Gators football

Confidence is in the heir

New Gators coach Urban Meyer intends to restore the pride that marked the '90s.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published December 8, 2004

INTRODUCING URBAN MEYER [Times photo: James Borchuck] Gary Shelton: One thing's for sure: He can talk the talk Confidence is in the heir Football is more than family affair He can coach, but can he recruit? Meyer's coaching style is a stark contrast to Zook With Urban comes renewal Assistant to coach bowl Meyer at a glance

GAINESVILLE - Urban Meyer first became enamored with the Florida football program back in the days when Steve Spurrier ran the show.

He liked the way Spurrier verbally jabbed at opponents, stoking already heated rivalries. He liked the pageantry he saw displayed at the Swamp. He liked the way the Gators dominated when they won.

On Tuesday afternoon on the third floor of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Meyer made his first appearance as the Florida coach and made it clear he wants to bring the swagger back.

"I fell in love with the way they played, the way they walked, the way they talked, the way they took the field, the way they came off the field, the way they scored points," Meyer said of the program under Spurrier. "When coach Spurrier had this thing cranked up, everybody stopped what they were doing to watch Florida play."

Meyer replaces Ron Zook, who was fired after 21/2 seasons, and he knows the pressure is on. After three seasons of 8-5, 8-5 and 7-4, the patience of Florida fans is short. Meyer is 38-8 in stints at Bowling Green and Utah, but he knows many are wondering how he'll fare with the tougher competition in the SEC.

"That's why you coach and our staff will look forward to it," Meyer said. "Is it the toughest conference in the country? Absolutely. Is it one of the toughest schedules in the country? Absolutely. Can we recruit the best student-athletes in the country? Absolutely. It's a great challenge and it is different. To stand here and say that we had some great success at Bowling Green and some great success at Utah, we know we have to work that much harder to have great success here."

Tuesday was Meyer's first trip to Gainesville since he took a detour during a recruiting trip several years ago while an assistant at Notre Dame.

"I was driving up to Lake City to see a guy and passed by Gainesville," he said. "I thought to myself, I'm going to go take a look and see why I keep losing a percentage of guys to this university. I pulled off and parked my car which, by the way, I think I still have the parking ticket for. I walked around this campus and I couldn't believe what I saw. I was only supposed to be here for about an hour, but I was here for about two. I stood on the 50-yard line and walked around campus. It was a heck of a deal. I called my wife and said now I understand, but I didn't tell the recruits that."

Meyer, 40, will earn $14-million over seven years, part of a contract that includes "some backloading of a lot of that (money)," Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said. A former assistant at Notre Dame, Meyer was hired Friday as Notre Dame officials attempted to lure him to South Bend. He said Notre Dame remains "in the front of my mind," but reiterated he was near a decision with Florida before Notre Dame came calling.

Foley said he's confident hiring Meyer was in Florida's best interest.

"Obviously, the last time (the unpopular hiring of Zook) we were fighting uphill right from the start," Foley said. "I think it's better for the Gator Nation. A house divided is not good and the stuff that's been going on around here the last month has not been good for the program.

"I think for the most part it's (Meyer's hiring) been very well accepted and I think that's positive. That helps recruiting. The Fiesta Bowl for the next three weeks - that's great publicity for Florida. What you want to do is hit the ground running."

Meyer met with the team on Tuesday and made it clear what he wants.

"We expect our guys to live right and go to class or they don't play," Meyer said. "That's going to be made very clear to all of them. From what I understand, there are good people in this program, which is part of why I took the job."

He also challenged them to put aside any animosity that may linger from the firing of Zook.

Meyer won't be in Gainesville full time until after the Jan.1 Fiesta Bowl, in which his 11-0 Utah team will play Pittsburgh. In the meantime, he has already been phoning recruits and said he will try to get out and see a few, but admitted it will be difficult while trying to prepare for a bowl game. He said the next two days will be "significant" in putting his staff together. He will talk with defensive coordinator Charlie Strong today (the two worked together at Notre Dame), then talk with other coaches before making decisions.

[Last modified December 7, 2004, 23:48:19]