Stick Around Coach Strong

Yes, Charlie Strong deserves to have a head coaching job. Yes, he should’ve had a head coaching job two to three years ago, but this Gator fan doesn’t want to see him go. Ever since Pat Forde reported Strong was the top candidate for the Louisville head coaching job, I’ve been racking my brain as to who can and will fill Charlie’s shoes when he does get his first head coaching gig. Of course the Gators would be losing a great defensive coach, but also they would be losing one of the best recruiters on the staff. Strong has built the current Gators’ defense full of four and five-star recruits.

Coach Meyer was quoted today saying, “Charlie is not only a great coach, he is one of my great friends. The one thing about him is he’s very professional. There’s been zero discussion about (the Louisville job). At the appropriate time, there will. That’s just part of the business. There’s two kinds of coaches: ones you want and ones you don’t want. Unfortunately, I have a few people want.”

Louisville sites are also reporting that Strong might try to get Billy Gonzales to come with him to Louisville as offensive coordinator. Rumors were flying that he also might leave to go with Dan Mullen to Mississippi State too, and also Lane Kiffin made a huge push last year to try and get him on his League of Super Coaches staff. Billy has said in the past that he is 100% happy in Gainesville, and he has a long relationship with Coach Meyer back to his days at Colorado St.

I, being a greedy fan,  hope Urban can talk Charlie into saying and is able to offer a nice bump in pay for him. Coach Strong clearly deserves to run his own program, but like Dan Mullen he will be missed and very hard to replace.