Mike Bianchi: Florida is making the right call by welcoming Urban Meyer back into the family
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Welcome back home, Urban Meyer.
Welcome back to Gator Nation.
Welcome back into the University of Florida family.
As someone who has been one of Meyer’s biggest critics, let me just say this:
It’s about time.
In a decision that rubbed some Urban haters the wrong way, Florida’s administration has clearly decided that Meyer belongs back in the program’s orbit — and it’s no longer being done quietly or awkwardly.
Back in November, Meyer was celebrated at a UF football game to honor his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Next year, his name will be added to the Ring of Honor — the most sacred piece of real estate in the stadium. And if there were any lingering doubts about where Meyer now stands, they vanished when he sat beside Florida’s greatest living legend, Steve Spurrier, at new head coach Jon Sumrall’s introductory news conference and recorded a glowing video endorsing Sumrall’s hire.
No cryptic distancing.
No half-hearted olive branches.
A full embrace.
The Urbanator is unmistakably back in UF’s good graces.
And the Gators are better for it.
Let’s be honest: college football has always been built on complicated men who sometimes leave scorched earth behind them. Meyer’s legacy is a paradox — undeniable greatness intertwined with uncomfortable controversy. For all the turbulence he oversaw, he also orchestrated one of the most dominant stretches in modern college football. Championships are forever, and Florida’s trophy cases don’t come with asterisks.
Still, it’s impossible to ignore how fractured the relationship became. Despite leading the Gators to two national championships, Meyer became persona non grata after abruptly leaving the program and resurfacing months later as Ohio State’s head coach. It certainly didn’t help that he won another national title at Ohio State while the Gators have been mired in mediocrity since he left. His résumé also includes behavior — at Florida, Ohio State and later with the Jacksonville Jaguars — that raises serious moral and ethical questions.
Those realities don’t disappear just because time passes.
But this welcome-back moment isn’t about whitewashing history. It’s about maturity.
It’s an acknowledgment that a coach can be both transformational and flawed. That legacies can be revisited and rebranded with time and perspective. Programs grow up. Fan bases evolve. And, yes, forgiveness often follows.
More importantly, Meyer’s return says something meaningful about where Florida football is today.
It signals confidence and forward momentum.
Sumrall, whose Tulane team will play in the College Football Playoff this weekend, enters Gainesville, Fla., with energy, credibility and the blessing of both Meyer and Spurrier. That matters. Not tactically. Not schematically. But symbolically.
Welcome back, Urban Meyer.
The circle has finally been closed.
UF’s past is at peace, and the future is now wide open.
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