How Urban Meyer destroyed Florida Football

[Excel]

Sporting News: From champs to chomped: How Urban Meyer broke Florida football​

"Circle Game" - Meyer created a "circle of trust" within the team and granted preferential treatment to certain star players. Ex- Leniency to Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes by faking injuries to provide cover for suspensions due to failed drug tests.

"Maelstrom in Gainesville" - Over 30 players were arrested over Meyer's six seasons. Meyer ignored Harvin physically assaulting a WR coach who then left for LSU. Many players failed drug tests or were cited for criminal offenses...bar fights, drug possession etc.

Roster Management - Cutting scholarships to injured players.

Recruiting - We all know the story of Bielema/Dantonio v. Meyer and how Urban turned nine previously committed players to Columbus but I hadn't heard this...

Ohio State running backs coach Stan Drayton called a Florida assistant coach to discuss the recruitment of Lakeland, Fla., wideout Ricquan Southward, who was committed to Ohio State but was still being recruited by Florida. Drayton, sources say, told Gators’ wide receivers coach Aubrey Hill that Meyer and Muschamp had a “gentlemen’s agreement” about committed players—and that Hill should back off recruiting Southward.

The impact on Gator Football

-Urban's departure left UF in shambles. For the first time in 40 years UF didn't have an All-SEC player and for the first time since 2004 they failed to have Junior declare for the draft. Florida also had only two players show for the NFL combine, a 26 year low.

-6-6 season worst since 1987.

-Muschamp was forced to cut away at cancerous players on the team leaving only 72 scholarship players on the roster, thirteen below the NCAA limit.

What was really responsible for Meyer's success at UF?

When asked how such a dysfunctional team won the national title in 2008, one former player said, “We had better players than everyone else. It’s that’s simple. We had Tebow."

 

[Excel]

Apologies for posting this in "The Big Ten" but given the fact that Urban is now coaching a premiere Big Ten program this article is probably more relevant to us than it is to the SEC.

 

[husker B-rent]

people are scared of him but i think he will fail when its all said and done.

 

[knapplc]

Apologies for posting this in "The Big Ten" but given the fact that Urban is now coaching a premiere Big Ten program this article is probably more relevant to us than it is to the SEC.

I was JUST coming to post this article, and I was debating where to put it, too. I think it belongs here, even though it's more about Meyer-at-Florida than Meyer today.

It really makes me wonder how he'll do long-term in C-Bus. Some of his "roster management" techniques won't fly in the Big Ten, like oversigning and cutting scholarships.

Some of the criticisms in this article are a little iffy, though. The part about benching players for discipline and telling people the players were injured happens in a lot of places. Some places very close to where I'm sitting right now. Not sure that deserves to be part of an exposé piece.

 

[Excel]

Apologies for posting this in "The Big Ten" but given the fact that Urban is now coaching a premiere Big Ten program this article is probably more relevant to us than it is to the SEC.

I was JUST coming to post this article, and I was debating where to put it, too. I think it belongs here, even though it's more about Meyer-at-Florida than Meyer today.

It really makes me wonder how he'll do long-term in C-Bus. Some of his "roster management" techniques won't fly in the Big Ten, like oversigning and cutting scholarships.

Some of the criticisms in this article are a little iffy, though. The part about benching players for discipline and telling people the players were injured happens in a lot of places. Some places very close to where I'm sitting right now. Not sure that deserves to be part of an exposé piece.

There are a number of problems with the article and its criticisms of Meyer.

1. Sources...."some sources say" and "unidentified sources" tweak my BS sensor.

2. Giving Tebow that much credit.... Meyer is a great coach, he won at Utah and Bowling Green and he won a National Championship at Florida all without (mostly) Tebow....also had some damn good defenses at the time too.

3. Blaming Urban for Muschamp's problems.

4. I agree that many of those things, like kid gloves for great players, happen everywhere. I also don't buy the Gentlemen's agreement bit. He recruits tough but I don't think he's dirty.

 

[Muck]

Damn I was hoping to be the first to post the article just so I could watch the peanut gallery get all excited and shout "SEE SEE!!! UNNAMMED SOURcES!! BUCKEYES RSz DIRTYZZZ!!!!"

Knappic could you go into greater detail regarding Meyer's 'oversigning practices' since he has been a vocal opponent of the practice and Florida signed among the fewest players in the SEC during his tenure?

Also as Florida only averaged 2 fewer players per year signed than Nebraska over that same time period (05-10) what does that mean for the Husker's "roster management" techniques going forward? Thanks!

 

[Excel]

SEE SEE!!! UNNAMMED SOURcES!! BUCKEYES RSz DIRTYZZZ!!!!

 

[jaws]

Basically, if you are an OSU fan you like Urban (not the pre 2011 Urban), otherwise you don't like him and want him to fail.

 

[jsneb83]

Also as Florida only averaged 2 fewer players per year signed than Nebraska over that same time period (05-10) what does that mean for the Husker's "roster management" techniques going forward? Thanks!

Two words. Bill Callahan.

 

[knapplc]

Damn I was hoping to be the first to post the article just so I could watch the peanut gallery get all excited and shout "SEE SEE!!! UNNAMMED SOURcES!! BUCKEYES RSz DIRTYZZZ!!!!"

Knappic could you go into greater detail regarding Meyer's 'oversigning practices' since he has been a vocal opponent of the practice and Florida signed among the fewest players in the SEC during his tenure?

Also as Florida only averaged 2 fewer players per year signed than Nebraska over that same time period (05-10) what does that mean for the Husker's "roster management" techniques going forward? Thanks!

I suppose I could cruise through BP circa 2006 and regurgitate what I read there.

 

[Muck]

I suppose I could cruise through BP circa 2006 and regurgitate what I read there.

So not going to go with something actually fact based then? A tried but true approach I must say.

BTW the '06 posts in the Meyer thread probably won't be as much help as you're hoping.

 

[knapplc]

I suppose I could cruise through BP circa 2006 and regurgitate what I read there.

So not going to go with something actually fact based then? A tried but true approach I must say.

BTW the '06 posts in the Meyer thread probably won't be as much help as you're hoping.

Meh. I'm not hoping for much. I don't really have a dog in this fight. I don't dislike Meyer, and I'm not worried about him being at OSU. I'm hoping he keeps you guys strong - but that we beat you whenever we meet up. A strong Ohio State is good for the Big Ten.

 

[Muck]

Meh. I'm not hoping for much. I don't really have a dog in this fight. I don't dislike Meyer, and I'm not worried about him being at OSU. I'm hoping he keeps you guys strong - but that we beat you whenever we meet up. A strong Ohio State is good for the Big Ten.

I actually went back and read through it again, some of it is very entertaining. That being said there have never really been any serious allegations of oversigning against Meyer as there have been against other SEC coaches. Even way back when the grousing was mostly of the "he steals recruits!!" bitterness from rivals (FSU fans especially).

 

[knapplc]

Mostly Meyer has that SEC taint about him, which I find unpalatable. But if he fits in to our culture here in the Big Ten, then we'll accept him for one of us.

See? We're so assimilated already that we get to accept your coach. Membership has its advantages.

 

[Muck]

Mostly Meyer has that SEC taint about him, which I find unpalatable. But if he fits in to our culture here in the Big Ten, then we'll accept him for one of us.

See? We're so assimilated already that we get to accept your coach. Membership has its advantages.

Ohio State's coach was coaching in the Big Ten before Oklahoma stopped pretending you were their main rival.