FoX
Beach Fanatic
Ten states, 14,615 air miles, 33 rental cars, 10 speaking engagements, three time zones and 99 high schools later, Urban Meyer's manic May is finally over.
It's been quite a trip. Literally. A non-stop recruiting/booster-greeting/contact-making tour that took him from Miami to New Jersey to Nevada and all kinds of cities, towns and high schools in between.
Some might call it the month from hell. But not Meyer.
"It's the first time I've done all four weeks on the road (in the month of May)," Meyer said earlier this week. "It was hard, but necessary, and I'm glad I did it. It was great."
May is a big month for recruiting and Meyer spent much of it meeting high school coaches and checking out the top recruits in Florida and nine other states (New Jersey, Nevada, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, North Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia and Alabama). In one day, he visited five states. He also placed an emphasis on South Florida, where he visited 28 high schools and attended nine practices in one three-day span.
"The reason our staff took this job is because the best football in the country is right around here," Meyer said. "This state is loaded to the gills (with prospects) next year. We also hit the Eastern Seaboard pretty hard and hand-picked some other areas."
When he wasn't flying or driving to high schools, Meyer was meeting Florida fans at 10 different Gator Gatherings, where he gave speeches and spent hours signing autographs.
He said he learned a great deal about UF fans on his first tour of the state.
"What I found is a group of fans who are nuts," Meyer said. "Everyone is hungry, much more than I thought. You go to Utah and Notre Dame and speak and it's pretty good. This is better. It was nuts. That was day after day. I was surprised by that a little bit."
The speaking circuit provided some entertaining moments. Meyer was asked to sign a marriage certificate in Daytona Beach last weekend and signed a surfboard earlier in the tour.
"Some undergarments were thrown at me a couple of times, but I refused to do that," he said. "I stand for something."
On May 19, Meyer started his morning in South Carolina and had four flights that day, the final one bringing him back to Gainesville so he could attend his daughter Nicole's middle school graduation.
Overall, it's been a busy, hectic grind, but Meyer said he'll pretty much keep up the same schedule next May.
It's been quite a trip. Literally. A non-stop recruiting/booster-greeting/contact-making tour that took him from Miami to New Jersey to Nevada and all kinds of cities, towns and high schools in between.
Some might call it the month from hell. But not Meyer.
"It's the first time I've done all four weeks on the road (in the month of May)," Meyer said earlier this week. "It was hard, but necessary, and I'm glad I did it. It was great."
May is a big month for recruiting and Meyer spent much of it meeting high school coaches and checking out the top recruits in Florida and nine other states (New Jersey, Nevada, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, North Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia and Alabama). In one day, he visited five states. He also placed an emphasis on South Florida, where he visited 28 high schools and attended nine practices in one three-day span.
"The reason our staff took this job is because the best football in the country is right around here," Meyer said. "This state is loaded to the gills (with prospects) next year. We also hit the Eastern Seaboard pretty hard and hand-picked some other areas."
When he wasn't flying or driving to high schools, Meyer was meeting Florida fans at 10 different Gator Gatherings, where he gave speeches and spent hours signing autographs.
He said he learned a great deal about UF fans on his first tour of the state.
"What I found is a group of fans who are nuts," Meyer said. "Everyone is hungry, much more than I thought. You go to Utah and Notre Dame and speak and it's pretty good. This is better. It was nuts. That was day after day. I was surprised by that a little bit."
The speaking circuit provided some entertaining moments. Meyer was asked to sign a marriage certificate in Daytona Beach last weekend and signed a surfboard earlier in the tour.
"Some undergarments were thrown at me a couple of times, but I refused to do that," he said. "I stand for something."
On May 19, Meyer started his morning in South Carolina and had four flights that day, the final one bringing him back to Gainesville so he could attend his daughter Nicole's middle school graduation.
Overall, it's been a busy, hectic grind, but Meyer said he'll pretty much keep up the same schedule next May.
