added to the Ring of Honor<\/a> \u2014 the most sacred piece of real estate in the stadium. And if there were any lingering doubts about where Meyer now stands, they vanished when he sat beside Florida\u2019s greatest living legend, Steve Spurrier, at new head coach Jon Sumrall\u2019s introductory news conference and recorded a glowing video endorsing Sumrall\u2019s hire.<\/p>\nNo cryptic distancing.<\/p>\n
No half-hearted olive branches.<\/p>\n
A full embrace.<\/p>\n
The Urbanator is unmistakably back in UF\u2019s good graces.<\/p>\n
And the Gators are better for it.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s be honest: college football has always been built on complicated men who sometimes leave scorched earth behind them. Meyer\u2019s legacy is a paradox \u2014 undeniable greatness intertwined with uncomfortable controversy. For all the turbulence he oversaw, he also orchestrated one of the most dominant stretches in modern college football. Championships are forever, and Florida\u2019s trophy cases don\u2019t come with asterisks.<\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019s impossible to ignore how fractured the relationship became. Despite leading the Gators to two national championships, Meyer became persona non grata after abruptly leaving the program and resurfacing months later as Ohio State\u2019s head coach. It certainly didn\u2019t help that he won another national title at Ohio State while the Gators have been mired in mediocrity since he left. His r\u00e9sum\u00e9 also includes behavior \u2014 at Florida, Ohio State and later with the Jacksonville Jaguars \u2014 that raises serious moral and ethical questions.<\/p>\n
Those realities don\u2019t disappear just because time passes.<\/p>\n
But this welcome-back moment isn\u2019t about whitewashing history. It\u2019s about maturity.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an acknowledgment that a coach can be both transformational and flawed. That legacies can be revisited and rebranded with time and perspective. Programs grow up. Fan bases evolve. And, yes, forgiveness often follows.<\/p>\n
More importantly, Meyer\u2019s return says something meaningful about where Florida football is today.<\/p>\n
It signals confidence and forward momentum.<\/p>\n
Sumrall, whose Tulane team will play in the College Football Playoff this weekend, enters Gainesville with energy, credibility and the blessing of both Meyer and Spurrier. That matters. Not tactically. Not schematically. But symbolically.<\/p>\n
Welcome back, Urban Meyer.<\/p>\n
The circle has finally been closed.<\/p>\n
UF\u2019s past is at peace, and the future is now wide open. \u2026<\/p>\n
Short stuff: Our gratitude to Buddy Claus \u2014 aka Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer \u2014 for dressing up as Santa Claus earlier this week and helping our radio show raise nearly $10,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida. A great Claus for a great cause. Thanks, Mayor! \u2026 Liam Coen takes over as coach of my favorite team and suddenly underachieving quarterback Trevor Lawrence goes from Jags to riches. Coen has certainly earned consideration for Coach of the Year. \u2026 Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway has entered the transfer portal after an ultra-disappointing season in Gainesville. Question: Did Billy Napier ruin Lagway\u2019s UF career or did Lagway ruin Billy Napier\u2019s UF career? \u2026 Speaking of Napier, the fired Gators coach has been hired as the\u00a0 head coach at James Madison. And, so, let us remember what President James Madison himself once said, \u201cIf men were angels, no government would be necessary.\u201d Likewise, as Gator Nation will attest: \u201cIf coaches were geniuses, buyouts wouldn\u2019t be either.\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n
In honor of 44-year-old grandfather Phillip Rivers starting for the Indianapolis Colts last week, I\u2019m just wondering if the pre-game meal was the early-bird special at Shoney\u2019s. \u2026 Did you see where UCF football coach Scott Frost is suing Nebraska \u2014 his former employer and alma mater \u2014 over payments and tax liability he claims he never received? In related news, the Cornhuskers are considering countersuing Frost for five straight losing seasons and emotional distress. \u2026 In hindsight, I wish I hadn\u2019t voted Vanderbilt\u2019s Diego Pavia No. 1 on my Heisman ballot. His rude \u201cF\u2014 the voters\u201d response on social media after Indiana\u2019s classy\u00a0 QB Fernando Mendoza won the award showed the difference between winning games and representing the sport. Apparently, sportsmanship is the one stat Pavia forgot to pad. \u2026 The Lake Mary High School state championship victory over Vero Beach on the Hail Mary catch-and-lateral Saturday night was amazing, but it happened because Vero\u2019s coaching staff thought they could run out the clock by kneeling on the ball three times and then inexplicably taking a safety. After Vero left 8 seconds on the clock, Lake Mary turned a mistake into a miracle. Translation: Lake Mary made history and Vero Beach failed elementary math. \u2026<\/p>\n
I\u2019m glad that the Kansas City Chiefs announced that Patrick Mahomes underwent successful surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee, but I do have one question: Has a team ever announced that one of its players underwent \u201cunsuccessful surgery\u201d? \u2026 Speaking of medical issues, the Orlando Magic\u2019s Paolo Banchero was injured earlier this season and now Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs are hurt, too. Considering the Magic\u2019s history of injuries, I\u2019m thinking the team doctor should be the next inductee into the franchise\u2019s Hall of Fame! \u2026 Rest in peace, Rob Reiner. Back in the 1970s, you were the funny, fearless foil to Archie Bunker\u2019s bigotry. \u2026 Mikey likes: Oklahoma over Alabama by 3, Miami over Texas A&M by 5, Ole Miss over Tulane by 14, Oregon over James Madison by 24, Bucs over Panthers by 4, Bengals over Dolphins by 3, Jaguars over Broncos by 1, Christmas shopping over my credit card by a blowout.<\/p>\n
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my new radio show \u201cGame On\u201d every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com\/listen<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Running off at the typewriter. \u2026 Welcome back home, Urban Meyer. Welcome back to Gator Nation. Welcome back…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86947,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,3111,10783,47376,12311,11964],"class_list":["post-86946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-gators","tag-ohio-state","tag-ring-of-honor","tag-steve-spurrier","tag-urban-meyer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}