Urban Meyer's tenure as head football coach of the Florida Gators has ended.  Meyer, citing health and family reasons, announced earlier today that he would be stepping aside following the Gators Sugar Bowl game against the Cincinnati Bearcats. 

With the departures of:
Urban Meyer
Defensive Coordinator Charlie Strong (to Louisville)
Wide Receivers Coach Billy Gonzales (to LSU)
and a rumored number of UF players (some are saying as many as 19) declaring early for the NFL draft ... where do the Gators go now?

While many people are busy trying to track down the validity of a rumored mid-season heart attack, others are finding that Meyer has a possible mitral valve prolapse ... the only question I have, as a fan, regards the timing of the announcement.  

In a Scout.com article on November 23rd, Meyer discussed his desire to remain in Gainesville to hand over the coaching reins to a former player. 

Not exactly the words you would expect to hear from someone who had either had a heart attack at that point or was in the planning stages of bailing on a program.  No one, at least at this point, knows exactly what is going on ... one thing that is for sure:  the situation is serious enough to warrant an announcement on the weekend following Christmas. 

The situation appears to be very serious.

Out of respect to Meyer's medical privacy, our non-verified, as well as verified, conjecture will not be posted here.  If you were looking for the ambulance wreck or smoking gun, sorry to disappoint you, but we will be on Brad Bain's show on 1180AM  at 11:00am Sunday.

In my opinion, the only matter that needs to be addressed is where do the Gators go next? 

Charlie Strong, Head Coach Louisville
If Strong had stayed in Gainesville through the bowl season he would have most likely been the next head coach of the Florida Gators.  Only Gators has a tid bit from ESPN's Pat Forde:  Strong has not signed a contract with U of L yet ... only a terms sheet. 

Would Strong leave Louisville standing on the altar and return to Gainesville?  A better question would be "why wouldn't he"?

Strong does not simply have strong ties to the Gators, he is a Gator.

Dan Mullen, Head Coach Mississippi State
Mullen is another obvious choice.  Urban Meyer's former offensive coordinator has only been out of Gainesville for one season and almost took MSU to a bowl game in his first season.  A few people that I spoke with all but dispelled a Mullen-to-UF rumor, but never say never.  Mullen had strong allegiance to Meyer, but not the University.  With Meyer staying on with the University in a 'non-football' role, does this give Mullen the 'want' to come back to Gator Nation?

Bob Stoops, Head Coach Oklahoma Sooners
Through separate sources, we did learn that Stoops informally interviewed with Notre Dame, but his stipulation of needing ten partial-qualifiers could not be met by the University. 

Stoops was Steve Spurrier's defensive coordinator in Gainesville, which is the upside ... the downside?  Stoops would come with an astronomical price tag that most teams would shy away from.

Gary Patterson, Head Coach TCU
Patterson has already said that he does not want to leave TCU ... why would he want to leave a program where the expectations are set to where ever the coach can take them?  Of course, the expectation level would be much higher in Gainesville, but face the facts:  Patterson will never have the opportunity to win a title at TCU. 

Tommy Tuberville, former Head Coach Auburn
This one is a reach, but Tuberville not being employed at this point is still a surprise.

Phillip Fulmer, former Head Coach of the Tennessee Volunteers
hahahahahahahahahahahah ... wouldn't that be a TR killer right there?  <inside joke for TonyBasilio.com listeners>

While the remainder of the 'potential head coaches' list will likely grow longer than my son's Christmas stocking, rest assured that Florida found a gem in Meyer and will likely find another suitable replacement.  The question is:  will the Gators find a Meyer clone or a Ron Zook re-tread?

One thing is for certain:  the Gators need coaches and need them now or this season's recruiting cyle could possibly be in shambles.

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