fishinbitch
12-03-2004, 03:31 PM
GAINESVILLE - Utah's Urban Meyer has turned down Notre Dame and agreed in principle to become the University of Florida's next coach, but official word may have to wait until Saturday.
A Florida source said Meyer wants to speak to his team before any announcement is made. Even Meyer's father, Bud, said Friday afternoon that he hadn't heard anything definitive from his son.
''Not from him,'' Bud Meyer said by telephone from his home in Blue Ash, Ohio. ''I've heard it from ESPN.''
Bud Meyer said his son was ''leaning toward Florida'' when the two spoke Friday morning. Florida and Notre Dame officials met with Urban Meyer on Thursday in hopes of wooing the 40-year-old Ohio native.
Also Thursday, Meyer told his Utah team that he had received interest from other schools. Meyer then reportedly asked players to vote on whether he should be allowed to coach them in a bowl game. The players voted to let Meyer coach.
The fifth-ranked Utes (11-0) are the first team from outside the six ''power conferences'' to earn a bid to a Bowl Championship Series game. They likely are headed to the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.
For his work this season, Meyer was named The Home Depot 2004 national coach of the year Friday. He is 21-2 in two seasons at Utah. Meyer went 17-6 at Bowling Green from 2001-02. He was hired away by then-Utah president Bernie Machen, who now holds the same position at Florida.
Machen told reporters Friday that he was waiting for some sort of confirmation that Meyer had accepted Florida's offer. Machen also said Oklahoma's Bob Stoops no longer was a target and that the Gators had another coach in mind if Meyer decided against coming to Gainesville.
A Florida source said Meyer wants to speak to his team before any announcement is made. Even Meyer's father, Bud, said Friday afternoon that he hadn't heard anything definitive from his son.
''Not from him,'' Bud Meyer said by telephone from his home in Blue Ash, Ohio. ''I've heard it from ESPN.''
Bud Meyer said his son was ''leaning toward Florida'' when the two spoke Friday morning. Florida and Notre Dame officials met with Urban Meyer on Thursday in hopes of wooing the 40-year-old Ohio native.
Also Thursday, Meyer told his Utah team that he had received interest from other schools. Meyer then reportedly asked players to vote on whether he should be allowed to coach them in a bowl game. The players voted to let Meyer coach.
The fifth-ranked Utes (11-0) are the first team from outside the six ''power conferences'' to earn a bid to a Bowl Championship Series game. They likely are headed to the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.
For his work this season, Meyer was named The Home Depot 2004 national coach of the year Friday. He is 21-2 in two seasons at Utah. Meyer went 17-6 at Bowling Green from 2001-02. He was hired away by then-Utah president Bernie Machen, who now holds the same position at Florida.
Machen told reporters Friday that he was waiting for some sort of confirmation that Meyer had accepted Florida's offer. Machen also said Oklahoma's Bob Stoops no longer was a target and that the Gators had another coach in mind if Meyer decided against coming to Gainesville.