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Dynastic desire

Urban Meyer aims for an atmosphere where one national title leads to more.

By Antonya English
Published August 31, 2007

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GAINESVILLE - Florida's national title was not quite one month old and coach Urban Meyer had just inked another recruiting class considered to be among the top three in the nation.

Gator fans were still celebrating, but Meyer and his staff had moved on.

Because in the midst of the warm afterglow that followed the Gators' 2006 national championship victory over Ohio State in January, Meyer was already pondering the future.

After two years and one national title with the Gators, he had no intention of standing still. And there would be no going back.

He understood in no uncertain terms that getting to the top was nice, but staying there is a much, much bigger challenge.

"We won't rest on our laurels. I can assure you of that," he said.

In his effort to learn everything possible about turning Florida into a dynasty, the kind of program capable of repeating as champions, Meyer solicited advice from everyone from Bill Belichick to Billy Donovan. He also spent many hours talking with mentor Lou Holtz, the former national-championship winning coach at Notre Dame. Holtz's advice is to do everything possible to keep improving.

"The only way you sustain it on this level is you keep trying to get better," Holtz said. "In this world, you're either going to get better or you're getting worse. You don't remain the same. You're either growing or it's dying. A tree is either growing or it's dying, so is grass. So when you get on top, you have to understand - no longer are you the hunter, you become the hunted. If you don't keep raising your goals, your expectations and your work habits and aspirations and build on that tradition, you're not going to remain on top. Let's remember this: tradition is always under construction."

Meyer's plan to make Florida a perennial power, similar to the feared program USC has become this decade, begins with a simple premise: to be among the best, you have to have players who are among the best.

In other words, it all starts with recruiting.

"Players," Meyer says emphatically. "Really, anything other than that, you talk about your coaching staff, you talk about your facilities, talk about everything involved in your program, and it all relates back to recruiting. That's the thing to constantly watch. ... Our staff is constantly evaluated on that. It all relates back to the players and the program."

Steady stream of talent

Over the past two years, the Gators have landed what national recruiting services consider a top-five recruiting class. Many of those who signed last February are expected to contribute this season, because of heavy losses on the defense.

Recruiting athletes who can play immediately is critical for success, the coaches said.

"The key is getting the right players to fit your system," co-defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said. "Once you get those players, you get them established and then you continue to build. Once you win, then they know what it takes to be a winner. It's just like this group we have coming in, with us winning last year then they know how important it is to continue that tradition.

"What happens is you have to recruit the right people, then once you realize you have your needs met, you know you can continue to sustain what's been built," Strong added.

Once the steady stream of talent begins rolling in, Meyer said continuity of the coaching staff is another important element in building on success. The Gators open the season Saturday with the same staff they've had since Meyer arrived in 2005.

"It's critical," Meyer said. "My second year at Utah we had some transition with coaches and every year at Bowling Green you had transition just because you can't take care of your coaches. So now the comfort level is there, but you have to make sure you don't get stale either."

Staying grounded

Because the players have had a taste of the ultimate success, the coaching staff is working hard to keep them grounded, hoping to keep complacency from setting in.

The Gators lost 17 starters from last season's championship team. That leaves a lot of players on the roster this season who might not understand what it takes to win a title - something the coaches have cautioned against throughout the offseason.

The few seniors who remain on the team said they feel a responsibility to help lead not only this year, but for the future of the program.

"I don't know what it takes to build a dynasty because I haven't been a part of one, but one key thing about keeping a team on track for the future is leadership," senior safety Tony Joiner said. "You always have to have strong leadership from your older guys because if you don't have that, then your team is basically lost because you've got a bunch of young guys running around who don't know what to do."

During the team's media day in early August, the majority of players declined any talk about repeating as national champions. The past, they said, is just that. They are concentrating on what's ahead.

But Holtz said once a team wins a title, it's secured not only in the minds of the current players, but future ones as well. And that's not a bad thing.

"I think winning encourages the other players to work harder, and they are a little bit more patient to wait their turn and work hard," he said. "They are more likely to be saying, 'Hey I'm going to be there when I'm a junior or senior.' And that's what has happened at Southern Cal."

And what Meyer hopes to one day say has happened at Florida.

Antonya English can be reached at english@sptimes.com Check her blog at blogs.tampabay.com/gators.

[Last modified August 29, 2007, 09:50:00]