Meyer getting healther, will coach spring practice

At halftime of the Florida Gators vs. South Carolina Gamecocks basketball game, head football coach Urban Meyer spoke with reporters in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center about his health and plans for the future. Meyer explained that he has been exercising and eating right since his health scare, resulting in a weight gain of 20 pounds.

“I feel real good. I’ve been working out a lot,” Meyer said. “I’m over 200 pounds, so I guess that’s how they gauge it a little bit because I was not good there for a while. Doing a lot better.” He also indicated that he will undergo a series of tests on his heart in February to check for stress levels and any other outstanding issues.

Meyer, speaking for the first time publicly since the 2010 Sugar Bowl, mentioned that he plans to coach the Gators during spring practice in March, a sign that he may actually be recovering quickly from his ailments (or that he is simply too stubborn to stay off the field). Practice begins March 17 and stretches into April. “I keep hearing about this ‘time out,'” Meyer said. “People I’m closest to are going to demand I take some time off, but I tried that already. I tried a day and a half, and it didn’t work.”

He confirmed that doctors advised him against traveling for recruiting over the last few weeks even though his medical tests have been “coming back pretty positive.” Meyer said he will speak with his wife Shelley and meet with athletic director Jeremy Foley and his football staff to determine a course of action after National Signing Day on Feb. 3. “We’re trying to get to February 3, and then we’re going to sit down, have a very in-depth meeting about it,” Meyer said.

Part of those meetings will include determining the roles of his coaching staff, particularly interim coach and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio. Even so, Meyer realizes that he will need to take a break in one way or another after those sit-downs. “I’ve been instructed I have to [take time off],” Meyer said. “I’m just not sure what I’m going to do. I just don’t know how long. I have to change some things. That’s obvious.”

PART II: Meyer on hiring Edwards, bringing back Drayton