When the news first came down that Urban Meyer was stepping down, one of our first reactions -- after several very loud and very verbal holy sh-t‘s -- was that Charlie Strong has to be kicking himself in the ass right about now.
The former Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong left Gainesville for the Louisville job less than three weeks ago, and would likely have been a strong contender to replace Meyer had he remained in place.
We questioned whether Strong would even remotely consider leaving a job he’s been at for just over two weeks if he were to be contacted by UF athletic director Jeremy Foley. As it turns out, we’re not the only ones pondering that very question.
Speaking to the Louisville Courier-Journal, U of L AD Tom Jurich admits that he’s concerned about losing Strong given his ties to the university.
“Right now there are a lot of emotions for Charlie and his family,” Jurich said. “They’ve lived there, and that’s their home. He’s done four different stints there; that’s the thing I’m worried about. I want to keep him, but I understand the pressure he’s probably going to be under, too.”
Jurich said he has spoken to Strong, who told him he’d not been offered the job.
Strong has a $1 million buyout in his contract if he leaves the school before Jan. 1, 2011, but Jurich said he would not “hold a coach who’s been here two weeks to a buyout.”
In a bit of good news for Jurich, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, talk of Strong and buyouts is an unnecessary exercise. Citing unnamed sources, Bianchi writes that it won’t be Strong who replaces Meyer in Gainesville.
So, Jurich has that going for him. Which is good. For some reason, though, I don’t think that’s going to help the AD sleep any better anytime soon.