The Back Alley Archives

Press conference is making me feel a little better. It is sort of exciting when we're looking for a new coach...like that key recruit.

I think he came back because he wanted to see if he could balance being what it takes to be a good head coach and a good husband and father. I guess he found out this year that while cutting back at his job may make his family life better, it just doesn't cut it for a program like UF. I can't really fault him, but I think it is impossible to be a winning coach at the level he was without something giving a little. Name one head ball coach that has a HUGE winning record like he was on track to have and also has a decent home life. JoPa? His teams haven't had winning seasons every single year...Bobby Bowden was kicked out (I'm sure Urban didn't want that for his future). I dunno...it's sad.

I agree with this. I'm sad to see him go, but grateful for what he has done.

And Todd, keep in mind that the right coach can win with what they have. Look at the 1990 team - I highly doubt they were a stellar recruiting class (I have no idea), but SOS did pretty well with that team. UM won in 2006 with Zooker's recruits as well.

As much as I would love to see SOS retire as a Gator, we would be right back in this same spot in 4 years, max. He has long said that he doesn't want to coach in his 70's. And in the times I saw him interviewed this year, he looked tired as well.

My immediate reaction was: Spurrier? Zero chance.

Slide's post made me think about the retirement angle. Imagine a two- or three-year contract with a hot DC (Charlie Strong?) being groomed to be head coach. Now, that wouldn't suck. Spurrier comes back, puts up a couple 10-win seasons, probably doesn't win any NCs but doesn't disgrace himself either, goes out a Gator. We get a head coach in training and have two or three years to break him in.

Spurrier's on the downside. But he's still a wily old bastard, and an honorable man. He will do well by Florida. I didn't want him back in '05 when Zook left. But I'd give him a look now. What the hell? Better deal than Bobby "23 Skidoo" Petrino.

Bill's uncle (also a big Gator) is promoting Spurrier too...my fear would be recruits. How many would see their NFL prospects under a short-term coach like Spurrier would be. But then Toothy brings up a good point in bringing in someone like Strong again too. Meh, as long as we don't lose Driskel as a recruit, I'm sure we'll be fine with whoever Jeremy picks (and no, I haven't forgotten about Zook).

I hope the drama-queen aspect of our coaching staff can be remedied now. I'm thankful for all Meyer accomplished but he annoyed the hell out of me this year.

I hope we get someone who tells it like it is and doesn't just give us the runaround when the team is struggling. I hope we get someone who will put the best players on the field every game and bench the ones who aren't performing. And I hope whoever we hire isn't blindly loyal to coaches who aren't getting the job done.

A friend of mine writes:

I'm an unrepentant Spurrier whore, always will be. But I'm afraid Steve is now relegated to pipe dream status.

My wish list is (in no particular order): Patterson, Gruden, Harbaugh, Petersen (probably after the other three).

The more I think about Mullen and Strong, the more I want to avoid clinging to vestiges of the recently departed regime. Clean break, that's what I want. Plus, Mullen has some Zook hyper-kinetic tendencies that give me the creeps.

MFin Leland Stanford University better come up with another two or three million a year for Mr. Harbaugh, stat. Because Michigan and Florida are both coming to call, and they pockets be fat.

Harbaugh will bolt for the nfl after a few years...maybe it would be worth it.

I hear that "will bolt" thing a lot. Not saying you're wrong. But Gainesville has its persuasions -- e.g., the short NBA career of Billy D.

I used to have such a crush on Jim Harbaugh when he played in the NFL.

I say we go after Saban.

^^^And you don't like drama? LOL

The hire presents some very interesting choices -- are we trying to maximize success with the present personnel for four or five years, or build for a decade, as was done with Spurrier?

Obviously both would be lovely.

Michigan provides an object lesson. The M brand was trashed by the hiring of RichRod. Some of the folks I've seen saying that we have to hire an offensive guy, not a defensive guy, are implying that the UF brand is offense.

Foley has lots of time and money to make this choice. But I am not sure that the perfect candidate is evident this year. I don't envy his position -- he's gonna be second-guessed to death, especially when the guy goes 9-4 next year.

^^^And you don't like drama? LOL

LOL it was mostly a joke.

Here's Naphta's newsletter...

I really really don't like what he has to say for a variety of reasons. Primarily because it leaves the option open of that fucker Addazio staying around.

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As Gators everywhere all now know, Urban Meyer has resigned as the Head Football Coach of the University of Florida, citing health reasons. While this did surprise us, we'd been hearing rumors of this for some time. We'd put the question to our best sources and received adamant denial. One thing you can count on is that we don't publish unsubstantiated rumors, and for this reason we did not go with rumors of Meyer's departure.

The resignation of Meyer does reveal a few things our subscribers should be aware of. This event largely validates our information on team turmoil, though we lacked the ultimate backdrop to give it context, and our information on Meyer's disengagement from the program was completely correct. We knew the effects, but only knew part of the cause.

In light of Meyer's announcement, we are taking extra time to poll our sources and will publish tomorrow or Friday before resuming a standard schedule next week. What we can promise is that we have sources in the UAA and Administration, and will be getting the best info on the coaching search. We are in contact with them as we speak.

What we are hearing is that Dan Mullen is much more than a dark horse here. He tops a pretty short list of candidates. We have also been told that the reason so little information was coming out of the offensive coordinator search for UF is because Meyer was assisting Foley in preparing a list of recommended replacements. One reason we didn't publish any "done deal" information on offensive coordinators is that the information simply wasn't there. No one connected was talking about it. Anyone claiming it was "done" looks a bit out of the loop now, don't they?

One advantage Mullen brings is that he can take advantage of Florida's current roster of offensive recruits, and there are very few names on any list that can say that, other than Kyle Wittingham. Mullen could likely save UF's recruiting class as well, or the better part of it.

Here's the thing people need to understand about the new hire: UF has a team full of guys on offense (save one) picked to play in a spread option, and a bunch of recruits selected for that purpose as well. If you believe that "types" of players matter in recruiting, then UF is going to go with a guy who can utilize the players they've got and are slated to get. We also have a recruiting class we want to save, if possible. We'll soon find out if Driskel is a Meyer/Loeffler kid or a Florida Kid.

On the candidates you will hear mentioned:

* Malzhan: brilliant offensive mind but no HC experience and just a few years removed from HS.
* Harbaugh: Great coach, but runs a different system that what UF has recruited.
* Gruden: Abstruse system that would take 2 years to install and require different players.
* Strong: UF is and always will be an offense-first mentality. Folely went with a defense-first hire before and it went badly. Strong's a 1st-year head coach as well.
Wittingham: Familiar with the spread and can bring in a competent team. Good defensive mind himself.
* Peterson: Likes where he is, and Foley is conservative and will not simply back up the Brinks truck. He considers himself a steward of UF's resources.

One thing is certain, the best information on UF's coaching search and transition will be found at G8rinsider: in our newsletter, Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Thanks tip. I went ahead and signed up.

And here's a rather contradictory follow up...with what looks like raw info from his sources....
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And now, after patting ourselves on the back just a bit, let's get to the latest on the coaching search. You've read the other sites. Remove these names from the list, and so forth. One wonders if we are expected to believe that Jeremy Foley is on the Bat Phone to these erstwhile newsmen. My admittedly biased thinking is that, no, he isn't. So we're not going to tell you who will be the next head football coach at the university of Florida, or who is or isn't on the list, because nobody but the athletic director, the university president, and the outgoing head coach know anything currently. That said, there are better opinions than others, more privileged opinions. We're going to give them to you and let you be the judge.

One very well-placed source, who is a friend of certain departing UF coaches had the following to say:

"Mullen is not wanting to work in Meyer's shadow, with him acting in this transitional capacity you read about. Plus, Mullen has a shot to make his name on the national scene and recruit South Florida. He's a much more serious candidate for the Miami job than anyone out there realizes. UF can't simply assume that Mullen is there for the taking. In fact his camp is upset that there is the assumption that he'll go to UF, but he definitely wants to be his own man and not be compared to Urban's legacy as his understudy for years. The smart money is moving away from Mullen because of this."

And another opinion from a source for contrast:

"It's looking like Foley via intermediaries has reached out to Stoops again (I know, I know). And that Stoops' people have indicated reciprocal interest in principal. They never do this guy to guy in the initial stages because the risk of a rejection is too high and could upset the process. Right now there is a money discussion going on. Foley's thinking on this is that he wants/needs an immediate winner, and not an experiment. He had some latitude after the Zook hire. He knew that directionally, UF had to be going the right way. A couple more wins, promise for the future, because the team was mired in mediocrity for so long. This time, he wants immediate success because Urban upped the ante."

"There is a lot of pressure among Bulls to drop the Spread Option. Foley is thinking that the athletes they have can adapt, and he's eager to try to take advantage of Brantley, if possible. Brantley will stay if the right coach is hired. He and his family are all Gator and would only leave if there is no other option. Mullen would probably mean Brantley's departure, for reasons I can't mention. My information is that he thinks that if he selects the right guy, we won't go through the transition like we did in 2005, and he wants a name that will instantly bring total credibility and bring in that recruiting class, which right now is very highly ranked. This is from one of the people involved in the negotiations: if the money and ad contracts are right, this is probably going to happen, and happen fast. If the details can get ironed out, Stoops would be announced in the next 7-10 days. Sooner rather than later. Kelley was called, no interest. He thinks he can dominate the Pac 10 for a long time and he's got that Nike money. Foley doesn't like Peterson on character grounds, doesn't think he's right for the media market and SEC pressures. Too reclusive."

And one more, who is connected to the UAA, and left us this brief tidbit:

"Petersen is going to be interviewed if he has not been already. His name popped up about 3-4 days ago and I can confirm that calls were made. Comfort level is key here. It would be a very sexy hire and go with Foley's m.o., which is to find coaches on the rise who are poised to take it to the next level. More later. Gotta run."

So, as we said, we are not going to tell you who the next coach of the UF Gator football team will be. No one can, because the situation is fluid and preliminary negotiations can fall apart, and interested parties can change their minds.

At present, based on all our sources we project the following list:

1. Bob Stoops

1a. Bobby Petrino

2. Chris Petersen

And then there is everyone else at this point. You could see someone else, but only if negotiations fall apart with Stoops and then Petrino. Gruden is probably not the guy, despite the close relationship, and Mullen is balking at living in Urban's shadow, now that it is known he will "have an office" at Heavener. Situations are fluid, but that is the best info on the ground at present. And that's the inside scoop as of noon on Friday. Let the speculation begin! As situations change, we'll bring you all the latest right to your inbox.

I DON'T want Petrino! He would be gone within 3 years for a better deal.

I would really like Peterson. He is hungry and a risk taker. With the talent we have, he could do well here.

While I like Stoops, I don't understand why he would want to leave the program he built at OU. I think he is pretty safe there and can dominate what's left of the Big 12 for a long time.

I don't want Petrino either. But I think he might stick. We pay a lot of money at Florida.

The Stoops thing obviously contradicts the offense-first claim.

Bob Stoops does not want the Florida job. How many times do we have to be turned down? I will be pissed if it's Petrino.

A lot of people will be pissed if its Petrino!

Maybe Stoops does this time?

Hollywood Bob says he's got four reliable sources saying Stoops is it. Can't wait to find out for sure.

If we hire Petrino it will be very difficult for me to give a fuck about Gator football while that douchebag is the head ball coach. Oh, I'll still watch...but how can I root for that asshole to be successful?

Supposedly according to ESPN Petrino is signing a 7 year extension at Arkansas. Take that for what its worth, the dude is a slime ball. I would feel bad for UF is they got that guy. On a different note there is strong rumors that Joker is going to hire Randy Shannon as the DC at UK. Please let his happen!!