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Ron Zook must go.


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Even though he left the cupboard pretty *** bare when he took off for the pros? Breaks my heart to see UF struggle... oh wait, no it doesn't. :D I wish Spurrier would come back. The rivalry was much more heated then. He made it fun to hate the Gators. There is some young talent at UF, I imagine in the next two years they will be rather nasty.

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Just saw the news myself.

 

ESPN Reporting Gators Have Fired Zook, His Staff

 

sun-sentinel.com

 

October 25, 2004, 10:14 AM EDT

 

GAINESVILLE -- The Florida Gators have fired football coach Ron Zook and

his staff, reporter Kirk Herbstreit reported on ESPN's Web site Monday morning.

 

Athletic Director Jeremy Foley was expected to meet with team members later

today and tell them Zook and his staff will coach the team for the

remainder of the season, but will not return, the ESPN site said.

 

The firing comes on the heels of the Gators' 38-31 loss Saturday to

Mississippi State, the worst team in the SEC.

 

The Gators are 4-3 this season and 20-13 under the third-year Zook.

 

 

Step 1 complete.

 

Step 2 - Find Spurrier's phone number.

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Wow. I can't believe they announced it now when he has to coach till the end of the season. Can you say knee jerk reaction. This should help with recruiting  :D

 

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This could certainly help with recruiting if the right coach is found and the announcement is made relatively soon (within the next couple of weeks).

 

By way of example, what if UF were to announce in a week or two that Spurrier was returning to Florida. I believe that recruiting would be fine with that type of announcement.

 

I can also see how this might be considered a "knee jerk" reaction. However, the alumni at Florida are somewhat insane when it comes to football. The outrage at losing to miss state cannot be understated.

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This could certainly help with recruiting if the right coach is found and the announcement is made relatively soon (within the next couple of weeks).

 

By way of example, what if UF were to announce in a week or two that Spurrier was returning to Florida.  I believe that recruiting would be fine with that type of announcement.

 

I can also see how this might be considered a "knee jerk" reaction.  However, the alumni at Florida are somewhat insane when it comes to football.  The outrage at losing to miss state cannot be understated.

 

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We'll see. If Spurrier is anounced all may be well, but what if it takes a while like last time or the guy they are looking at is coaching into January. Uncertainty, can't help with recruiting IMO.

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We'll see. If Spurrier is anounced all may be well, but what if it takes a while like last time or the guy they are looking at is coaching into January. Uncertainty, can't help with recruiting IMO.

 

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Agreed. Uncertainty would be bad and clearly, other programs would take advantage of this. Right now, given the depths of depression I am attempting to overcome with the UF season to this point, let me have my dreams.

 

Spurrier as UF Head Coach for the 2005 season.

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October 25. 2004 2:49PM

Search for coach could start with Steve Spurrier

 

By ROBBIE ANDREU

SUN SPORTS WRITER

 

tunningly, unexpectedly, one of college football's prized head coaching

jobs came open Monday morning with the firing of Ron Zook. Now, in the

middle of the season, the search begins for a replacement.

 

Maybe this search will start in Virginia, where UF coaching legend Steve

Spurrier lives and where he is sitting out a year of coaching after two

seasons with the Washington Redskins.

 

If he is interested in the job - and sources close to him told The Sun

he is - Spurrier moves right to the top of the list and will be UF's No.

1 target, and probably the first candidate athletic director Jeremy

Foley will talk to. Spurrier already plans to move back to Florida

(Gainesville and Crescent Beach) after his son Scotty graduates from

high school next spring and would, of course, be the perfect fit.

 

Spurrier, who turns 60 in May, certainly would be a popular choice among

UF fans. In his 12 years at UF, he elevated the program to unprecedented

heights, leading the Gators to six SEC titles and a national

championship in 1996. Spurrier's stunning departure after the 2001

season angered many UF supporters, who likely will be happy to forgive

him if he returns.

 

Spurrier was college football's highest-paid coach (about $2 million a

year) when he left, and it would take a similar offer to get him back.

 

Here are some other candidates that are sure to emerge in the coming

days and weeks:

 

# URBAN MEYER, UTAH: He's considered the nation's hottest young coaching

prospect, and he has a connection - he was hired at Utah by Bernie

Machen, the new president at the University of Florida. Machen obviously

likes Meyer, and he certainly will contact him to see if there's any

interest from Meyer. Utah is currently 7-0 and ranked No. 9 in the

nation and Meyer's balanced offense is one of the best.

 

Meyer is clearly a coach on the rise, but he said his focus right now is

on his own team and the rest of this season.

 

"I have a team to coach here," Meyer told ESPN.com's Pat Forde on

Monday. "I'm in the middle of a championship run. That has no bearing on

what we're doing here."

 

# BOBBY STOOPS, OKLAHOMA: Foley went after the former Florida defensive

coordinator three years ago, but Stoops felt it was too soon to consider

a move from Oklahoma. Foley and Stoops had serious discussions (some

Internet sites even reported he had accepted the job), but Stoops

decided to stay with the Sooners, who are 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the

nation this season.

 

Would Stoops be willing to make the move now? Foley likely will find out

because this is a coach he's going to have to approach again. Stoops and

his wife love Florida (they have a condo in Crescent Beach) and the

timing might be better now for him to consider returning to UF.

 

# BOBBY PETRINO, LOUISVILLE: Auburn made a move for this coveted coach

last year behind AU coach Tommy Tuberville's back and it backfired and

Petrino remained at Louisville, where his team is 5-1 and ranked 14th in

the nation. Petrino has a history in Florida. He was an assistant coach

with the Jacksonville Jaguars before he left to become Tuberville's

offensive coordinator at Auburn.

 

Petrino is an offensive-minded coach, and his team had No. 3 Miami on

the ropes two weeks ago before losing in the closing seconds in the

Orange Bowl.

 

Florida is a job that would intrigue Petrino. UF's tradition, facilities

and recruiting base would be hard to turn down.

 

# DAN HAWKINS, BOISE STATE: Like Meyer, he's considered one of the

nation's best young coaching prospects. He has a wide-open offense, and

his teams have also been strong on defense.

 

The Broncos were 13-1 last season and are off to a 7-0 start this season

and are ranked 18th in the nation.

 

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Take this for what it's worth. I just got an email from a friend that was titled:

"Read this...Someone at work sent me a link for a message board containing this…"

 

Obviously this is just one person's opinion but I figured it was interesting enough to post.

 

I've been hinting and nudging for three years now and nobody's bitten. I was hoping someone would pick up on it but no one has. So, I've been sitting on this secret for 3 years and I'm about to bust. So here it is.

Stoops is coming to Florida for the 2005 season

He has been since January 2002.

When doing work on the SST cookbook and another project I got a chance to talk to a certain U of F sports administration icon, who happens to be one of Spurrier's closest friends. "Why Zook", I asked. He proceeded to spell out for me the Grand Plan as formulated by Jeremy Foley.

We all heard that when SOS quit, Foley had a short list of Stoops, Mike Shanahan and Zook, and that a decision would be made very quickly. It was reported that Stoops considered the job but decided to stay at OU. Foley flew out to talk to Shanahan but he declined as well. He then flew to New Orleans to offer the job to Zook and he accepted, which immediately created a firestorm of dissent and disbelief. "Why Zook?". Heres why.

 

It was always Bob Stoops intent to Coach at Florida.

 

Spurrier and Stoops are best of friends and their families still vacation together. It was agreed that when Stoops went to Norman, he would get Head Coaching experience and whenever SOS left he would take the job. Foley was in complete agreement. Then Stoops wins the National Title and proves to Spurrier that if he went ahead and left the football program would be in good hands.

 

Now here are the events as they occured from behind the scenes. This is not conjecture or internet rumor. This is the gospel.

 

Spurrier decided for a number of reasons to leave Florida prior to the 2002 Orange Bowl game. But Steve is a Gator through and through, and he wouldn't turn over his program to just anybody. Stoops was coming to take his place and everything would be alright. If you run tape of the press conference, and its available on the Gainesville Sun website, at the end someone asks Spurrier if he felt things would be OK after he left. His response was "Stoopsie's gonna take over, everything's going to be fine".

Turned out it wasn't. Stoops let Foley know that he was having problems with the OU administration, but he was trying to smooth it out. Foley decided on a contingency plan. He would go through the motions of interviewing Shanahan and Zook so it would look like there had been no prior deal with Stoops. Don't want the Sooners suing the Gators.

Stoops tells Foley that he's got everything worked out - he's on his way. So he schedules a press conference in Norman to make the announcement and Foley schedules one in Gainesville for the next day to introduce the new coach. Everthing's falling into place.

But then it falls apart. The "official" story was that the Oklahoma president cornered Stoops in his office and made an impassioned plea for him to stay, for hus players and to win more championships. The true story is he came and shoved Stoops contract in his face and told him that they were not going to release him from his contract or let him buy out of it, there was no way they were going back to the mediocrity of the post Switzer era and that if he even tried they would sue him and the University of Florida. So Stoops goes to the press conference and gives a very half hearted reasoning on why he suddenly changed his mind and decided to stay at OU.

Problem is he still wants to coach at Florida and Foley desperately wants him. So they come up with a plan. Foley would hire someone to "keep the seat warm" until his contract expired in January 2005. It would have to be someone who could steer the ship for 3 years but willingly step aside for Stoops when the time came.

Foley flies to Norman under the premise of trying to talk Stoops into coming. he was actually trying to strike a deal with the University president. No dice. So he flies to Denver to talk to Shanahan. Mike had been interested in the job but didn't want to be the short timer pawn in this plan. On to New Orleans.

Ron Zook. The perfect fit.

Zook takes the job and the rest is history.

Now for the clinchers. Once again, this is not conjecture, this is fact. As Casey Stengel always said, you can look it up.

Stoops has always wanted to coach at Florida, and he's stated this to other coaches before. He enjoyed his time in Gainesville and wanted to come back. He never sold his house in Gainesville and still has a beachhouse beside Spurrier's in Crescent Beach. It has always been his intention to return to Florida as Head Coach. He just has to get past the contractual roadblock. he has refused to sign a contract extension every year since the end of the 2001 extension and his contract expires in January of 2005, when he becomes a free man.

If you ever wondered "why Zook?" now you know. At a coaches convention Florida was voted the most desirable coaching job in the country. Why would Jeremy Foley, whom most would agree is the best Athletic Director in the country, pick someone with no head coaching experience and was about to be fired as Special teams coach of the New Orleans Saints to head up one of the most prestigious college football programs in the country? Because he's simply holding down the fort, and he's known that all along. I think there might have been an understanding that if he really proved himself and maybe won some championships he might be allowed to stay. But that hasn't happened obviously, so he knows this is his last season. He would land some strong recruiting classes, which was always his strong point when he was at Florida before, and keep the Gator's heads above water. Then he would gracefully step aside with a chunk of change a nice letter of recommendation or an administrative position with the University Athletic Association. Then the Stoops era begins.

I know many of you will have doubts about this, but it will all bear out in early January of next year.

Except there are a couple of flies in the ointment.

Bernie Madchen was just hired as the new University President, leaving the same position at Utah. When he left Bowling Green for Utah he brought along his favorite coach, Urban Meyer. There's been a lot of speculation that he will bring Meyer to Florida, but at UF the president doesn't have the power they do at other schools and probably couldn't pull it off. Besides, the powers that be, given the choice between Stoops and Meyer will obviously take Stoops. now Madchen might not have the power to hire a coach but he can veto a candidate, and he could veto Stoops for spite. He might say he wasn't party to that agreement and not compelled to honor it. I hope he doesn't take that route.

The second predicament is this frat house fiasco. The last thing Foley wants is to fire Zook before the end of the season, and since Zook was his choice, he could get drug down in this himself. He might not have then influence to make the plan work, but I seriously doubt once again that they would turn down Stoops.

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Take this for what it's worth.  I just got an email from a friend that was titled:

"Read this...Someone at work sent me a link for a message board containing this…"

 

Obviously this is just one person's opinion but I figured it was interesting enough to post.

 

511929[/snapback]

 

 

 

:D

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Here is an article on the effects the firing MIGHT have on recruiting. I imagine if a big name like Spurrier returns though there is not much to worry about.

 

October 25, 2004

Zook's firing sure to shake recruiting up

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jeremy Crabtree, Rivals.com Recruiting Editor

 

 

Some will question the decision, and others will approve it.

 

 

AP

 

Ron Zook's firing at Florida will shake things up in the recruiting wars.

But the reality is that Ron Zook’s firing at Florida will have a ripple effect that will change recruiting in the state of Florida and the entire Southeast region for the Class of 2005 and for many years to come.

 

Despite a 14-13 record against BCS conference opponents and an 8-5 record in 2003, Zook and his staff were some of the best recruiters in all of college football. Coming off that sub par record – for Gator standards – in 2003, Florida finished with the nation’s No. 7 class. In 2003, he had the No. 2 class and in 2002 the Gators had the No. 20 class.

 

Zook recruited stars like receiver Andre Caldwell and quarterback Chris Leak. The 2005 class was starting to shape up as one of the best in the nation, too.

 

Of the seven pledges in this year’s class four of them were considered to be impact recruits and the Gators were factors in the recruitment of five-star studs Derrick Williams, Kenneth Phillips, Justin King and Ryan Reynolds.

 

And let’s not even get started on all the blue-chip talent in Florida the Gators would likely have snagged. Players like Ronnie Wilson, Bryan Evans, Guesly Dervil and O.J. Murdock were considered to be Florida leans, and don’t forget that Zook had wrapped up one of the nation’s top junior college players in Reggie Nelson out of Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College after he signed him out of high school.

 

Like it or not, Zook and his assistant coaches were well respected in the Florida high school coaching community and his firing is likely to shake things up greatly.

 

“I think it’s a poor statement on (Florida’s) part,” Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland coach John Moronto said.

 

“If they think they’re looking for a quick fix and a national championship, then they need to look around at the other teams that fell off for a year or two and quickly turned it back around and then won.

 

“I’m very disappointed, and I know others are, too, that they would make a change in such a short amount of time. I’m not a big Gator fan, nor am I fan of the Seminoles or Hurricanes, it’s just the things that Ron Zook stands for, not just as a football coach but also has a person, that has me and a lot of people in the coaching community disappointed with this move.”

 

And the aftershocks of the move have already started.

 

Mainland is home to two of Florida’s key recruits – quarterback Jonathan Garner and cornerback Avery Atkins – and it didn’t take long for other schools to pick up the phone and check and see if the Gator commitments might be willing to look around.

 

“I’m hoping that some of these recruiting coordinators at other schools don’t try to use this to their advantage, but I know that they will,” Moronto said.

 

“I talked to a few of them prior to this happening and they are calling again, and I’m not impressed with that. I’m sure that Miami and Florida State might not try to use this too much to their advantage, but I know others will try to capitalize and get after (Florida’s) recruits.”

 

It doesn’t end there.

 

Williams, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, said Florida is likely going to drop down his list some now that the change has been made.

 

"We really want stability in a coaching staff and we might not know who the next coach will be at Florida by the time Derrick decides," Dwight Williams, Derrick’s father said.

 

"We need to talk to the athletic director to see if they have any answers. We really like the offense they run and the coaches we've met there, but they don't know what's going to happen with them, so how can we?”

 

There has even talk today from an assistant at Coffeyville that Nelson, who is considered one of the top junior college players in the nation, could end up looking elsewhere with Florida State being a possible destination, but the standout safety has not been available for comment quite yet.

 

But not all of the news has been bad news.

 

Jeff Estes, a mentor to both defensive end Vladimir Richard of Sunrise (Fla.) Piper and linebacker Gerald Williams of Lauderdale Lakes (Fla.) Boyd Anderson, said Florida still has a lot of positives to sell.

 

"I talked to Vladimir about it already this morning and he said nothings changed,” Estes said. “We'll wait and see who they bring in. Florida is still a great place. Maybe they'll bring in a big name guy."

 

And that’s likely to happen, but who that guy is going to be is still yet to be determined and likely won’t be decided for quite some time. With the college football season just past the halfway mark and the NFL still a long way from being done, Florida’s recruiting efforts likely will be stuck in idle for quite some time.

 

That will allow other teams to step in and work to take control of the Sunshine State. The most likely teams to profit from this move now will be Florida State and Miami, but look for other teams from the SEC, ACC and Big 12 to make a bigger impact in Florida this season.

 

And if the Gators aren't able to get a head coach in place by early December, it can definitely have a lasting effect on the future of the Gator program. The SEC is no place for a program to have an off year in recruiting, even when you're making a transition to a new coach.

 

If you miss in one class in the SEC, it can set you back for several years. Yes, indeed Zook’s firing is bound to shake things up this recruiting season and could have a lasting effect in the future.

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Here is an article on the effects the firing MIGHT have on recruiting. I imagine if a big name like Spurrier returns though there is not much to worry about.

 

October 25, 2004

Zook's firing sure to shake recruiting up

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jeremy Crabtree, Rivals.com Recruiting Editor

   

 

Some will question the decision, and others will approve it.

 

 

AP

 

Ron Zook's firing at Florida will shake things up in the recruiting wars.

But the reality is that Ron Zook’s firing at Florida will have a ripple effect that will change recruiting in the state of Florida and the entire Southeast region for the Class of 2005 and for many years to come.

 

Despite a 14-13 record against BCS conference opponents and an 8-5 record in 2003, Zook and his staff were some of the best recruiters in all of college football. Coming off that sub par record – for Gator standards – in 2003, Florida finished with the nation’s No. 7 class. In 2003, he had the No. 2 class and in 2002 the Gators had the No. 20 class.

 

Zook recruited stars like receiver Andre Caldwell and quarterback Chris Leak. The 2005 class was starting to shape up as one of the best in the nation, too.

 

Of the seven pledges in this year’s class four of them were considered to be impact recruits and the Gators were factors in the recruitment of five-star studs Derrick Williams, Kenneth Phillips, Justin King and Ryan Reynolds.

 

And let’s not even get started on all the blue-chip talent in Florida the Gators would likely have snagged. Players like Ronnie Wilson, Bryan Evans, Guesly Dervil and O.J. Murdock were considered to be Florida leans, and don’t forget that Zook had wrapped up one of the nation’s top junior college players in Reggie Nelson out of Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College after he signed him out of high school.

 

Like it or not, Zook and his assistant coaches were well respected in the Florida high school coaching community and his firing is likely to shake things up greatly.

 

“I think it’s a poor statement on (Florida’s) part,” Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland coach John Moronto said.

 

“If they think they’re looking for a quick fix and a national championship, then they need to look around at the other teams that fell off for a year or two and quickly turned it back around and then won.

 

“I’m very disappointed, and I know others are, too, that they would make a change in such a short amount of time. I’m not a big Gator fan, nor am I fan of the Seminoles or Hurricanes, it’s just the things that Ron Zook stands for, not just as a football coach but also has a person, that has me and a lot of people in the coaching community disappointed with this move.”

 

And the aftershocks of the move have already started.

 

Mainland is home to two of Florida’s key recruits – quarterback Jonathan Garner and cornerback Avery Atkins – and it didn’t take long for other schools to pick up the phone and check and see if the Gator commitments might be willing to look around.

 

“I’m hoping that some of these recruiting coordinators at other schools don’t try to use this to their advantage, but I know that they will,” Moronto said.

 

“I talked to a few of them prior to this happening and they are calling again, and I’m not impressed with that. I’m sure that Miami and Florida State might not try to use this too much to their advantage, but I know others will try to capitalize and get after (Florida’s) recruits.”

 

It doesn’t end there.

 

Williams, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, said Florida is likely going to drop down his list some now that the change has been made.

 

"We really want stability in a coaching staff and we might not know who the next coach will be at Florida by the time Derrick decides," Dwight Williams, Derrick’s father said.

 

"We need to talk to the athletic director to see if they have any answers. We really like the offense they run and the coaches we've met there, but they don't know what's going to happen with them, so how can we?”

 

There has even talk today from an assistant at Coffeyville that Nelson, who is considered one of the top junior college players in the nation, could end up looking elsewhere with Florida State being a possible destination, but the standout safety has not been available for comment quite yet.

 

But not all of the news has been bad news.

 

Jeff Estes, a mentor to both defensive end Vladimir Richard of Sunrise (Fla.) Piper and linebacker Gerald Williams of Lauderdale Lakes (Fla.) Boyd Anderson, said Florida still has a lot of positives to sell.

 

"I talked to Vladimir about it already this morning and he said nothings changed,” Estes said. “We'll wait and see who they bring in. Florida is still a great place. Maybe they'll bring in a big name guy."

 

And that’s likely to happen, but who that guy is going to be is still yet to be determined and likely won’t be decided for quite some time. With the college football season just past the halfway mark and the NFL still a long way from being done, Florida’s recruiting efforts likely will be stuck in idle for quite some time.

 

That will allow other teams to step in and work to take control of the Sunshine State. The most likely teams to profit from this move now will be Florida State and Miami, but look for other teams from the SEC, ACC and Big 12 to make a bigger impact in Florida this season.

 

And if the Gators aren't able to get a head coach in place by early December, it can definitely have a lasting effect on the future of the Gator program. The SEC is no place for a program to have an off year in recruiting, even when you're making a transition to a new coach.

 

If you miss in one class in the SEC, it can set you back for several years. Yes, indeed Zook’s firing is bound to shake things up this recruiting season and could have a lasting effect in the future.

 

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From what espn is reporting - Spurrier has allready been contacted and is starting to inquire about staff. Looks like he is going back to UF...

 

He would be very dumb not to. He was a god there.

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Eventually, a coaching change would need to be made and recruiting would suffer. Zook had two top recruiting classes. Sure, those kids are young, but it is obvious he and his staff do not have the skill to coach a top-tiered division one football program. With the talent UF has, albeit young, they are a top ten team with any other SEC coach. UF needs a new coach with a proven track record instead of this experiment of a coach. I don't care how good of a recruiter Zook is, he can only sell an 8-5 team to top recruits so many years. Eventually, the talent would dry up and UF would be left with the same situation Marck Richt inherited at Georgia. The more immediate problem is the perceived betrayal of Zook's current players. As much as I'd like to see Spurrier come back, is Spurrier going to be able to win those kids over? He has never been mistaken for a player's coach. Given the options other than Stoops, I'll take my chances with Spurrier.

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Eventually, a coaching change would need to be made and recruiting would suffer.  Zook had two top recruiting classes.  Sure, those kids are young, but it is obvious he and his staff do not have the skill to coach a top-tiered division one football program.  With the talent UF has, albeit young, they are a top ten team with any other SEC coach.  UF needs a new coach with a proven track record instead of this experiment of a coach.  I don't care how good of a recruiter Zook is, he can only sell an 8-5 team to top recruits so many years.  Eventually, the talent would dry up and UF would be left with the same situation Marck Richt inherited at Georgia.  The more immediate problem is the perceived betrayal of Zook's current players.  As much as I'd like to see Spurrier come back,  is Spurrier going to be able to win those kids over?  He has never been mistaken for a player's coach.  Given the options other than Stoops, I'll take my chances with Spurrier.

 

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He does have a reputation as a winner. That will be enough to win the kids. If Spurrier comes back early I'm not sure their recruiting suffer all that much either. Kind of a shame really. :D

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