Over the last couple of days, Urban Meyer's staff at Florida has taken a couple of hits. Running backs coach Stan Drayton left to take the same job at Tennessee earlier this week. According to a report in The Tennesseean, Meyer was not pleased with Drayton's decision to join an arch rival.
Then on Wednesday, GatorBait.net reported that Doc Holliday resigned, presumably to take a job on Bill Stewart's staff at West Virginia.
Holliday turned down the head-coaching job at Marshall a few years ago when Meyer upped his pay to $440,000 per year. He was considered a candidate for the head job at West Virginia before Stewart earned it with WVU's blowout win over Oklahoma at the Fiesta Bowl.
Holliday, who played for the Mountaineers and spent more than a decade on Don Nehlen's staff, is known as a tenacious recruiter, especially in the fertile area of South Florida. He played a vital role for Chuck Amato at North Carolina St. during the early part of his tenure, when the Wolfpack became a major player in the ACC.
Holliday left N.C. St. for UF in 2005.
His situation at his alma mater might not be exactly like Jimbo Fisher's at FSU. In other words, we probably won't see Holliday announced as an official "coach in waiting," but the guess here is that WVU officials have given Holliday 'wink-wink' handshakes leading him to believe he'll be the next head coach if things go bad on Stewart's watch.
In other news, Vandy wide receiver Earl Bennett has decided to turn pro a year early. Bennett became the SEC's all-time leading receiver during his junior season.
Please check back on the college football arena in the coming days, as I'll be reviewing the bowl games, releasing my final 2007 rankings and taking a look ahead to 2008.
Brian Edwards can be reached via email at briane@vegasinsider.com.
