Former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer guested on SportScene with Steve Russell Thursday. Meyer spoke in-depth about NIL, conference realignment and the Gators.
Name, image, I’m not sure I like this
Meyer expressed concern at how drastically NIL deals have changed the landscape of college football. The former Ohio State head coach mentioned high school seniors receiving boatloads of money at a young age. Meyer believes student-athletes should be compensated, but worries it may get out of hand.
Shake, rattle and roll
Meyer also spoke about impending changes in college football, including possible conference realignment. With UCLA and USC leaving the Pac-12 for the Big 10 and Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, Meyer speculated that college football may be trending toward the Big 10 and SEC becoming super conferences. Additionally, Several ACC powerhouses have reportedly been negotiating to join the SEC.
SOURCE: North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia are all negotiating to join the SEC. ESPN is trying to void their TV deal with the ACC.
— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) July 7, 2022
Meyer said any and all discussions are in preliminary steps. The former Gators coach said the impending landscape change is not quite at square one.
Once a Gator?
Meyer also spoke candidly and rather glowingly about Billy Napier. Meyer lauded the Gators’ head man’s work ethic and attention to detail. He spoke about Napier’s reputation as a winner at every step of his career. Meyer also mentioned that there was a lot of time left in recruiting. This rings true recently, as Napier’s staff has landed a handful of top recruits over the last few days.