It’s been a little more than three hours since Urban Meyer stunned the college football world -- again -- by stepping down as Florida’s head coach. We’re still roughly an hour away from the press conference featuring Meyer and athletic director Jeremy Foley that will hopefully shed a little more light on a decision that seems both final -- this time -- and made with an eye toward family.
And naturally, given the nature of the Internet beast, the rumor mill is already churning out names at a prodigious clip as to the potential candidates to take over one of the premier programs in the country.
First and foremost, Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen seems to be at the the top of nearly every early list of replacements. Given the relative success he’s had in two short years in Starkville and his ties to UF as Meyer’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Mullen’s inclusion is a no-brainer.
Another coach with recent ties to UF is Charlie Strong, and naturally he’s being mentioned in connection to the opening as well. With just one season as Louisville’s head coach, the former Gators defensive coordinator might be considered a longshot. Then again, does he deserve any less consideration than Mullen and his two years with the Bulldogs?
As expected, the big-name coaches are being bandied about as well, chief among them Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops. Again, it’s a natural fit after UF tried to hire him when the job came open in 2001. We spoke to a source close to the Sooners head coach earlier Wednesday afternoon, however, and this person implored us to not connect Stoops’ name to the Gators job because “Bob is not leaving Norman. Not for Gainesville, not for anywhere else.” So, take that as you will, but we tend to believe it.
With a perfect record and a spot in the national title game as well, the name of Oregon’s Chip Kelly has been floated as a possibility. Let’s just nip this one in the bud right now: Kelly will leave Eugene over Phil Knight‘s even-creepier dead body. The Nike CEO will simply not allow that to happen, even if Foley were to have him on his initial to-do list.
Here are a few other names that have been tossed around in the initial stages of The Retirement, The Sequel:
Chris Petersen, Boise State -- Foley pulled a non-AQ rabbit out of his hat with the Meyer hire; would he tempt fate twice and go after one of the top five coaches in all of Div. 1-A? I don’t know if he will, but I know he should. The only question is, would Petersen want to leave? It’s not that Boise State is a better job than Florida, but it might be a better fit for Petersen than the Gators.
Gary Patterson, TCU -- Same boat as Petersen: has done a helluva job with a whole lot less in both talent and revenue streams. Would almost certainly be on the short list of any A.D. at a big-time program such as Florida, but, again, it would all come down to fit.
Jim Harbaugh, Stanford -- Although it’s being rumored already, you can all but forget about this one. He will stay with the Cardinal... until the Michigan job opens up, which could be sooner rather than later.
Bobby Petrino, Arkansas -- Razorback fans are already verklempt over the possibility of Petrino ditching them for the Gators, and he was rumored to be a candidate during Meyer’s brief 24-hour retirement in 2009. That said, it would be hard to see Foley putting his post-Meyer eggs in the basket of a man who will always have a wandering eye.
Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech -- Why not? His name is attached to every other job in the country, why not this one? And don’t think for a minute that Tuberville wouldn’t ditch the Big 12’s Red Raiders for the chance to return to the SEC. It’s what he wants before his coaching career is over, but it remains to be seen whether UF would be the right fit.
Jon Gruden, broadcast booth -- He flirted with Miami when their job came open. Don’t expect this Florida school to do the same, despite the fact that he’s already seeing his name attached to the opening. UF is in a position where they do not have to entertain a person who’s simply interested in keeping his name in the coaching mix for when he’s ready to return to the sidelines. The Gators are above that, and they know it.
In the end, I would put a fairly significant amount of money on Mullen returning to Gainesville. And for it to happen sooner rather than later.