Urban Meyer believes Florida can top college football again

The Florida football program from 2006-09 will be the subject of an upcoming Netflix documentary called “Swamp Kings,” highlighting one of the most successful periods in school history.

The Gators haven’t come close to that success since, with their last SEC title all the way back in 2008.

But if there’s anyone that knows what it will take for Florida to get back to that level of success — or even if that’s possible in modern college football — it’s the coach of those teams: Urban Meyer.

“I think they can. I think they can,” Urban Meyer said on The Buddy Martin Show. “Maybe not basketball and football at the same time, I’m not sure that will ever happen again. Florida’s got what it takes.”

That’s a pretty strong endorsement from a man who would know, but then again Meyer got it done himself. Even some of his proteges like Dan Mullen have since tried and failed.

Meyer actually had some positive things to say about the team’s current coach, Billy Napier.

“Florida, they’ve got a great coach right now,” Urban Meyer said. “Obviously he’s got some challenge ahead of him, but everybody’s just got to hang in there. What happens in Florida and some of these other places, the world starts caving in on them when you lose a recruit or you lose a game. And sustainability is how you develop great winning programs.”

Napier has preached a platform of sustainability long term, noting early and often that fans might get impatient with him as he builds things the way he wants to. A 6-7 season with a first-round NFL Draft pick at quarterback certainly got some of the natives restless, and the projections for Florida going into 2023 won’t leave many happy if they play out that way.

Las Vegas, for example, has the team’s over/under win total for 2023 set at 5.5.

It’s a tough ask to get Florida fans to remain patient through two seasons of .500 football if that’s how it plays out. Buddy Martin, the host of the show, noted that to Meyer and asked if he thought Florida was unique in the amount of pressure the fans heap on the coach.

“No, I think you’ve probably got four or five schools in America, and out of respect to all the other schools I won’t say who, but there’s three, four or five schools that have, people say it’s expectations that can never be met,” Urban Meyer said.

“I used to share this with our team at Ohio State and Florida, that, ‘Hey, that’s life in the big city, pal. You don’t have to be here. This is very hard.’ If you don’t win by more than 14 when you’re supposed to win by 14 people are critical of you. Thank God we’re at a place where losing is unacceptable, because who would want to work at a place like that, where it’s acceptable? Florida it’s not acceptable.”