EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part II of a series on how Florida football passed over a critical juncture after the sudden resignation of Urban Meyer.
After The Turnaround, the Florida football program appears very much on track again. With the news that the full coaching staff is in place, quarterback Johnny Brantley is eager and more than ready to take charge. The already stellar recruiting class is expected to get even better with the windfall of several top prospects. And there are reports that Urban Meyer is beginning to act and feel more like his old self.
“I just need to make some changes how I do things,” he texted a friend the other day.
It sounds a little odd to say they are back, considering they won 26 games in two seasons, but compared to where cynics thought they were headed just three weeks ago – yes, it is good, again, to be a Florida Gator.
Insiders assured us that while some people saw chaos, there was always order behind the scenes. Just as there has always been under the Meyer Regime, there was a strategy. In adhering to his tried-and-true format, he has won 57 games, two national championships, two SEC titles. So perhaps there is reason to think he knows what he’s doing.
The fact that Urban was able to reach across the country and pluck so much high school talent from far away speaks well of his reputation as a dynamic coach known for nurturing players as men and developing their player skills in a family environment.
After three weeks, the storm is over and the sun is shining on The Gator Nation again. But is it true or false, as the song portends, that “in all kinds of weather, we all stick together”?
This time, maybe not so much – at first. Thousands of tickets went unsold to the Allstate Sugar Bowl, perhaps partly due to the hangover of the loss to Alabama, maybe in part due to the tough economic times.
Eventually, however, the wounds have begun to heal, as Gator fans rallied behind the coaches and the players who stayed true to the task. They only needed to see what happened to the Southern Cal and Tennessee programs to fully appreciate the loyalty.
* * *
The toll this season had taken on Urban was visible to everybody around him – from players, to coaches, to friends and, especially, his family. Sometimes when he and his family all went to dinner, Urban was there only in body. As the Meyer family sat around the table Christmas night, Urban was clear and present. He was about to give them the gift they all wanted most: For him to step back and take care of his health. They had seen the stress on him.
Like he hadn’t done in a long time, Urban opened up to Shelley, Nicki, Gigi and Nate. “I’m going to do this for you – I’m not going back to coaching until I get myself right,” he said. They were all deeply touched.
Now he had to figure out how to break the news the next day. Little did he realize how his announcement would touch his players, staff members and friends as well.
* * *
“I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years,” Meyer said in the press release.
Given his medical condition, those words were quite prophetic. The nature of his heart problem has never been revealed, but Urban has told friends he plans to have it all checked out as soon as National Signing Day is over.
It was his first step toward wellness, but crossing the threshold was brutal and the next few days were turbulent. Ironically, the sequence of events was a stress test for the Gator football program – “The Program” – which it would pass with flying colors. “Twenty-four hours of hell,” some would call it.
When placed in a time line, the evidence of mounting pressures becomes even more obvious.
As Urban was sorting out his health issues, the volatility of the staff changes didn’t do anything to inspire confidence to the outside world that there was a plan of action – but there really was.
* * *
The downhill slide which started after finishing the season unbeaten now evokes the old axiom “be careful what you wish for.”
For just a moment on the Monday off day after the win over FSU, to celebrate their regular-season success, the 2009 players had paused innocently to take a breath and admire their handiwork. A group of players gathered for a birthday party during which beer was consumed by most – some excessively. For now, the “work” could be put on ice.
A subsequent arrest of star defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who was passed out at a traffic light in the wee hours of the morning, was the first pebble of the ensuing avalanche; he was suspended for the SEC championship.
The timing of the party and suspension couldn’t have been worse because it gave appearance that an overconfident bunch of Gators were taking their mission lightly. Word got out through the Internet that some of them allegedly planned to play cautiously against the Crimson Tide in order to protect their future in the NFL – an accusation that was never proven and mostly likely was grossly exaggerated. One parent of a player added fuel to that fire by saying there might be an exodus of early signees the NFL. This became a viral accusation that swept throughout The Gator Nation and put a dent in the support for the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
They had always been taught to “do the next thing” in an orderly fashion, except it seemed they apparently forgot the “next thing” was Alabama. Losing, 32-13, in a poor performance inflamed the situation even more – and the fact that the defense missed more than 30 tackles made it an even hotter controversy.
When the team arrived back in Gainesville that Saturday night, Urban went to bed and was awakened around 3 a.m. with chest pains, a tingling sensation in his side and a numb arm, leading wife Shelley to make an emergency 911 call. He was rushed to the hospital, treated and released after nine hours of testing. The official press release said he had dehydration. He later said he wanted to keep it private in order not to frighten his children.
About that same time, several staff members began following up on potential job offers which had been on the table for a while. The afternoon was Urban was checking out of the hospital, defensive coordinator Charlie Strong began serious negotiations with Louisville, leaving for the interview the following Tuesday and accepting on Wednesday.
With that same Wednesday came a huge shock: Billy Gonzales, a former player for Urban and close friend of the family, abruptly took a job with LSU as passing game coordinator. Urban never said it publicly, but he was reportedly stunned and hurt. Especially since Gonzales called others on the staff first. Later it was rumored Gonzales was blamed for knowing of the beer party and not telling, but that has been denied by all parties.
Right after that, word surfaced that cornerback coach Vance Bedford might go to Louisville – followed by the suggestion that backfield coach Kenny Carter would, too. (The latter proved true.) During the same time frame, both quarterback coach Scot Loeffler and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio were contacted for interviews by Central Michigan.
While he pondered his own health and coaching career, others in the organization began to make a parallel strategy to cover all bases – keeping in mind that every contingency had to include Meyer staying on for as long as he wanted to stay, or stepping aside for a while to get better.
The first step was hiring Zach Azzanni to replace Gonzales and take over one of Meyer’s roles as special teams coach.
Although he told no one how he was feeling, members of the staff began to notice that Meyer seemed “distant.” He confided to one close friend what he was thinking.
On Tuesday Dec. 22, Meyer said goodbye to his team for the holidays. He had sort of decided that he would step back, but told no one yet. Somehow he never really grasped, according to friends, that he could take a leave of absence. So he told family Christmas night and his team the next day.
* * *
It was a bombshell that sent everybody scurrying, including some of the assistant coaches who feared for their livelihood. The key word being “some.”
The following day, after a good night’s sleep and a pep talk at practice with his longtime friend and associate Mickey Marotti, strength and conditioning coach, Meyer realized how severely his decision would impact the program, staff and school. He changed his mind, called Foley and accepted the leave of absence. His decision seemed to inspire.
“They saw a depth to Urban they had never seen before,” said a close friend.
Addazio turned down the chance to interview at Central Michigan and assumed the mantle as interim coach.
“My job is to keep this train on the track,” said Addazio.
The team flew to New Orleans where Urban held two press conferences. While make a final decision to stay was a relief to him, Urban was clearly lacking energy and appeared somewhat pale.
At that point The Plan was kicked into action. During Sugar Bowl week, Jeremy Foley’s administrative team stepped up. As did people on Meyer’s staff like Director of Football Jon Clarke, (Recruiting Coordinator) Program Director Mark Pantoni and Executive Assistant Nancy Scarborough – among others – who kept those trains running on time.
Recruits were called daily.
Contacts were made and plans were put into place for the eventual hiring of defensive coordinator George Edwards, special teams/defensive end coach D.J. Durkin and former running backs coach Stan Drayton. They had already retained Chuck Heater, later to be name co-defensive coordinator, and tight end coach Brian White. Scot Loeffler was interviewed for the Central Michigan job and South Florida contacted defensive line coach Dan McCarney.
And the Florida Gators pummeled No. 3 ranked Cincinnati, 51-24, as Tim Tebow posted the best offensive numbers of his fabled career.
Loeffler withdrew his name from Central Michigan. McCarney finished runnerup for the South Florida job and stayed. The staff was intact.
And the fruits of recruiting labor paid off as the Gators scored superb talent, including the MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Ronald Powell, defensive end from Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde, considered to be the No. 1 high school player in the country.
Eleven future Gators – more than any school in the country – were enrolled for the spring semester, officially committed. Over the weekend, Meyer’s diamond-studded recruiting class was expected to shine even more with additional marquee commitments.
The returning players roster wasn’t too shabby either.
* * *
There is a buzz among the coaching staff. Addazio feels it. He helped inspire The Turnaround and now he’s right in the middle of the rejuvenation, almost wanting to shout hallelujah. Given the wringer of criticism he was put through as offensive coordinator, the fact that he accepted the mission as interim coach was impressive – but that he wants to lead the charge up San Juan Hill is plain remarkable. He’s as fired up as anybody and says he’s the one receiving the blessing.
Addazio calls the events of recent weeks “one of the great moments in coaching …”
And he marveled at the teamwork of the organization, starting with Foley.
“ … Watching our team, watching our staff, watching our athletic director … to watch all those components of a program come together. Wow! Essentially we were saying, ‘We’ve all have to have each other’s back here and let’s make this happen.’ And we did that, right through bowl preparation, being in New Orleans, the way we played, the way this team carried itself. I’m really proud of that and I really feel special to have been around it.
“Those kinds of things really mean more than anything. I don’t know how we say it, other than it’s really cool to watch all that unwind. It speaks volumes. This has been unbelievable. Just to see how everybody rallied! It reinforces just how special this place is. Special place, special people.”
* * *
After the win over Cincinnati, away from the bright lights, reporters were moseying up to Johnny Brantley, who had just received the torch by the greatest player in school history. Tebow took a curtain call as he jogged off the field with about four minutes to play, as No. 12 and No. 15 did a drive-by man hug. Unofficially, Tebow having made his last play as a Gator, the Brantley Era was ushered in.
An out-of-state TV guy asked Brantley: “It’s your show now. Has it sunk in yet, or is it starting to sink in?”
To which Brantley replied: “It’s starting to. It feels kind of weird. I’m just trying to enjoy this win right now. It’ll hit me next week sometime, probably.”
Exactly nine days later, leaving a restaurant with his mother Karen and two of her friends in his hometown of Ocala, Johnny stopped to stay hello to several locals. He seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face and even carried himself with a bit of swagger.
“It’s your turn,” somebody said. “You’ve waited a long time for this.
“And I’m ready to go,” said young Brantley. “I’ll be hitting the weight room at 6 a.m. tomorrow.”
Just three days ago Alabama had won the BCS title by beating Texas, a school where he had first committed.
Everybody couldn’t help but think how Brantley’s life would have changed if he hadn’t de-committed to Texas. It would have probably been him that came in the game to replace the injured Colt McCoy in the title game.
Johnny and his family have no regrets. “Things happen for a reason,” said his mom.
* * *
The Plan to Win has worked brilliantly for the first five years. OK, but what about the next five years? And what’s the key to the Plan to Keep on Winning?
“Sustainability,” said a staff member.
Now we are about to see about the evolution of that strategy and the adaptability of those in charge. If nothing, Urban has always shown his ability to adapt while staying true to his core values and begun to attract like-minded parents and their sons.
It’s always about “The Program.”
Why? Relationships, which are the underpinning.
“It’s a two-part thing because of the relationship you have with Urban,” said Marotti. “He’s a friend, he’s not just the boss that you work for. He was a friend before that. You just hate to see your friend in that state. We just picked it up and practiced what we preach. There was a lot of time and effort put into this program and these kids.”
By its very nature, however, change can be volatile in The Program when It comes to people. Player classes are turned over every four years. Assistant coaches come and go, leaving their fingerprints, but that is to be expected with the insecurity of their jobs. Florida lost four coaches this year, including its defensive coordinator. Yet Meyer has retained key staff members of the coaching and the administrative staffs. Loyalty is a trait that Meyer demands, gets and gives to those in his inner circle. He has been known on more than one occasion to put his job on the line for staff members whose names most people wouldn’t even recognize.
That’s what led Marotti to have his heart-to-heart with Urban the day after the Florida coach had resigned.
That’s what led Heater to put The Program over himself by volunteering to take whatever role that was needed – title or no title.
And why Addazio, entrusted with the reins of The Program, vowed to “keep this train going.”
“I just want to keep this thing moving at a high level and give him (Meyer) that peace of mind that will allow him to do whatever he needed to do – to get himself back mentally and physically,” said Addazio. “I felt like: No. 1, Florida and Urban Meyer have been awfully good to me and my family. Anything I could do for Urban I felt really honored and really wanted to make sure that it happened. And that’s from my heart. Whatever the job description is, that’s irrelevant to me – it’s whatever I can do to help. That’s where it starts and ends.”
There were others among the inner circle who also answered the call – Dan McCarney, Brian White, Scot Loeffler. They also impressed the big boss with their loyalty.
* * *
Foley wrote in an email to Gator Country: “”The fact that our football program has continued to run at a high level in recent weeks is a testament to the strong foundation that Coach Meyer has built within the program. The foundation is solid at all levels — the support level, among the coaching staff and the administrative staff.
“It is also a testament to the loyalty and belief that his assistant coaches and support staff have in that foundation. Although there may have been questions about the future of the program externally, there were no questions internally. Steve Addazio and the assistant coaches, in particular, have kept focus on the daily tasks at hand and continued to do their job with the same vigor and passion they always had. It is a tribute to them that they kept the same energy level and focus. And it is a tribute to Urban and the plan he has put together for a successful program.”
Why? Relationships.
“I just think the whole deal is when you build your program on a solid foundation, it will last,” said a source close to The Program.
* * *
If The Plan to Win is revised at all, it will be to demand more leadership of younger guys, which means they must almost be mentored as they are recruited. To sustain consistency, there can’t be as many peaks in valleys.
Recruiting is the lifeblood, but core values and coaching both life and football are the cornerstones. Without leadership, none of it can be properly executed.
In a speech to a group last year, Meyer spoke about the importance of leadership.
“Leadership is the lynchpin between strategy and execution,” Meyer told them. “Without the actions or words of one or more people to inspire, motivate or otherwise cause others to perform with extraordinary or higher than normal effort, most teams or organizations fail.”
The legacy of the 2009 Florida Gator team, coaching staff and support group will have come from its leaders – starting at the top.
They have also learned that, in the end, The Plan cannot account for everything. And that’s where leadership has to kick in. Just as it did starting with President Bernie Machen in the days following Dec. 27, 2009, the beginning of The Turnaround.