What Next? Jeremy Foley Begins The Search For A New Head Coach
Thursday, December 9, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley was in his office Thursday morning embarking on his first search for a head football coach in the Twitter Age.
When Foley hired Urban Meyer six years ago, Twitter wasn't around and the Internet wasn't quite the behemoth it is today. Foley understands that by the time he finishes the search for Meyer's replacement, he will have visited all 50 states and the North Pole according to reports.
Meyer first contacted Foley about his decision to step down over the weekend, so Foley has had time to digest the news and move forward.
“We've been doing some thinking,'' he said. “We've got kind of an idea of what kind of direction we want to go in, and we'll see where that takes us. That direction may not work for us, so then you've got to be fluid. We're not going to rush this… it's not a one-year hire. Hopefully it's a 10- or 15-year hire.''
While the man in the office next door is preparing to coach his final game for the Gators in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl, Foley has been busy laying out the groundwork for his third head-coaching search since becoming Florida's athletic director in 1992.
“We understand the expectations,'' Foley said Thursday. “We'll do our due diligence here. This is a tough job, but it's a great job. It's not a job for everybody. We're going to try and identify those people this job is for.''
Foley won't be discussing the names of potential candidates during the search, but he reiterated Thursday what he said at Wednesday night's press conference: “The slate's clean.''
Foley has developed a list of candidates and is starting to reach out to some of those candidates. He doesn't have a specific type coach in mind and there will likely be NFL and college candidates considered.
“I think this is a tough job, so if you haven't been a head coach, then you're going to have to be pretty special,'' Foley said. “We're going to develop a list of candidates that fit on this campus, fit in this culture, understands what the University of Florida is all about.
“Just because they have been successful somewhere else doesn't necessarily mean they are a perfect fit here or that we're a perfect fit for them. People need to understand that.''
Foley is traveling to Tampa later this afternoon with Meyer for an Outback Bowl press conference. He'll quickly turn his attention back to the search once the event is over.
When Foley searched for Ron Zook's replacement after the 2004 season, he had never met Meyer at the start of the search. He considers Meyer a close friend today as the 46-year coach steps down and moves on to the next chapter of his life.
Foley is confident the right candidate is out there, but he wants Florida fans to remain patient as the search unfolds.
“The amount of rumors will be absolutely out of control,'' Foley said. “I can't control that. You are trying to do it under the radar as much as you can. Negotiations are sensitive, interviews are sensitive. I would just ask for people's patience and understanding. We understand totally how important this is to Gator Nation, and I take that responsibility very serious.
“We did a good job last time of keeping it under the radar. At the end of the day, what's important is having a successful search. We did that last time and we're trying to do that again.”
