Urban Meyer’s voice lowered. He bit his lip slightly. The lump in his throat was visible. The questions about Michael Guilford were tough for the Florida football coach to handle. It will be a long time before the pain in his heart eases for the kid everybody called “Sunshine.”
After finishing the final tune up for Saturday’s game in Lexington with eighth-ranked Kentucky (3:30 p.m., Commonwealth Stadium, CBS TV), Meyer answered several questions about the walkon quarterback that died early last Friday morning in a motorcycle accident on Archer Road. There was a memorial service for Guilford on Monday and the funeral was in his home town of Blountstown on Tuesday so it has been a tough week for him, perhaps one of the toughest he’s had to endure in his almost three full years on the job at the University of Florida.
Guilford, a popular redshirt freshman and the scout team quarterback, was best known to the public for playing the role of Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith as the Gators prepped for the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona. He did his job so well that the Florida defense was fully prepared for everything in Troy Smith’s arsenal and that had plenty to do with the Gators’ 41-14 blowout win over Ohio State. Within the framework of the Florida football team, Guilford was known as a thoughtful, fun-loving kid that was everybody’s friend.
His death has had an effect on all the Gators this past week. Meyer, who said he hasn’t had time to reflect on Guilford’s death, has had much on his plate all week. He’s had to get the Gators ready to play a very good Kentucky team in a game that could go a long way toward deciding who represents the SEC East in the SEC Championship Game in December. He’s also had to deal with a team that has had its emotions strung out by a couple of off-the-field incidents in the week leading up to the LSU game in Baton Rouge as well as last Friday’s tragic death of Michael Guilford.
The difficult part has been getting used to football practices and team meetings without Guilford’s presence. He was easily recognized because of the long hair that teammates identified with Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass, the quarterback with long blonde hair in the movie “Remember the Titans.”
“There are certain people that have that electricity about them and a person you never forget when you meet them and that’s the kind of person that Michael was,” said Meyer. “And he was valuable. He wasn’t a guy that stood on the sideline and held a bag. He was a valuable member of this team. As close as we’ve become to the family this week … that’s the hardest part.”
Meyer admitted that dealing with Guilford’s death has had a humbling effect on him and on the entire Florida football team.
“It humbles you,” he said. “I can tell you that much and I’m just talking about me, you’re talking about everybody when you realize how fragile everything is.”
Meyer is neither a social animal or a loner. He isn’t extremely comfortable mingling with large crowds nor does he like solitude. He likes to spend time with the players on his team and his assistant coaches. When he’s away from his work setting, which is his team, he wants to be with his wife and children.
“I’m not one of those guys that likes to be by myself,” he said. “Those people who know me very well know I’m either with my family or my team. I don’t do a whole lot else. Other than go for a jog a couple of times a week I’m never by myself. I’m going to go eat with my team in a minute and love every second of it and after that I get to go home with my family and I’m not going to go sit in a room and watch TV by myself.”
Although he’s had to deal with the grief this week, both as the coach of a team that has suffered a loss and as a coach that has lost a kid that he dearly loved, he has found the answer to his pain in the team and in his family.
“It’s easy when you start to realize that you’re the head coach of the Florida Gators,” said Meyer. “I have three great children, I have a great wife and I have a great football team with a future that’s ridiculous. So it’s really not that hard. The hardest thing is the tragedy that we had to deal with. That’s the hardest thing, not that we’re competing for the SEC East in October.”
Even though it has been a tough week, Meyer has managed to keep things in perspective.
“I’m a pretty fortunate guy to be able to do this,” he said. “I can’t wait. I love to get up every day. My greatest three hours of the day are what I just got done. I love every minute of it.”
After answering a few questions about Guilford, Meyer needed to change the mood. He changed the subject quickly to football.
“We had a great day today,” he said. “We were throwing it around. Percy [Harvin] looks fast. Bubba [Caldwell] looks fast. The defense is flying around. A great day.”
Harvin is healthier than he has been at any time of the season. Caldwell has been injured most of the season and he’s now at the point that he’s close to 100 percent. Wide receiver Riley Cooper is another player that has looked good in practice this week. He has been slowed by a sprained ankle the last three weeks.
“Cooper is full speed,” said Meyer. “Bubba, I’d say he’s gotta be close to 100 percent and Cooper 100 percent. He looked real fast today, too.”
Meyer said that sophomore corner Markihe Anderson looked good in practice Thursday as did freshman Joe Haden and several of the defensive players. Anderson has played only a handful of plays this year because of knee problems. He had an interception against Tennessee but he hasn’t been on the field since then. Meyer said he’s not 100 percent sure that Anderson will play against Kentucky but he’s hoping that this is the week his best cover corner returns to action.
“I can’t say it’s definite [that he will play] because he’s still gimpy,” said Meyer. “I’m going to go ask. It’s day to day. Preparation ends when the foot hits the ball at 3:30 Saturday. We’re still trying to get him right.”