By RACHEL COHEN
AP Sports Writer
Urban Meyer is joining ESPN as an analyst less than two months after he surprised the college football world by resigning from his plum job as Florida's coach.
Meyer will call one game a week during the regular season and also serve as a studio analyst, the network said Monday. He'll start with Wednesday's signing day coverage.
When he resigned Dec. 8, the 46-year-old Meyer said he wanted to spend more time with his family. He insisted on a conference call his new job wouldn't get in the way of that, with minimal commitment during the offseason and travel only over the weekend in-season.
"It's a great opportunity to stay around the game," he said.
Meyer led Florida to two national titles before resigning in December 2009, citing health concerns. That lasted just a day; a year later, though, he left for good.
He and his family visited ESPN's studios in Connecticut over the holidays. Meyer, who hasn't ruled out returning to coaching someday, said he hoped he would like it.
"I not only liked it, I loved it," he said.
Meyer served as a guest analyst for ESPN's coverage of the BCS title game. He considered doing nothing with football for a year, but he said: "I don't sit around very well."
ESPN executive vice president Norby Williamson said network officials would have no reservations about having Meyer analyze the Gators right away. If anything, they welcome it.
"Urban brings an incredible amount of insight and access," Williamson said.
Meyer was 104-23 in 10 seasons at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. He said he would maintain an affiliation with the Gators, working with Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley on fundraising for the university.
Known for having a distant relationship with the media as the Gators' coach, now he'll be on the other side.
"I don't think it's my job to be critical -- it's my job to analyze college football," Meyer said.
Received 01/31/11 06:13 pm ET
