I personally think this whole thread is hilarious. I love the revisionist history of the Tampa Bay piece, where the guy tries to go back and make Florida fans feel bad that maybe Urban was a piece of shit while he was there too. Guess what, the Florida media treats UF the same as most Texas media treats UT. They know that there are more that hate the university than love it.
I was a student at UF during Urbans run, and there was little to no fret of him letting the inmates run the asylum from the fan base. We had Tim Tebow leading the charge, so no one knew about the stuff below the surface with Hernandez or others. We knew Percy was a head case and pot head, but Urban managed to get him on the field when we needed, and scheme around him when he couldn't play (2008 SEC championship). It was never suggested that he was anything less than a stand up coach until he had his medical issues in 2009, when most were just mad that he was leaving so suddenly with such an unusual reason.
Since that time, I have watched UF move up the leaderboard on the US News report to pass Texas as one of the best universities in the nation. They have gone through their share of coach turnover, but managed to land on an Urban disciple with a history with Urban during those same years of 'shame' (and also SEC and National Titles).
Guess what?!?!? Mullen's wife even strongly considered not letting Mullen take the job because of how mean and demanding all of the Gator fans are. Sound familiar?
In that Tampa Bay article, Mullen is getting run over by the same bus they are rolling over Urban because a player had a gun. Josh Moore anyone? Did Mack keep everyone out of jail and choir boy clean? I seem to remember a lot of riff raff, including our stud RB kicking down a door to get back a TV, and another star player with a backpack full of pot.
I also love Blotto pointing out how few SEC teams are great schools, when one (UF) is ranked higher than Texas, and UGA is right below. How clean is that Georgia Football prorgram? In the top 30 public list for US News, we also have Ohio State, Florida State, Penn State, Texas A&M and Clemson. Auburn is at 40, and Tennessee is at 52, right before the next Big 12 school in Iowa State (54). So tell me how selling out to be good at football ruins the reputation of your university again?
All of you clowns equating hiring Urban Meyer to hiring Art Briles need to stop sniffing paint. The two are not in the same realm of program mismanagement and overall debauchery, and I base that on the fact that Briles is coaching in HS while Urban is considered for this and other top college jobs.
If you think the University of Florida Administration and then Athletic Director Jeremy Foley just let Urban close them out of the football program so he could run it his way, you are an absolute idiot. Jeremy Foley is / was one of the best ADs of the time, and he didn't get there by getting run over by his coaches. Same with the University in general. It is exceptional on every level.
There are plenty of levels between Ohio State / Alabama / Clemson and the decade long shit show we have put up with here at Texas. To somehow think hiring Urban Meyer is going to be the torpedo that finally sinks our great university is fucking ridiculous.