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Gators football
He can coach, but can he recruit?
The UF job provides Meyer the challenge of high-stakes recruiting.
By GREG AUMAN
Published December 8, 2004
It's a question Gator fans should have an answer for in the next two months: If new coach Urban Meyer never has coached at a university within 900 miles of Gainesville, how well will he recruit in the talent-rich Sunshine State?
High school coaches who have dealt with Meyer and sent recruits his way say they like his chances in an area he recruited for Notre Dame as an assistant.
"I can tell you he's extremely well-organized and makes good decisions with kids," said Sarasota Riverview coach John Sprague, who has coached nearly 200 who went on to play in college.
"What I like about him is he's specific. This is what we think. This is what we need. That's good for a college coach. Some drag kids along, say "We're going to try to get A and B, and if that, then this.' He's a good man in that he'll be honest with you."
Meyer landed Riverview linebacker Courtney Watson, now with the New Orleans Saints. Meyer worked Florida for the Irish from 1996-2000.
"He'll tell you up front what he thinks about you, and I always thought he was sincere and genuine," said Gary Godsey, whom Meyer helped recruit from Jesuit to Notre Dame. "I would have liked to see him at Notre Dame, but he'd be a good match anywhere."
Godsey said Meyer should have success especially with offensive stars for the same reason Steve Spurrier did: an attractive offense that's exciting and tempting for prep playmakers.
"He's unique to himself, but he has a great offensive mind," he said. "Spurrier always had great offenses, and I don't know if you put (Meyer) in his league because he's so young. But his mind can definitely compete with someone like Spurrier's."
One challenge for Meyer will be building a strong first recruiting class in a short amount of time. Recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg of Scout.com said the coach can help that transition by keeping assistants such as recruiting coordinator Mike Locksley, as well as Joe Wickline, who has recruited the Tampa area for the Gators.
"Recruiting is all about building relationships, and coach Meyer doesn't have much time to do that," he said. "If it's a completely new staff, it'll be tough."
He has relied on Florida talent, even when he was far away. In 2002, his last season as coach at Bowling Green, Meyer had six Floridians on his roster at the Ohio college, including receiver Charles Sharon of Palatka. Sharon had 13 touchdown receptions as a senior this year, and his high school coach remembers Meyer targeting him soon after he got the Bowling Green job.
"Charles was a first-team all-state receiver, but he had only one Division I offer, from Rhode Island. Nobody else," former Palatka coach Jim McCool said. "Coach Meyer got the job and must have just hit the ground running. He had an assistant coach come by and check Charles out, and next thing you knew, Meyer was here at a basketball game, offering him a scholarship.
"You had to be impressed that here's a guy from Bowling Green, who just got the job, and he has people running around Florida trying to recruit kids. He's done a tremendous job."
Bowling Green's team MVP this season, sophomore quarterback Omar Jacobs, was a player Meyer recruited out of Delray Beach. But to get a true sense for Meyer's pull as a Florida recruiter, consider Notre Dame. Of the six Floridians the Fighting Irish have on their roster, five are seniors who come from the Meyer recruiting era. Only one player from the state signed in the past three years.
Meyer has only two Floridians on his roster at Utah, but they show his ability to find talent anywhere. He found Eugene Oates, a defensive back from Jacksonville, at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, and won him over by showing a personal interest in the recruit and his family.
Edward Oates, Eugene's father, said he was impressed with Meyer's sharp memory. The first time he spoke with him, the conversation drifted to birthdays, and by coincidence, they shared the same birthday. Months later, when Oates had the chance to speak with Meyer again, the coach remembered the date they shared.
One important start for Meyer likely will be holding onto the commitments Florida had before he got the job. Those include Lakewood receiver Louis Murphy, who had committed to the Gators but has stepped back since Zook's firing. He took a visit to N.C. State last weekend and has a trip to Maryland scheduled, but Meyer called him this week and could wind up keeping him.
"I think Lewis will still end up going to the University of Florida," Lakewood coach Brian Bruch said. "For an offensive player like Louis, Meyer's system is wide open, and that's what kids want these days. This guy's more wide open than Spurrier."
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Times staff writer Antonya English contributed to this report.
[Last modified December 7, 2004, 23:48:19]
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