By Buddy Martin
SouthernPigskin.com

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Spurrier certainly has spent a lot of time in Florida recently, from Crescent Beach to Gainesville to Jupiter to Tampa, playing golf with friends and former players.

I knew that orange and blue checkered shirt looked familiar. I had seen it in passing by the closet shelf of Steve Spurrier’s condo while conducting a book interview earlier this year. It was still in the wrapper, stacked on a pile of brand new ones, waiting to go into the wardrobe rotation at just the proper time.

“One day when I can come back here and cheer for the Gators maybe Ill be able to wear this one,d the former South Carolina coach said, picking up the orange and blue button-down for cursory examination. Last Friday night it was time.

Spurrier, who resigned last Oct. 13, certainly has spent a lot of time in Florida recently, from Crescent Beach to Gainesville to Jupiter to Tampa, playing golf with friends and former players.

Basically, one of the three statues at Quarterback U. came alive last Friday night when Spurrier showed up at the place he nicknamed cThe Swamp.d He wore that orange and blue shirt on the familiar sideline of a field that, by all rights, one day ought to bear his name.

Right now hes a golf-playing football fan who dropped by his old school Friday and, after seeing a half, was impressed with the play of Floridas heir-apparent quarterback, Luke Del Rio.

cHe seemed to be able to find the open receivers and get the ball to them in time,d Spurrier said of the redshirt sophomore transfer.

As far as I can tell, hes not missing football so far. As close as hes come to it lately was the Gator spring game and a coaching clinic in Alabama. Later this month hell go to Orlando to make an instructional tape on proper techniques for youth football players.

cThis feels like off-season to me, but with no worry of going back to football,d he said. cIve always been able to get away from football and coaching duties in the off-season. Maybe when football season gets here I might want to be involved somehow in it. I just dont know yet.d

Football will miss Spurrier. The closest thing weve got to him is probably Michigans controversial Jim Harbaugh.

I said to him, cSome people are saying that Jim Harbaugh is the next Steve Spurrier in the way he goes about things.d

cIve not heard that 4 youre the first one thats told me that,d he said. cBut hes not afraid to do things different, Ill give him that. I wasnt afraid to do some things differently as well. But he follows the rules. Hes creating some noise, as they say. You do that and and maybe the recruits want to come play for you. I think hes an excellent recruiter. And that has proven out, so look for Michigan to become one of the best teams in the country in the future.d

There will be a couple of other Spurriers coaching in college football. Oldest son Steve Jr. is on Bob Stoops Oklahoma staff as director of high school recruiting and offensive specialist. Scott Spurrier remains at South Carolina as Will Muschamps quality control offensive analyst.

As for cPopsd as they call him, hes not likely to be back on the sidelines anytime soon, if ever. Mostly, hell just be playing golf, finishing his book cHead Ball Coachd by early summer and contemplating whether he wants to join the grind as a TV football analyst or color commentator.

So while there may not be so much Garnet & Black or even Orange & Blue in his immediate future, theres likely to be plenty of green 4 as in golf.

cMy game hasnt been as good as it was three years ago for whatever reason,d he complained. cBut Ive played a little bit more lately and I need to work more on my short game.d

Like the rest of us, he watched in anguish as Jordan Spieth melted down on Augusta Nationals No. 12 Sunday. Spurrier more that most realizes the difficulty of the Masters layout because he has played it numerous times.

cAugusta National is one of the most beautiful courses in the world,d he said. cIve gotten on several times. You have to play with a member. The first time in 1979 I was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. Pepper Rodgers got three or four members to host the coaching staff. We had guys playing Augusta who very seldom even played golf.d

Then there were several trips with friends like Lou Holtz, Frank Broyles, Hootie Johnson, etc.

cAfter we played Arkansas in the 1995 SEC Championship Game, Coach Frank Broyles of Arkansas said, 8Coach, I want you to come play Augusta with us this year. Hootie Johnson, the former chairman, is a South Carolina alumnus and was a football player there. He started inviting me over 10 years ago.d

So how did he do?

cI think I broke 80 twice,d said Spurrier. cIts a tough course for most amateurs and guys that dont play too well. You can three-putt every green in a heartbeat 4 and thats the name of that game there.d

Spurrier also played one hole recently in St. Augustine with David Feherty whlle taping the Golf Channel show, cFeherty,d and among the tips he got was narrowing his stance, which seems to have helped little.

cI enjoy it but I dont play every day,d he said. cI dont think I will ever do that. But I would like to return to playing as well I did about three years ago.d

That leaves open the question of work and what, if anything, hell ever do. What about TV plans?

cIm not sure what I want to do the next several months, years, whatever,d he said. cIm just sort of exploring it right now.d

So where will he land if and when his role as cambassadord at South Carolina eventually expires? Well, thats like taking on the role of an SEC defensive coordinator and trying to guess which play hes going to call. As I always like to say when people ask about Steve Spurriers plans, cHe not only doesnt have a plan B 4 he doesn’t even have a Plan A.d

If I were a betting man, Id wager a buck that Spurrier will be seen around Florida more often, especially in Gainesville and Crescent Beach; that he will continue teeing it up on a sort of a cReunion Tourd with friends and former players; that come next fall hell be doing a book tour and eventually find his way to a microphone.

Lets not make the supposition because of his shirt choice for Floridas spring game that Spurrier is moving back to Gainesville to work for the Gators or that he plans to abandon Columbia, S.C. anytime soon. But as the captain always says after the takeoff of your flight, cYou may unbuckle your seat beat and move about that cabin freely.d That, for certain, hes doing.