Adams: Gator fans biting on Meyer's new, winning attitude

Women fans talk about how good-looking he is. Men fans say he looks, sounds and acts like a football coach.

He is good-looking, articulate and confident enough to remind fans of former Florida coach Steve Spurrier.

But the best thing he has going for him?

He reminds no one of former Florida coach Ron Zook.

Zook lost five games in each of his three seasons with the Gators. That was bad enough to get him fired.

And bad enough to help Meyer prosper by comparison.

In fact, Jacksonville, Fla., talk-show host Frank Frangie, who covered the Gators during the Spurrier glory days, said the majority of his callers wouldn't trade Meyer straight up for Spurrier, who won five SEC titles and a national championship in 12 years as the Gators head coach.

That's a good indicator of what a rousing last seven months it has been for Meyer, who only has four years of head-coaching experience. And none of that was in the SEC or any other BCS conference.

He went 17-6 in two seasons at Bowling Green. He went 22-2 overall and 12-0 in his last season at Utah.

Winning big in the Mid-American and Mountain West Conference isn't comparable to winning big in the SEC. But Florida media-types sense little skepticism from the Gator Nation after Meyer's whirlwind tour of the state.

A booster club meeting in Lakeland had to be moved to an airport hangar to accommodate the huge crowd. About 2,500 fans - or a thousand more than Spurrier drew - greeted Meyer at a Jacksonville booster club.

"As much as I don't like to get into the hoopla, I can notice there are 20,000 extra people at the spring game," Florida senior center Mike DeGory said. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out."

Meyer has made student fans a priority. He sent invitations to every campus organization leader to meet with him individually. He also sponsored a contest in April to name the student section at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Student Tyler Boehling submitted the winning entry, "Swamp Things." Boehler will receive two tickets for the Florida-Georgia game and an autographed football from Meyer.

A fan base that was so divided under Zook seems united under Meyer, a 41-year-old Ohio native whose southern experience had been limited to two years in the Atlanta Braves organization as a minor league shortstop.

He might not have Spurrier's southern accent, but he also has a reputation for high-scoring, innovative offenses. And like the greatest coach in Florida history, he exudes confidence.

Moreover, his speech and demeanor indicate he's in control. With Zook, who usually spoke in run-on, rapid-fire sentences, you sensed he might spin into outer space at any second.

But Zook gave Meyer more than an easy act to follow. He also gave him several outstanding recruiting classes.

"Our style of play is a fast, speed game," Meyer said. "The talent that's in the program right now is conducive to what we do."

He's more concerned about toughness than talent.

"Are we fast enough?" he said. "Sure, we can run. But the biggest question is do we have the toughness to hang in there when things are not going well.

"Our big emphasis is on getting tougher."

He didn't wait until spring practice to make his point.

"We start our matt drills in February," he said. "It's early morning. It's tough.

"These are man-versus-man drills we do. I think it's kind of the signature of our program."

Florida players said they worked hard under Zook, too. But they said Meyer and his staff stressed more than hard work.

"They made all the drills very competitive," DeGory said.

The competitive demands continued through the spring and summer. Meyer even kicked the team out of the locker room and forbid players from wearing Florida gear at one point. He wanted them to appreciate what a good gig they had with the Gators.

Players who take care of business on and off the field are rewarded with induction into the team's "circle of champions."

Florida fans can't be sure those champions will lead to another championship this fall. But for a program that was going in circles under Zook, a "circle of champions" at least has a nice ring to it.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.