Urban Meyer is stepping down after five seasons at Florida.
Per a report on ESPN, Gators head coach Urban Meyer is stepping down after five seasons in Gainesville for health reasons. Meyer will coach Florida’s Sugar Bowl game against Cincinnati on New Year’s Day, and that will be his 67th and final game with the program that he led to three SEC Eastern Division championships, two SEC titles, and two national titles.
Meyer was treated for dehydration after the Gators’ SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama three weeks ago. It’d be safe to assume that played a role in his decision to step down, as indicated in his comments in the statement released this afternoon.
Whether you love Meyer or hate him, one thing that can’t be debated is his success and the job he did in putting the Midas touch on not one, not two, but three programs in the span of a decade.
It’s far too early to speculate on whether he’ll return to coaching at some point, and it’s also too early to speculate on who will replace him, but of course the first priority is Meyer’s health. Hopefully whatever health concerns that he has are addressed so that, even if he doesn’t return to coaching, he can live a full life.
