Florida Football: What Aubrey Hill's Resignation Means to the 2012 Gators

The start of football season brought smiles to the Florida program, as the Gators started fall camp on Thursday.

The mood wasn't as bright on Friday.

Wide receivers coach Aubrey Hill abruptly resigned for personal reasons, according to Scott Carter of GatorZone.com. Offensive coordinator Brent Pease and graduate assistant Bush Hamdan will now coach receivers this season in Hill's place.

Hill was mentioned in the Yahoo! Sports story last summer alleging improper contact between Miami Hurricane players and boosters, including Nevin Shapiro.

Charles Robinson, the man who broke the Miami scandal, suggested on Twitter that Hill's resignation is related to the ongoing probe into the Miami program.

"

Aubrey Hill resignation at UF comes after Yahoo! Sports report about Sean Allen/Teddy Bridgewater/Al Golden meeting. bit.ly/PrINLj

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) August 3, 2012"

What does this mean for the 2012 Florida Gators? Losing any position coach this close to the season certainly isn't a good thing.

However, if it is related to the Shapiro scandal, Florida is better off without Hill.

Hill's work as a wide receivers coach left a lot to be desired. The Gators finished fifth in the SEC in passing offense in 2012 with an average of 185.7 yards per game. However, the development of the athletic wide receiving corps didn't materialize the way that Gator fans had hoped.

Granted, a season full of quarterback upheaval didn't help matters, and it contributed to problems on offense.

He was, however, one of Florida's primary recruiters. His absence on the recruiting trail will be missed down the road.

Update:

The impact of Hill's departure has already been felt on the recruiting trail.

Rodney Adams, a 4-star wide receiver from St. Petersburg, Fla., has decommitted from the Gators, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.

"

#Gators WR commit Rodney Adams tells GatorNation he's going to re-open his recruitment in the wake of UF WR coach Aubrey Hill's resignation.

— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) August 3, 2012"

Adams had offers from several schools including Miami (Fla.), Florida State and Oklahoma prior to committing to the Gators in February 2012.

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