Urban Meyer sends direct message about what Florida and Penn State must do next originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Urban Meyer knows a thing or two about Florida’s football program. As the last coach to win national championships in Gainesville, the Hall-of-Famer sent a clear message, but it wasn’t limited to the Gators.
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During this week’s “Triple Option” podcast said both Florida and Penn State must be willing to spend big to land a “home run” hire after firing their head coaches in recent weeks.
“You’re Penn State and you’re Florida, those are the two big dogs right now. You better hire a home run,” Meyer said. “I don’t give a s— what it costs. You better do it … I mean, there’s no fiscal [limit]. Pay them, because if you win, then it’s all good.”
One key factor is both schools have already paid plenty just to start over. Penn State is reportedly paying nearly $50 million to buy out James Franklin, while Florida owes $21 million to Billy Napier. The cost of doing business in modern college football and will only get bigger. Meyer suggested that shouldn’t deter either program from chasing elite coaches.
Is there a big-time hire out there who will strike immediate success?
Meyer won three national titles over an eight-year period, with two coming at Florida in 2006 and 2008. With that said, UF remains one of the most resource-rich programs in the country, mostly thanks to Meyer. The Gators boast top-tier facilities, a deep recruiting base, and a strong NIL infrastructure. All factors that could make the right coach an instant contender in the SEC.
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One the other hand, Penn State offers a stable foundation in the Big Ten with playoff potential and consistent top-20 recruiting classes. That setup could entice a proven coach eager to compete for championships without needing a total rebuild.
Among the early names linked to the jobs are Nebraska’s Matt Rhule for Penn State and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin for Florida. Both are successful and would make a difference. Rhule to Happy Valley makes more sense than Kiffin to Gainesville at this point.
Nebraska isn’t the top destination in college football it was in the 90s. Also, Rhule is a product of Penn State and has ties to the program. As for Ole Miss, there’s really no difference between Oxford and Gainesville other than a history for championships. For Kiffin, the move would be lateral at this point, and he’s already building the Rebels to compete in the SEC. Florida would have to make Kiffin the highest-paid coach in college football to seal the deal.
Both schools can afford greatness, if they’re willing to pay for it. We’ll see over the coming weeks if they take a swing for the fences.
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