Urban Meyer Stepping Down: 10 Ways This Affects the Gators in Their Bowl Game
On Wednesday, Florida coach Urban Meyer resigned for the second straight season after going 7-5 this season.
The Gators struggled in their first season A.T. (After Tebow) and never figured out how to get the most out of a struggling offense.
Despite the past successes and the amount of talent he brought into Gainesville, especially in an absolutely loaded 2010 recruiting class, UF athletic director Jeremy Foley now has to find a replacement for the great coach.
Even though Meyer will stick around for the Outback Bowl against Penn State, here are 10 ways his resignation will affect the Gators heading into their showdown with Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions.
1. The QB Conundrum Will Linger
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In Florida's loss at Florida State, John Brantley, Trey Burton and Jordan Reed all played, and all were ineffective.
There is no doubt that the struggles at the position led to the collapse of the Gators this season, and considering the talent in Gainesville, it's really shocking.
But with close to a month left in Meyer's tenure, he needs to find a QB to play against Penn State.
And with a new regime on the way, unless the new coach plans to start top-flight prospect Jeff Driskel at QB, all three QBs will be fighting for the starting job, and some could walk away from the program altogether.
2. Steve Addazio's Time Might Be Up As Well
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When former OC Dan Mullen took his high-powered offense to Starkville and Mississippi State, offensive line coach Steve Addazio took the reigns as playcaller.
But his conservative nature has drawn tremendous flack from Florida fans, who blame him for their offensive struggles.
Meyer stuck with Addazio, including naming him the interim coach when he originally resigned in 2009, albeit just for one day.
If Meyer does leave, Addazio might find himself on the chopping block.
3. A Mass Exodus Could Be on the Way
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Florida's recruiting class in 2010 was arguably one of the greatest ever in the modern era of recruiting, where the star-system and YouTube highlights are how talented players are measured.
But considering the amount of highly-touted prospects, if Meyer leaves, it wouldn't be a surprise if some players did the same.
This type of thing happens often in college football, most notably in 2007 when Rich Rodriguez replaced Lloyd Carr at Michigan, with QB Ryan Mallett leaving the Wolverines for Arkansas.
Unless the new coach can relate to the players or has a similar style of football to Meyer, expect a few players to consider jumping ship during the bowl practices.
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4. What Team Will Show Up in Tampa Bay?
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As Meyer prepares to coach his final game in Gainesville on New Year's Day, one has to wonder what team will show up for him.
Will his team show up inspired to send their coach out on a high note? Or will the distractions around the futures of the coaches and other players sink the Gators?
The more likely outcome is that the Gators will show up inspired and play their best game of the season.
But conventional wisdom also says that due to their lack of firepower, that playing inspired might not matter if they can not put up the points.
Whatever the case, the eyes of the country will be on the Outback Bowl to see how his players react to the departure of their leader.
5. Jeremy Foley Will Be Working the Phones
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The departure of Meyer now opens a huge coaching void that would be attractive enough for anyone to want to take.
Will former OC Dan Mullen jump ship from Starksville and return to UF as the head coach?
Is the allure of the Gators too much for Jim Harbaugh to resist leaving Stanford?
It shouldn't necessarily take too long for Foley to find his guy, but he needs to find the right guy for the job.
But Foley might have the biggest task of all, because he needs to find a great coach to replace Meyer before players feel they should jump ship.
6. What Players Will Consider Taking Their Talents to the NFL?
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For Florida, even though the team has not had much success, the Gators do have several underclassmen that can make the jump into the NFL.
Players like Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Will Hill are among the most likely to leave Gainesville depending on the new coach and go get their pay day in the NFL.
While the rest of the roster has potential stars, losing talented players like Demps, Hill and Janoris Jenkins could hurt the development of the young players in Gainesville.
The departure of Meyer now might have these underclassmen really wrestling with their future decisions.
Whether or not that weighs heavily on bowl preparation remains to be seen.
7. The Shadow Of Tim Tebow Continues To Linger
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Throughout this season, it seems as if Florida was never able to get over the graduation of all-world QB Tim Tebow.
The offense never had the explosiveness that it had in 2009 and earlier in the Meyer era.
Whether that was a coaching problem or a talent problem is debatable. But what isn't debatable is that Tebow's departure was bigger than most people had anticipated.
They missed his leadership and his personality, which had an infectious energy that catalyzed the team.
Without that, the team looked lifeless and confused on offense, and they never could find a fix at all.
It seemed no matter who took snaps out of the shotgun, they could not get out from Tebow's shadow, even though he is all the way in Denver.
8. How Will The Team Come Together?
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Regardless of who sticks around and who leaves, this Florida team knows that given all of the circumstances and problems circulating the team this season, they need to band together.
With their leader leaving, those who stay will need to make a statement that Florida is not going away.
They can do that all they want in press conferences and tweets, but they need to be able to show it on the practice field and against Penn State on New Year's Day.
And given the talent and the heart that some of the players who had been there in the Tebow era, that's a very likely possibility of the team coming together.
They need to do it now, to show the Florida fans and the country that the Gators will rise once again.
9. Future Gator Recruits Could Leave As Well
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One of the biggest problems the Gators might have going into their bowl game might not be the players on the roster, but the ones ready to join the roster.
In Florida's recruiting class are seven players in the ESPNU 150 including QB Jeff Driskel and WR JaJuan Story.
But if Florida does not get a substantial replacement for Meyer, they might not be able to retain all of their prospects.
And what could be worse is they could miss out of top targets such as DB Jabari Gorman and LB Curtis Grant if they do not find an eventual suitor worthy of the Florida job.
10. Few Eyes Will Be On the Outback Bowl Except for Urban Meyer
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Because of Meyer's resignation, the focus in Gainesville is now centered on finding his replacement rather than the game itself.
The lack of focus from the outside could put a strain on the players and the coaches who have to hear about the future rather than the game.
Whether or not that does happen is unsure, but it can possibly happen because of the high-profile job Florida now has available and the amount of attention being paid to the coaching search instead of the Outback Bowl.
While Penn State does not have to worry about these distractions, they could possibly be in a worse position than before they come into this game.
But regardless of the outcome, all of a sudden, Florida football has many questions to figure out going forward following Urban Meyer's resignation.
This article is featured on The BCS Blitz. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.
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