Urban Meyer Steps Down

BREAKING NEWS: Urban Meyer will step down as the head coach of Florida due to health reasons. To say that this is an absolute shocker is a gross understatement. I think this sets the Florida football program back a few years. Meyer's powerful hand at recruiting, along with the competition in the SEC, will make it very difficult for Florida to remain on top for the foreseeable future. I think it's safe to say that the Sugar Bowl will be more interesting now. It will be very intriguing to see how the Gators respond knowing that their head coach is about to leave. I think they will still come out and play hard in what will now be Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer's swan songs. But with regard to the future, the Gators are in serious trouble. I think it's also safe to say that the SEC conference now belongs to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide of Alabama. This is just an absolute surprise. Meyer was regarded as one of the best coaches of one of the best programs in college football. If he says that he is stepping down for health reasons, then he certainly must be taking it seriously. There was obviously a great deal of reflection during the holidays from Urban Meyer because Florida is one of the premier coaching jobs in all of college football. He is leaving coaching while still in his prime. He is a great motivator for his players. And Florida will have their hands full trying to replace a coach like Urban Meyer. We shall see how the Gators respond against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. But as of right now, the University of Florida is in a state of shock over what has just happened. It will be interesting to see how Florida will generate their coaching pool now that Meyer has resigned. Which coaches will they look for? Who will be able to replace the presence of Urban Meyer? Will the Florida program recover from this? These are questions that will remain unanswered for quite some time. There is no doubt that there was tremendous pressure on Florida to win decisively and to repeat as national champions this season. There are very high standards at Florida, which comes with the territory of being a powerhouse program. Meyer experienced this every day and it obviously put tremendous strain on his mind and body. As Meyer said, he put his "heart and soul" into Florida football. And he has made the difficult choice in choosing personal health and family over a successful coaching career. This is very surprising news and it will send shock waves throughout the college football world. I think Florida will give a strong effort in the Sugar Bowl. But after that, what comes next?