Kyle Whittingham and Urban Meyer have kept in touch over the years. They text message or speak over the telephone approximately once a week.
And as far as Whittingham can tell, winning a national championship at Florida hasn't changed Meyer whatsoever. The Utah coach said his former boss is still just a regular guy — and a great one at that.
"Urban's not going to change," Whittingham said. "He's intense. He's competitive, and he gets antsy if he's just sitting around not doing something football-related."
Meyer, he added, isn't one to rest on his laurels.
"I don't think he's ever going to get complacent and sit back and say 'I've arrived,"' Whittingham said. "I don't think you'll ever see that out of Urban."
Meyer, however, is entering a career milestone. After two-year stints at Bowling Green and Utah, the coach has opted to do something different at Florida. He's sticking around for a third season as head coach.
"We haven't changed anything, and I don't have a year-three book that I read or something like that. We're just trying to do the same thing we did," Meyer told reporters at last month's SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. "I'm excited to be in a place for my third year, though."
Meyer made his intentions clear at the BCS National Championship Game in January, prior to coaching the Gators to a surprisingly lopsided 41-14 victory over Ohio State.
"The one thing with this whole moving every two years is you never get a chance to enjoy it," Meyer said at the time. "This offseason I'm going to enjoy it. I might even swing a golf club again. I haven't had a chance to do that. I appreciate everything that's happened, but you have to sit back and once in a while appreciate what you've been a part of."
When it comes to wearing his championship ring, though, Meyer opted not to sport it at the SEC's preseason meetings.
"I just quit wearing it for a little bit. I got asked too many questions about it," Meyer said. "That one's over. It's time to go try to get something else."
Whittingham isn't surprised.
"Right after the championship his whole mindset is, 'How are we going to do it again?'" he said.
Conversations between the coaches, Whittingham revealed, have never addressed the topic of both men entering their third seasons at the helm. The subject just doesn't come up.
"It doesn't matter if it's third or 30th. It's football and so you like to think you get a little bit smarter over the course of years, but I think it's not a big factor," Whittingham said. "Certainly not as big as how good your players are. It's all about players.
"It's nice to feel more at ease and more comfortable," he added. "But that's just kind of a personal thing. It all boils down to players."
And speaking of which, Meyer still follows the Utes.
"Absolutely. We still have a bunch of players that were recruited under his regime — close to half the team," Whittingham said. "So he has a vested interest in what's going on here."
As for Florida, Meyer's Gators begin the defense of their national championship Saturday at home against Western Kentucky.
Urban Meyer's head coaching career record
Year ... Team ... Record ... Bowl ... Opponent (Result)
2006 ... Florida ... 13-1 ... BCS ... Ohio State (W, 41-14)
2005 ... Florida ... 9-3 ... Outback ... Iowa (W, 31-24)
2004 ... Utah ... 12-0 ... Fiesta ... Pittsburgh (W, 35-7)
2003 ... Utah ... 10-2 ... Liberty ... Southern Miss (W, 17-0)
2002 ... Bowling Green ... 9-3 ... —
2001 ... Bowling Green ... 8-3 ... —
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com