Report: Urban Meyer turned in Florida’s Brian White for recruiting violation (Updated)

By Adam Silverstein
July 3, 2013

Updated at 2:45 p.m.

Despite bringing two national titles and dozens of victories to Gainesville, FL, over his six seasons with the Florida Gators, former head coach Urban Meyer has drawn the ire of fans over the last few years for how the team played in 2010 and the way he left the program and subsequently took over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The remaining Florida fans Meyer still had on his side may finally find a reason to turn against him if a recent report that he turned in a Gators assistant coach for a minor secondary recruiting violation is indeed true.

According to FOXSports.com’s Clay Travis, who only cites “sources in New York” in his column, Meyer and Ohio State recently turned in Florida running backs coach Brian White for a “bump” violation (contacting a recruit, usually “accidentally” in person, during a non-contact period) while recruiting four-star 2014 wide receiver Curtis Samuel.

Chances are that Meyer likely reported White not for bumping into Samuel but rather because he believed White offered Samuel a scholarship while at his school, which is a secondary violation. Samuel told InsidetheGators.com that UF head coach Will Muschamp called to extend a scholarship offer following White’s visit on April 16.

Though the NCAA reportedly investigated the potential violation and found that White had done nothing wrong, Meyer going out of his way to report a former assistant – one he originally hired to coach tight ends for the Gators in 2009 – is an action that should undoubtedly put a sour taste in the mouths of Florida fans.


Reporting any coach or program, let alone an ex-assistant from his former employer, for this potential violation could also be seen as hypocritical considering Meyer himself has been accused of “bumping” into recruits on more than one occasion, including during his time with the Buckeyes.

An April 2012 column from the Sporting News’ Matt Hayes alleges Meyer and his staff used the practice to get in touch with a recruit committed to Wisconsin.

Travis calls Meyer’s decision to report a former assistant “unprecedented,” noting that doing so is “unheard of in college athletics” and that no one he spoke to “could recall a former coach turning in his former program and a former assistant coach.”

This is also (at least) the third time since Meyer joined Ohio State that there has been a problem when running into Florida on the recruiting trail.

The Gators believe Meyer and the Buckeyes negatively recruited Florida to five-star 2012 WR Stefon Diggs, who was set to choose between a final four of UF, OSU, Auburn and Maryland. (He eventually committed to UM.)

In the same Sporting News report, Ohio State running backs coach Stan Drayton, who held the same position under Meyer at Florida, had a problem with Muschamp and the Gators recruiting three-star 2012 WR Ricquan Southward because he believed there was a “gentlemen’s agreement” between the two coaches. Southward signed with the Buckeyes but has since left the program.

Meyer denied both the “bumping” incident and the notion that he and Muschamp had any sort of gentlemen’s agreement.

His alleged actions in regards to White would certainly support the latter denial.

Update – 12:30 p.m.: Meyer denied to The Gainesville Sun‘s Pat Dooley that he had any involvement in turning in White for the alleged secondary recruiting violation. “It is absolutely not true that I turned in the University of Florida,” Meyer told Dooley via text message. “Weeks after, I learned our compliance guy (without any coach involvement) forwarded an article to the conference office. This is standard procedure. Once again, zero coach involvement.” Citing sources, Dooley also reports that OSU turned in UF in 2012 when four-star defensive end Jordan Sherit visited Florida with a friend who happened to be a member of the Gators football team. Sherit will be starting his true freshman season at Florida this fall.

Update – 2:45 p.m.: Citing a “source with knowledge of the situation,” ESPN‘s Brett McMurphy reported Wednesday afternoon that Meyer was not only aware of the Buckeyes turning in the Gators for a potential secondary recruiting violation but also “endorsed” the decision. “Ohio State director of player personnel Mark Pantoni read about the possible ‘bump’ on a recruiting website and informed Meyer of the incident, a source told ESPN.” Pantoni held a similar position under Meyer at Florida.

Photo Credit: ESPN Images

21 Comments

  1. Nathaniel says:

    So, once again, I’m in the awkward position of being a UF alumnus at Ohio State for graduate school. The discomfort continues.

    • Tractorr says:

      I am a UF alumnus at Temple so I had to keep answering questions about how Steve Addazzio was on a national championship staff. Luckily, those days are finally over.

    • Josh says:

      No kidding? me too. Graduated UF 2005. Started at Ohio State last fall. Where do you watch games?

  2. SaraGator says:

    Wow, I’m finding it more difficult to defend Meyer every day.

    Not cool, Coach. Not cool.

  3. gator says:

    What a little WEASEL, wish that weak little heart would just finish him off. what a pussy!!

  4. Gatorgrad79 says:

    Urban liar… a legend in his own mind. It’s all about him. (“How dare you recruit the same players I want?!”) What a putz!

  5. Randy says:

    LOL. It’s just the media dude. They want you to chooses a side. Don’t believe the hype. Stories are just that. Stories.

  6. Matt says:

    My cat has more class than Urban Meyer.

  7. Tractorr says:

    Meyer is a baby. He knew that he could never consistently challenge Saban after Saban got his own players on Bama so he ran. Meyer ran from competition and now he is whining about Florida. Give me a break.

    • G2 says:

      This is what I think also. Fake a medical conditions to weasel his way out of the SEC as the ship was sinking, on to a league where he can win.

      As good as he might look there now (since he doesn’t play anyone ), he will flame out in due time. If he does make it to the championship game, will take great pleasure in him getting pounded by an SEC team on the big stage. Hope its UF, maybe next year!

      • FamousGator says:

        I have to agree with both of you, and ive had this discussion several times with my Gator Circle. Meyer left UF, citing health issues, and couldn’t handle the stresses of a “Major” college football program. Gators were ok with that, simply because weve been slapped in the face before for a bullshit reason (see Steve Spurrier, ala in the late 90s). Now, to turn around after taking the “years off to rest” .. if he wanted to keep coaching at a major school or program, im pretty sure the FLA AD would have let him take his wife for a spin to come back and bring the same moxy, resulting in an additional championship. Watching Meyer smile on ESPN for a year talking about players was manageable, but we still needed the coach as Muschamp hadn’t yet proven his own moxy. However, watching this dick openly admit to “my dream job” at OSU, after saying something very similar at Florida ( by the way, umm didn’t we MURDER them in 2008 for a National Championship? ). I understand to a point, taking your home states biggest teams coaching position. I understand leaving because you cant handle the SEC pressure, or the marquee of FLA. What I don’t understand is this :

        Why in the UF, would a coach who won 2 National Championships, in such a short period of time, leave success to go work for the LOSING team? .. You didn’t take your dream job. You took SECOND PLACE. Thank you for leaving the Swamp. Where only Gators come out alive.. and traitors hardly ever do. (see Steve Spurrier, ala late 1990s).

        Fin.

  8. HardToKillGtr says:

    I finally figured it out. Meyer is not a high character guy. He is convinced when he crosses the line it’s ok. What a self-righteous sociopath. Who would you want to cover your back? Meyer or Muschamp? That’s all I need to know about Meyer.

    • Tractorr says:

      Muschamp still has to prove that he has what it takes to take on the likes of Saban, but I don’t think Muschamp would run from the challenge like Meyer. When I was kid I was always taught that it isn’t whether you win or loss but how you play the game, but Meyer only like to play the game when the odds are in his favor. He doesn’t like an even matchup, which is why he went to the Big 10. He knows that only Michigan will have a chance of competing with him year in and year out and even then Michigan is at a distinct recruiting disadvantage (not saying that Michigan doesn’t have a chance of recruiting better just that geographically they have less talent).

  9. Alex says:

    Yeesh! It’s kind of hard to care about this petty story after reading the OTL report on Hernandez and the 2007 Gainesville shooting. This is so disturbing.

  10. AGAINANDAGAIN says:

    Someone write Urban Liar and and tell him what a selfabsorbed prick he is !!!!

  11. Tractorr says:

    Surprise surprise, the unethical coward is lying some more. He seriously has some issues. Dude is totally insecure. I guess that happens when Saban de-mans you.

  12. NYC Gator says:

    It’s almost as if Urban saw Lane Kiffin falsely accuse him of a recruiting violation and thought to himself, “what a great idea, I should try that out too and see what sticks!” Did his acid reflux condition come with a side order of brain damage?

  13. Mr2Bits says:

    Well if Meyer said he didn’t do it then I believe him, when has he lied to anyone in the past…nothing to see here!

  14. fightfan says:

    Yeah, Forget about the 2 titles he brought you and epic recruiting classes. Muschamp is a grease fire. Florida is a car burning on the side of the road. You would take him back in a heart beat. I see the similarly with Cleveland Lebron haters. You are like a girl who is jealous because your man is now with a hot chick.

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