ESPN is reporting that Urban Meyer has resigned as head coach of the Florida Gators football team. This is part of his statement:
“After consulting with my family, Dr. Machen, Jeremy Foley and my doctors, I believe it is in my best interest to step back and focus on my health and my family.”
This implies that he quit for medical reasons, and not because he was a bad coach or took a job elsewhere (like the NFL). He had been a college football head coach for more than 24 years.
How will this affect the University of Florida football program? Obviously, Urban Meyer is one of the best coaches UF has ever had. His record with the Gators is 56-10 and he has won two BCS national championships there.
This will definitely affect the Florida football program in a huge way. Meyer replaced Ron Zook and quickly turned the Gators around, leading them to the national championship in 2006 and 2008. His defensive coordinator, Charlie Strong, always made sure the Gators had a great defense.
So who will be Florida’s new head coach? There are no obvious options, but Charlie Strong is a very good option. He was Meyer’s defensive coordinator and left after this season to take over as head coach at Louisville. Now, if the Gators wanted him, he would probably be a good fit to take over the program. Of course, he would have to leave Louisville, but in my opinion, most people would take the head coaching job in Florida instead of Louisville.