ESPN.com (12/27): Meyer has change of heart
Florida coach Urban Meyer changed his mind Sunday and said he was taking an indefinite leave of absence instead of resigning.
Previously (12/26):
- ESPN.com: UF’s Meyer resigns for health reasons
- Brandon Marcello: Plan on hearing Petrino’s name connected with Florida job
- Chris Bahn: Could Petrino Get a Phone Call About Meyer’s Resignation At Florida?
- Robbie Neiswanger: Petrino Mentioned After Meyer’s Resignation, Bobby Petrino and the Florida Question
- ESPN.com SEC: Stoops, Petrino, Mullen all worth watching
Quick… time to update that contract! Have we thrown in the kitchen sink yet? What about a dual role??? Does he know anything about basketball? (ok… just kidding on the last part)!
Don't worry about Petrino leaving. If he wants to look other places then let him. We can go after that Houston Coach. He sure turned the Cougars around. This throwing money @ good coaches has got to stop!!!! Coaches work hard, I know, but they are certainly paid enough for their efforts.
If for no other reason, the ESPN "Home Depot, league of experts regime" will no doubt throw Bobby Petrino's name around every single time they get a chance, because they were the ones leading the charge for Aurther Blank's personal agenda against him after he left the Falcons.
I think this would be a great chance for Petrino to make them look even more iggnorant than they've already proven themselves to be.
Not that Petrino shouldn't be interested. Florida is a great job, that requires a great coach. I just don't believe it's his time yet.
Lot's of coaches can be sucsessful in the fertile recruiting hotbed of Florida, but I think Bobby Petrino is trying to prove something here. Just a hunch.
Hey Gonzo,
I'm not a Petrino basher at all and I want him to stay but if the talk about him leaving continues and he doesn't put a lid on it then why should we remain dormant? We should at least send feelers out to the Houston Coach and see if he might be interested (and he should because the cubboard certainly won't be bare). Not only is this fair but we could find other really great coaches might just think Arkansas is a great place for them. They just might be someone who knows and I mean really knows how to recruit Houston (a real recruiting HOT BED) and the rest of Texas as well. Now that BP has done a good job of getting great athletics up there (and he was paid very well for that) it should not be too hard and/or expensive to find a replacement for him if he bolts so let's don't panic and open up the check book but rather just pause and take a look ourselves. This looking around can go both ways you know.
I hope you're right, Gonzo. If Petrino has something to prove, and after two years, he believes it's still possible at Arkansas; he'll still be here. If not, not.
I'd like to say we'll know something for sure this afternoon when he's finished with his interview but that's often not how coaches operate these days. Bobby's not an outright liar like Saban; however he does play his cards close to the vest.
I certainly see what you're getting at, OKOFCOURSE, and I don't disagree with you at all. It would be foolish to just stand still while our coaching future at the UofA lingers in question.
Like Hawgfan100 mentioned, we could find something out this evening, but there's no garantee.
When asked about considering the Florida job if offered, (and you know he'll be asked) it'll be interesting to see what initial reaction Petrino has and what kind of response he has about it.
I don't think we can really speculate about anything until that happens.
I agree, Gonzo.
Then again…never mind:
Sources: Meyer now taking 'leave'
Wish Meyer had waited a few days longer to change his mind, giving Petrino et al a chance to tip their hand. I was looking forward to having the question laid to rest, either way. Petrino has plenty of money and challenge at Arkansas, if that's what he'd looking for. Obviously there's more prestige elsewhere. He seems to have the status of an elite coach.
Hey is this a first? The Hogs' record right now is 7-5 in football and 7-5 in basketball as well. Has this ever happened before? Did anyone else realize this?
Not only are they both 7-5, they score about the same number of points.
It looks like someone has been talking to U. Meyer about his position on stepping down. Probably Mr. Foley. (UF A.D.)
This would be a bad time to call it quites, recruiting-wise.
Good point Gonzo, I wonder why he didn't wait till after national signing day?
Isn't this the season, after the bowls, when most shakeups occur? If Meyer resigned after NSD wouldn't his recruits be allowed to transfer without penalty? If FL promoted someone from within, temporarily, for the semester, which is what they seem to be doing, they could avoid the upheaval during the recruiting period, save most of their recruits, then replace Meyer in the spring with a proven coach.
It sounds as though he has serious health issues, that he may have undermined his constitution, and he may never be up to the stress of running a championship contender again. I hate to see that in a man so young and talented. Though I don't like competing against him, I think he is good for college football.
Politics at it's best.
Florida has the best recruits in the country. If things stay relatively quite between now and signing day, relevent to Meyer leaving, teams like Florida St., Miami, Georgia, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Arkansas, who haven't filled all of their scholorship allotments, won't sway valuable recruits 5 weeks before NSD.
Of course this is just my humble opinion, but i've learned to expect absolutely anything in the coaching profession of this day and era..
I wonder who their DLs, DEs or Safties are? Wait, let me go take a "look see".
They have a DE from Jackson, Georgia, Neiron Ball; I wonder if Jeremiah Jackson knows him? No safties but six DBs (that's 6) along with 2 athletics who have the size to only be DBs and/or satfies. One is from New York (ath) and one is from Maryland (DB) while 4 are from Florida with another DB from California. Doesn't it appear that DBs are filling up a lot of the SEC's commitment lists?
Seems moot now that Meyer is coming back to Florida. My first reaction to Meyers retiring was that he would lay low for a while until his health was under control and then would come back to another program which is desperate and willing to pay megabucks for his services. A job where the pressure wwould not be anywhere near as great as with Florida. Gator fans want a title every year. A new program would be just happpy to get to a bowl (sound familiar?). When I heard that Petrino was included in the mix for replacing Meyer, I laughed. I like Petrino but 12-12 and your in demand? Petrino still hasn't shown that he can deliver a top tier SEC team (close but no cigar yet). Another reaction was, how come not Nutt? Hey, I'm not a Nutt fan but he has done well with Ole Miss. So, at least to some, Petrino seems to be more attractive to Florida than ole Houston. Hmm. But I wonder what if any role Petrino has played in this soap opera. Maybe there is a more of a chance that Mallet would leave than we know about but it is something that Petrino does know about. Hawgfan may have hit on it. Without Mallet it's going to take some coaching to get to a winning season next year. Well, we almost had the no-coach, in great part so to speak, Sugar Bowl between Florida and Cincinnati.
I'm curious why June Jones (SMU)and Gus Malzahn haven't been mentioned for premier head coaching jobs? Or haven't I been paying attention. And why weren't the Biose State and TCU Coaches not considered for the Gator job by those on ESPN mind meandering about this?
Opps my fault. The Boise and TCU coaches were mentioned. Makes more sense than Petrino.
Call me a conspiracy nut but maybe Meyers knows he can't beat Saban and so he bailed using health and family issues as an excuse. I know, I know, I'm a real jerk because I also thought the same think about Dean Smith when he lefted North Carolina (and was not that old) as he always seemed to find a way to lose to Coach K and Duke.
As far as the TCU coach being a good choice, I have to say I wouldn't chose him because I remember Franchione whose major claim to fame @ TCU was putting them in the top 25. He was only OK @ Alabama, and was canned @ aTm. I think ADs have figured out that TCU's success was possible because of their monoply in recruiting and this will be over as they will be losing their advantage @ recruiting in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with the rebirth of SMU. TCU and SMU will now be fighting for all that talent in the Dallas/Fort Worth hot bed as they had to do pre-death penality and neither will be too successful so both will soon be back where they belong (medicore mid major with an occasional bowl bid).