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Urban Meyer Steps Down at University of Florida

The successful five-year run at Florida has came to an end for coach Urban Meyer. According to ESPN, Meyer stepped down from his coaching duties Tuesday to spend more time with his family.

Meyer briefly retired following Tim Tebow’s departure, for the same reasons, but decided to come back for the 2010 season. Meyer had his worst season at Florida, going 7-5 and accepting a bid to play in the Outback Bowl against Penn State.

However, the 2010 season is a minor hiccup in a incredibly successful tenure. Meyer won two national championships with the Gators in 2006 and 2008, and led his team to the Sugar Bowl in 2009. Also during that span Meyer has had great success recruiting.

At Florida, Meyer registered five top 10 classes, including a 2006 and 2007 class that featured: Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes, Riley Cooper, Carlos Dunlap, Cameron Newton, Joe Haden, Aaron Hernandez, etc. It’s safe to say Meyer built a fine tuned machine in Gainesville. With his departure, however, it has left some 2011 recruits pondering whether or not to stay committed to the Gators.

Currently, Rivals has the 2011 class ranked ninth overall, highlighted by 4-star skill position players; Mike Blakely, Jeff Driskley and Ja’Juan Story.

Florida now prepares to move on, as does Meyer. It appears that the early front-runner may potentially be former offensive coordinator and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. Mullen, helped the Bulldogs finish at a surprising 8-4 mark in 2010 — as he beat Florida in the Swamp in mid-October.

For Meyer, will we see him coaching again anytime soon? Time will tell. There is a vacant spot in Denver, though. Maybe Meyer will meet up with his old friend once again?

About Matthew Marcantonio - My Twitter

Matthew Marcantonio is the Patriots and college football editor at Sports of Boston. Marcantonio has contributed for two newspapers; the Sentinel & Enterprise (Leominster, Mass) and The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La) and held internships with The Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated.

Tags: College Football, Florida, Urban Meyer