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Grossman offering no hint of plans

Mother of starting QB says he's not sure what he'll do now that the Gators have a new coach.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 10, 2002

GAINESVILLE -- Whether Florida coach Ron Zook will be able to convince the Gators' starting quarterback to give the new regime a chance remains to be seen.

Maureen Grossman, mother of Rex Grossman, said Wednesday night that her son still is uncertain about his plans.

Zook, the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator who was announced as the successor to Steve Spurrier on Wednesday afternoon, met with the team before flying back to Louisiana. Zook said he also planned to meet individually with several players.

Grossman, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, said last week that he wants to return for his junior season but that his decision would be based on who took over the program and the style of offense the new coach would run.

"Everyone is saying, 'Here is a defensive coach coming in and he's probably going to run the football and they are not going to throw the ball around,' " Zook said. "Rex doesn't want to hear that. What Rex Grossman wants to hear is that he has the same opportunity that he had last year to win the Heisman Trophy. ...

"I promise you he will have the same opportunity. He has to go out and do it, and obviously he knows that. He is a competitor and he is going to get it done. He wants to make sure he knows that he is going to have the same opportunity to go out and win the Heisman Trophy that he had this past year. He will have that same opportunity, and same with the receivers, running backs, the whole thing. There is not going to be a lot of change."

Maureen Grossman said the family hadn't had a chance to fully discuss the issue.

Grossman did not leave the players' meeting with a large group of teammates and could not be reached for comment. His teammates were unsure what Grossman and receiver Taylor Jacobs would do. Jacobs, the Orange Bowl MVP, also planned to make a decision after a coach was hired.

"I hope they come back," offensive lineman Shannon Snell said. "They will be an integral part of this team next year."

Other players seemed impressed with Zook.

"I think he's a great coach," offensive lineman Max Starks said. "He came in with a lot of enthusiasm and approached the players today and was very personable. I feel he is going to be very good player-wise because he is more approachable as opposed to Coach Spurrier, who was not as personable, not as easy to talk to."

-- Times correspondent Debi Jones contributed to this report.

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