File this one under: What’s he supposed to say?

At a Gator booster club gathering last night, Florida football coach Will Muschamp took up for the man who preceded him in Gainesville.  When a UF fan asked him about The Sporting News’ recent hit job on Urban Meyer — a Matt Hayes-penned piece claiming the coach lost control of the program, allowed drug use to take place, and played favorites when it came to discipline – the current Gator coach said of the former Gator coach:


“I think Urban Meyer did a great job at the University of Florida.  He won two conference championships.  He won two national championships.  And I don’t know how you can do that without discipline.  That’s my opinion.  I wasn’t here at that time, but I know that I am very proud to be part of a program that he was a part of, and he did a great job at Florida.”


Muschamp has said the right things about Meyer before.  Last year at SEC Media Days he said that Meyer had been “first class” and that he’d listened to his predecessor’s advice “more than anyone else.”

The closest he’s come to really saying anything that could even be slightly construed as negative toward Meyer’s regime was last October when he said UF lacked the players to install a power running game.

Facts, however, are facts.  Muschamp can talk all he likes about UF having discipline under Meyer, but when he booted star corner Janoris Jenkins after two quick pot arrests last spring, the player said he’d still be on the team if his old coach were still around.

So if Meyer had discipline, it’s safe to say — based on Jenkins’ comments — that Muschamp is trying to instill even more into the Florida program.

And while discipline issues can indeed destroy a team that needs a mix of chemistry and talent to win, an uber-talented team can win with thugs, miscreants and rule-breakers on the roster.  See: Miami Hurricanes, 1980-90s.  Many wins and titles.  Many arrests and embarrassments.

Florida had a once-in-a-generation talent in Tim Tebow surrounded by a fleet of 4- and 5-star prospects for four of Meyer’s six years in Gainesville.  But the success he had on the field with that player and that roster don’t prove by any stretch that the coach actually maintained discipline off the football field.

Kicking off the annual spring handshakes and fundraising “UGA Days” tour in Augusta last night, Mark Richt let it be known that he’s not going to change the way he disciplines his team… even though a number of players are facing suspensions for Georgia’s first few games:


“Did anybody here go through college?  Did anybody maybe do something stupid, and not have the whole world know?  I know I did…

I don’t know if any person ever went through life without messing up.  When a mistake is made, there needs to be a consequence, there needs to be a discipline, there needs to be a learning experience from it.  I’m not gonna change the way I discipline.  Some people may think it’s soft.  A lot of people think you might be losing control of your program because you have a lot of suspensions from the season.  But the reality is that’s how you keep control of your team, by disciplining your team.  If you notice, we’re not going to have any partiality between the kids that walk on or are starting.”


A shot at Florida after last week’s piece on admitted player of favorites, Urban Meyer?  Perhaps.

The coach continued:


“I don’t like disciplining a starter.  I don’t like disciplining a walk-on.  But when they get out of line you want the punishment to stick.  And the punishment that sticks the most is playing time.  That’s what I’ve learned over the years.  And then you’ve gotta educated them.  You’ve gotta have them understand why what they did is wrong, and how it hurts them.”


Richt went on to explain how several former Bulldog players have benefited from discipline and from second chances in the past.

Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph — who provides a full transcript of all the coach’s comments — correctly points out that many of the current suspensions faced by UGA players stem from the school’s strong drug policy and that there’s not much wiggle room for Richt on that front in the first place.

Fair enough, but that doesn’t change the fact that if I were a parent looking for a coach to a) treat my son like his own, b) get him ready for the pro game, and c) win a whole lotta games that my son and I could both enjoy… Richt would be pretty darn high on the list of guys I’d hope to have visiting the ol’ living room.

Things usually end poorly for coaches.  It’s rare that a guy stays at the same school for 20+ years and then walks away on his own terms with the majority of the fanbase begging him to stick around a while longer.  Sooner or later, things will probably end badly for Richt at Georgia, too.

But when the history of UGA football is someday written, here’s betting the Richt era will be one that’s looked back on with much fondness and pride.  Perhaps more fondness than some Georgia fans currently realize.

Last week it was The Sporting News’ Matt Hayes who was getting his licks in at former Florida coach Urban Meyer.  This week it’s a cartoonist for The Pensacola News Journal.

Enjoying it all — and bringing it to our attention — reknowned Meyer-hater Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel.

Click the headline of this story for a bigger view of the “Urban Meyer Legacy.”

Steve Spurrier won a Heisman Trophy as a player at Florida.  He then returned to his alma mater and made the Gator program one of the top five jobs in America.

But when Urban Meyer hoisted his second BCS crystal football in 2008, there were some who said the Gators newest coach had surpassed the older coach.

George Diaz of The Orlando Sentinel says a bit more time has proven that that was just not the case:


“Even now, as head coach at South Carolina, Spurrier channels the profile of the Perfect Gator: A blend of cockiness and charisma.  A man who embraces all the darts and arrows.  A man who loves to pile on, just because.  What’s not to love?

This is why Spurrier — years after leaving — will forever be king of Florida football, while Urban Meyer is a bit like the emperor with no clothes.

Sure the two national titles are fancy ornaments on his resume, but Meyer’s legacy will forever be tarnished by the rest of his “accomplishments.”  In simpler terms, he was nothing more than a hired mercenary who did his job, got sloppy, bored and disinterested, and helped dismantle a program he helped rebuild into a national power.”


Too strong?  Not in my view.  Spurrier tapped into the recruiting base of the Sunshine State like no other coach in Gator history.  His personality — as well as his play-calling — gained the UF program national recognition.

All that has come since — whether it was won by Meyer or will be won by Muschamp — can be traced back to the moment Spurrier took a good Florida program often bathed in scandal and made it a great football program with a clean record.

While Meyer won, he didn’t leave things in as good of order as he found it.  Tim Tebow — as we’ve written many times — was a once in a generation type of player who happened to pass through on his watch.  And scandals and arrests and drama and turmoil returned to Gainesville on Meyer’s watch as well.

Meyer has one more national title than Spurrier, but without Spurrier first laying the foundation, it’s doubtful Meyer would have accomplished nearly as much as he did in the roughneck SEC.

On Wednesday, Will Muschamp allowed tight end AC Leonard to return to the practice field despite the player having been arrested in February for simple domestic battery.  Yesterday, the Gainesville State Attorney’s Office filed a misdemeanor battery charge against Leonard.

And that doesn’t make Muschamp’s action the day before look too good.  Here’s what the Gator coach said Wednesday regarding the tight end:


“After a six-week suspension from team activities, AC Leonard has been cleared to return to practice only.  He still has a lot of things to work through before his status for the fall is addressed.”


That after initially stating “this behavior will not be tolerated.”  What behavior, you ask?  The police report — the one the State Attorney’s Office is now acting on — was summarized by the folks at CollegeFootballTalk.com:


“(Leonard) reportedly ‘shoved (his girlfriend) forcibly with both hands in here chest/neck area.  The force of the shove knocked her down to the ground, causing here head to strike a dog cage that was behind her.’

Leonard then reportedly told the woman to leave and attempted to drag her by her hair out the door.  When she resisted, the police report states Leonard grabbed his girlfriend by her feet and pulled her out of the apartment before locking her out.”


That was the girlfriend’s story.  But the arresting officer said he did see bruises on the woman’s elbow and arm.  Leonard said he never hit her, “I just wanted her to leave.” 

The attorney for the sophomore tight end — who played in nine games for the Gators last year — said earlier this week that he and his client were “in plea negotiations with the state and we are hopeful that we’re going to work out a resolution to this case without a trial.”

Even with the decision by the State Attorney’s Office yesterday, a deal could still be struck and the case could still be settled.

But it’s another black eye for a Florida program that has had more than its share of run-ins with the law since Urban Meyer touched down in Gainesville back in 2006.  Leonard was the ninth Gator arrested since Muschamp took over the UF program in January of last year.

By SEC standards, Georgia had a relatively crime-free 2011 after Mark Richt instituted a get-tougher policy regarding discipline issues.  Unfortunately, a pair of starting cornerbacks have been arrested for possessing marijuana and punching a woman in recent weeks.

Still, Richt says his program doesn’t have a discipline deficiency:


“When guys do make mistakes, two things are very important: How we handle it and how he handles it.  Are we going to discipline our players the way they ought to be disciplined according to what they’ve done?  I think we do that.  I think we do that more strictly than most people do.  If you look at other people’s policies, ours is much tougher than just about any other policy I’ve seen.  So because some of our guys end up with a game suspension or whatever it may be, a kid at another school may do the very same thing and their policy doesn’t say that it has to be that way.  I mean, I don’t care what they do.  All I’m saying is I think it’s important how you handle it.”


Richt is correct.  The University of Georgia has a Student-Athlete Handbook that spells out exactly what punishments coincide with arrests.  An arrest for “alcohol or drug-related misconduct” requires — in the case of football — a one-game suspension.  No running steps, no early workouts.  A suspension.  No argument.

Boys will be boys and no coach can be responsible for 100 players 100% of the time.  But Richt — and UGA’s code — have helped cut back on arrests overall in the past year-and-a-half. 

Until Will Muschamp can drive the remaining Urban Meyer recruits out of Florida’s program, maybe he should institute the same policy as Georgia.  For now it’s the Gators who’ve dealt with double-digit arrests since Muschamp’s hiring.

1. Rivals has released its initial list of the top 100 prospects for the 2013 class.

2. Here’s a breakdown of the initial group from Rivals.

3. Alabama is making a push for Georgia quarterback commit Brice Ramsey.

4. Sounds like a move by Urban Meyer, who called the upset talk in the Big Ten last week “nonsense.”

5. If you missed it last week, Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan said he doesn’t recruit prospects committed to other schools.

6. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin believes the Aggies need to focus their recruiting on Texas and Louisiana.

Each year in the aftermath of signing day, Rivals.com names its top recruiters of the year.  America’s top fisher of men this February?  Florida linebackers and special teams coach DJ Durkin.

Durkin is starting his third year in Gainesville after being lured from Stanford by Urban Meyer in 2010.  He got his first full-time assistant’s job in 2005 under Meyer at Bowling Green.  (Here’s guessing Bret Bielema wouldn’t approve of his recruiting tactics.)

“I am very, very fortunate to be recruiting at a place like Florida because I think the place almost sells itself,” Durkin said.  “It is a great academic institution and there is obviously great football tradition here.  We play in a great football stadium in the best conference in the world.  I think the place really sells itself.”

“The place” is also located in one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in America.  Durkin didn’t mention that fact, but it certainly helps.

The Gators wound up with a consensus Top 5 class and, amazingly, it could have been even better if several last-minute decisions from prospects had gone UF’s way.

Among Rivals’ Top 25 Recruiters of the Year are seven more SEC coaches:


David Beaty of Texas A&M
Todd Grantham of Georgia
Derek Lewis of Florida
Jeremy Pruitt of Alabama
Kirby Smart of Alabama
Trooper Taylor of Auburn
Lorenzo Ward of South Carolina

1. Kevin Scarbinsky: Is Nick Saban doing to Les Miles what he did to Urban Meyer?

2. Derek Dooley on multi-year scholarships: “We forget this is a contract, a two-way street.”

3. And on the season-ending loss at Kentucky: “It eats me alive. I didn’t sleep for a week after that game.”

4. Urban Meyer is doing to the Big Ten what Lane Kiffin did to the SEC.

5.  ”(J)ust admit everyone’s guilty of poaching on some level…”

6. The Darius Philon story will not go away.

7. Neither will the Jarrett Lee BCS championship game saga.

8. Jordan Jefferson leads two scoring drives but the North beats the South in the Players All-Star Classic.

9. Avery Johnson will legally change his last name to Peterson when he arrives on the LSU campus.

10.  A signing day breakdown for the Ole Miss Rebels.

11. And one for Mississippi State.

12. How to work a living room – Kentucky Wildcats style.

13. Alabama 69 – Ole Miss 67 (2 OT).  Key plays by Trevor Releford prove to be  the difference. Ole Miss loses seven-point halftime lead.

14. LSU 71 – Arkansas 65.  Four scorers in double figures for the Tigers. Arkansas still winless on the road.

15. Mississippi State 91 – Auburn 88. Bulldogs connect on 12 3-point shots. Beat Auburn despite Dee Bost fouling out with 3.29 to go.

16. Florida 73 – Vanderbilt 65.  19 straight at  home for the Gators. Press and double teams doom the Commodores.

17. Kentucky 85 – South Carolina 62. 22 points, eight rebounds and eight blocked shots for Anthony Davis in a record-setting game for the freshman. Worst loss in Darrin Horn’s coaching career.

18. The Big Blue Nation Occupy Movement.

19, Tennessee 73 – Georgia 62. Lineup shuffle a winner for the Vols. Georgia coach Mark Fox ejected.

20. Mike Strange: “I pity the teams who have to prepare a scouting report on Tennessee.”

21. Is selfishness killing college basketball?

Extras

22. The NFL wants more Thursday night games.

23. Former Kentucky player Dermontti Dawson elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame.

24. IBM says Twitter prefers Eli.

25. The 21 strangest Super Bowl prop bets.

26. The Super Bow is over when this happens.

Nothing’s more important than spending time with his wife and kids.  He never wanted to coach anywhere else after wearing the orange and blue.  He wasn’t going to raid Florida’s football program for staffers.

By now, it’s become pretty clear that what Urban Meyer says and what Urban Meyer does can be two completely different things.  So prepare for the coach’s latest canard:


“I’m sure I’ll watch some (of the Gator Bowl between Florida and Ohio State).  It’s hard or me to sit and watch a whole game.  I think people are making more of it than I would.  At some point, that story is going to go away.”


Uh, yeah.  As soon as the fourth quarter ends on January 2nd in Jacksonville.  Until then, the 2012 Gator Bowl is in reality the Urban Meyer Bowl.

And if you think the head coach at Ohio State won’t be watching his new squad battle his old squad — if for no other reason than to simply gauge his new troops’ abilities against athletes he’s familiar with — then you’ve probably believed every other fabrication Meyer has spun in the past 24 months.

“I want to form my opinions after we coach them,” Meyer said of his new Buckeye players.  “It’s a great opportunity for these players to push restart.  I’m not going to develop an opinion based on this game.”

Maybe not, but the idea that he won’t be watching the game from start to finish is downright laughable.