Spurrier makes return to Florida
Just call him the Head Ball Consultant.
Steve Spurrier, who already has a statue outside Florida’s football stadium and recently had the field named after him, now will serve as ambassador and consultant for the school’s athletic department.
Spurrier resigned from a similar position at South Carolina Friday before the Gators announced his new role at his alma mater. He already has an office in “The Swamp” and is planning to move back to Gainesville with his wife, Jerri, and split their time between the college town and nearby Crescent Beach, where they have a home.
“I knew my coaching career someday was going to be over,” Spurrier said in a conference call with reporters. “I wanted to do something. I did not want to be a retired dude and do nothing. I wanted to be associated with my alma mater, the University of Florida.”
He started talking to Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley about returning to Gainesville several months ago, and discussions “got pretty serious” in the last few weeks.
His exact role is undefined, but Spurrier expects to work primarily as a fundraiser for the athletic department and help promote the Gators — something he has done as well as anyone for the past 50 years. He might even give Florida coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier a little advice.
“I’ll be in and out mostly,” Spurrier said. “Coach Mac has welcomed me to come to the football offices a little bit. But I can assure you I’ll stay out of coach’s way. I’m not going to be in coaches meetings or things like that, just talking a little ball with Coach Mac, Coach Nuss and might be something we’ll get into.”
McElwain welcomed the return of the guy widely known as the Head Ball Coach.
“I look forward to visiting with him on a lot of occasions and picking his brain on a number of issues,” McElwain said. “It’s a credit to Jeremy to get him back home where he belongs. More than anything, I look forward to actually talking to him and being around him rather than just saying hello to his statue on my way to work every day.”
Spurrier was Florida’s first Heisman Trophy winner (1966) and the coach who led the Gators to their first national championship (1996). He already has a Heisman statue outside the stadium and is a member of the program’s exclusive ring of honor.
Penn State
The Nittany received a commitment from its first wide receiver for the Class of 2017. Cameron Sullivan-Brown, a 6-foot-1, 180pound receiver from Laurel, Md., and Saint Vincent Pallotti High School, chose the Nittany Lions in lieu of Maryland, West Virginia, Syracuse and Duke.
He’s a three-star recruit, according to Rivals. Sullivan-Brown is the 12th member of the Nittany Lions’ 2017 recruiting class and the fourth to commit since July 20.
Prior to that, Penn State had not nabbed a recruit since April 25.