Ohio State turned down a Rose Bowl invitation because classes started the day after the game.

1.  Will Muschamp is already making moves in Gainesville…

2.  Even though he won’t be introduced as UF’s new coach until tomorrow at 6pm.

3.  Just what Gator fans don’t want to hear — a national recruiting guru says Florida needs to keep Steve Addazio.  D’oh!

4.  Addazio and the rest of the UF staff are in limbo.  (How ’bout all those folks who just signed on last winter.  Rough.)

5.  Is Muschamp going to run the defense himself… or bring in Kirby Smart from Alabama?

6.  This writer believes Smart would be taking a risk to join Muschamp.

7.  Georgia is back at work in preparation for the Liberty Bowl.

8.  Sounds like receiver AJ Green is getting closer and closer to turning pro.

9.  Mark Bradley of The AJC says that if Mark Richt can’t win the SEC East in 2011, he needs to be fired.  (Which is exactly why we’ve said time and again that Richt should have been campaigned for the jobs at Colorado and/or Miami.)

10.  Tennessee point guard Melvin Goins says, “I go out there trying to prove I belong.”

11.  Former Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Bruce Fowler has officially been named the new head coach at Furman.

The retirement of Urban Meyer — if it sticks this time — could lead to some major changes across the SEC.

Let’s guess for now that Steve Addazio won’t be promoted to fill Meyer’s chair.  Would Florida make a run at Dan Mullen?  The ex-Gator coordinator knows the school, has recruiting ties in the state, understands Meyer’s offense, knows many of the current players and — for good measure — came back into The Swamp this fall and beat UF.

Even Mississippi State fans who believe the MSU job to be better than the open Miami gig would have to admit that Florida does have a leg up on State.

Here are some questions to ask:

1.  How long has Meyer known he was going to step down?

2.  If Jeremy Foley knew this was coming, has he already spoken to candidate?

3.  Get ready to see a lot of the same ol’ names trotted out for this one. 

Here’s the official story from the UF athletics site.

Content provided by Swamp Things – Gators Blog.

Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio has drawn much of the criticism for the offense's struggles. (Orlando Sentinel photo)

In his second season as offensive coordinator, Steve Addazio has taken a lot of the heat from fans for the Gators’ offensive struggles. But coach Urban Meyer said Monday that right now he anticipates Addazio staying in that position next season.

“I am expecting that to happen,” Meyer said. “I’ll have further updates as we get closer to the bowl game. Like I said, everybody’s out recruiting and doing their business.”

Florida ranks 79th in total offense. The best team in the country in pass efficiency a year ago, the Gators are 85th this season. And only four teams in the country rank lower than the Gators in red zone offense – Wyoming, Florida Atlantic, Washington State and Buffalo.

Meyer said he’s still in the evaluation process, but the Gators will have at least one position to fill with defensive line coach Dan McCarney’s departure for North Texas. GA Tony Weaver is filling in in the interim.

As we noted a bit earlier, there are reports that current Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio is interested in the head coaching position at Indiana.

Now add to those reports the rumor that Urban Meyer is already talking with Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen about taking the same job in Gainesville.

FootballRumorMill.com has picked up the following from a Swamp247.com report:


“From more than one source, we keep hearing it’s more than just a possibility that Dana Holgorsen, the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State, will be leaving Stillwater to take over the same positions on the Florida coaching staff.  More than one source has indicated that talks with Florida head coach Urban Meyer escalated over the weekend and that it’s a distinct possibility that Holgorsen is heading to Gainesville very soon.”


Not so fast says FootballScoop.com.


“There is a bogus report that is circulating that Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has interviewed with Urban Meyer.  It’s not true.”


Oooh.  Two rumor sites are duking it out.

Fight!  Fight!  Fight!  Fight!  Fight!

Sources told ESPN over the weekend that Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio is “interested in the Indiana job.”

And that has many Gator fans offering to pay Addazio’s moving expenses.  Very nice considering Addazio held the Gator program together while Urban Meyer took his sabbatical/vacation/break/leave.

Addazio served as the Hoosiers’ offensive line coach from 2002 to 2004 (and as offensive coordinator in ’04) before joining Meyer’s staff in Gainesville in 2005.

Addazio has been blamed for all that ails the Gator program, but last week Meyer said that he was not planning any coaching changes.  Addazio also said that he wanted to return and stated that he thought Meyer had already addressed that subject.

Stay tuned…