Charlie Strong seems to be a top candidate for the head coaching position at Florida left vacant by Urban Meyer’s resignation, and for a boatload of very compelling reasons. Strong coached at Florida not once, not twice, but in four different stints, the most recent being a nine-year stay beginning in 2002 where Strong served as the defensive coordinator for one of the nation’s most consistent units. He was a masterful recruiter, a favorite of the Gator community, and the man behind two national title-winning defenses.
That said: Strong interviewed for a slew of jobs before he ever got to Louisville, and always in the same role as the token minority candidate who trekked to a job, interviewed well, and was then passed over for the job in favor of the guy the school wanted from the jump. It clearly wore on Strong personally, especially as assistants he worked with and entered the profession with got their first and sometimes second shots at head coaching jobs. (Meyer and Dan Mullen were both on the same staff with Strong at Notre Dame under Bob Davie, and Meyer was on his third job and Mullen on his first before Strong got hired as a head coach.)
Will Charlie Strong Replace Urban Meyer At Florida? Not Likely
Louisville gave Strong his first legitimate shot at a head coaching job, and a year later Strong is just beginning to build Louisville out of the Krag-hole he inherited. No one says coaching is not a mercenary business, and Strong won’t stay at Louisville forever if he is as successful as his trajectory and track record indicates he will be. However, loyalty is a factor when you talk about someone who was passed over for all the wrong reasons during his time as an assistant and who finally landed at a place that believed in him.
In summary: for the moment, Strong’s not going anywhere.
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