Paul Finebaum considers Urban Meyer as Florida interim coach, jokes about Nick Saban if Billy Napier is fired
Paul Finebaum actually considered Urban Meyer as the Florida interim head coach, in the event the Gators fire Billy Napier.
It might not be too far-fetched, considering Bob Stoops’ return to Oklahoma a few years ago when Lincoln Riley left for USC. He held down the fort until Brent Venables came in.
But if you consider Florida a borderline disaster at this point, Meyer is Finebaum’s suggestion.
“Well, I mean, we know there were a lot of bad feelings,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “I don’t think those feelings are still there. It’s been a long time. And one thing you can’t deny about Urban Meyer is he came within a paper clip of winning three national championships in four years there, and that’s all that matters. I was with Steve Spurrier on Friday afternoon, and he was trying to defend Napier, although even Spurrier was running out of gas, and he said, ‘Well, you know, if we can just have a winning record.’
“And I said, coach, you just got through saying that. I remember, in 2001, you were undefeated. You lost to Tennessee at home. It was the 9/11 year and the game was in the normal SEC championship game weekend, you lost by three points. You won the Orange Bowl, and finished number three in the country, and you quit because fans were unhappy about the season, and you went to the NFL. I mean, that’s how things used to be.”
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Heck, Finebaum even suggested Nick Saban join Meyer on the sideline, getting out television to do it. In a joking manner of course.
“Urban didn’t win in (2009), it was like the world had come to an end when he had won in ‘06 and ‘08,” Finebaum said. “I can’t answer for Urban Meyer, nobody can. Does he want to coach again? Sure. Do you want your last memory of a coach being a complete disaster at the Jacksonville Jaguars? No.”
Meyer went 2-11 in Jacksonville in 2021 before he was fired prior to the end of the year. But that doesn’t take away from his 187-32 record in college and three national titles.
“It’s a novel theory,” Finebaum said. “I mean, I think somehow he could pull himself away from hanging out with the crew on Saturday morning. I mean, I think he could. And others will suggest, if you’re going to go plucking off of Saturday morning television shows, and you know exactly where I’m going … what about Nick Saban?”
Finebaum even jokingly suggested Meyer and Saban become co-head coaches and Bill Belichick join the staff as an analyst.
Perhaps we can all dream of the hilarity.