Urban Meyer stepping down as UF Coach

Urban Meyer is stepping down as the head coach of the Florida Gators after the Sugar Bowl citing health issues. This is Meyer's official statement:

"I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years and I have dedicated most of my waking moments the last five years to the Gator football program," Meyer, 45, said in statement. "I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to reevaluate my priorities of faith and family.

In 1998, Meyer was diagnosed with a cyst on his brain. On Dec. 7th, SI.com wrote a 10 page article on the situation with Meyer's health. We can only assume that this is related to that. In my opinion, the first red flag was the diagnosis of dehydration episode after the SEC Championship. The Gators invented Gatorade. Their coach shouldn't dehydrate.

But speculation aside, the next step will be finding a new head coach for the Gators. It's one of the premier jobs in all of football. The only downside of the job is the level of expectation surrounding the position. At this point, it's impossible to keep the Gator fans happy. They were complaining about an undefeated season THIS year. Other than that, Foley will pay whatever it takes. But still...Meyer is the best coach in college football right now for my money. The pressure is really on Foley.

Here's to Meyer's health. Hopefully, he makes a full recovery. As a Dawg fan, I hope he gets things together, gets healthy and returns to coaching...somewhere far, far, far away from the SEC.

Turn to ESPNNews for wall to wall coverage right now. It's the Urban Meyer Network right now.

BTW -- Comments are open right now. I'm editing and writing. I may move them back to moderation later. But for now, this is open.

PWD