OK, I’ve got a simple solution that will fix the issues of two wayward football organizations in North Florida.
Are you ready?
Urban Meyer should become the new coach of the Florida Gators and Dan Mullen should become the new coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both teams would be much better off.
I’ve always thought Mullen is much better suited as a coach in the NFL, where he doesn’t have to get his hands dirty on the recruiting trail. Meanwhile, Meyer is much better suited as a college coach, where his relentless recruiting at Florida and Ohio State was a main reason he became one of the greatest coaches in college football history.
Mullen, the renowned quarterback whisperer, could mold Jacksonville’s struggling rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence into a superstar. Meyer could return to Gainesville and replenish the Gators’ depleted roster with a heaping helping of 5-star studs.
Mullen clearly does not have the appetite for college recruiting, which was a major factor in UF firing him on Sunday. Meyer clearly is out of his element in the NFL, where he seems to have lost the mojo and magic he once had in motivating college players.
So let Mullen coach the Jaguars, where he can concentrate on his strengths — concocting game plans and drawing up ball plays. And let Meyer coach the Gators, where he would have changed the entire historical trajectory of college football and challenged Nick Saban for the sport’s supremacy had he not burned out at the end of his first stint in Gainesville.
Of course, none of this will ever happen, but you have to admit a Mullen-for-Meyer trade would have made perfect sense for the Jaguars and Gators.
At the very least, Meyer should reunite with his former offensive coordinator and hire Mullen to fix the Jaguars’ awful offense.
As for the Gators, here are the BCS (Bianchi Charting System) odds for my Super 6 UF head coaching candidates: (1) Billy Napier, Louisiana (even money: if LSU doesn’t grab him first), (2) Matt Campbell, Iowa State: (2-to-1: if Washington doesn’t grab him first), (3) Luke Fickell, Cincinnati (5-to-1: if USC doesn’t grab him first), (4) Mario Cristobal, Oregon (10-to-1: if he can be pried away from the Ducks and if his alma mater, Miami, doesn’t grab him first), (5) Bob Stoops, legend (25 to 1: if he can be coaxed out of retirement), (6) Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (100-to-1: if UF athletic director Scott Stricklin can stomach dealing with another flake).
