Gators safeties coach John "Doc" Holliday has accepted a position with West Virginia, his wife confirmed Thursday afternoon.
"Unless something else comes up, it looks like he's headed that way," Diana Holliday said. "It was a very tough decision for him. He just decided."
Holliday spent 23 years at WVU as a player and coach. He interviewed for the Mountaineers' head coaching position in December after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan, but interim coach Bill Stewart filled the spot after he led the team to a win against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
"(Doc) has loved the University of Florida and everything that Coach (Urban) Meyer has done," Diana Holliday said. "It's a great coaching staff."
The Hollidays' Gainesville home was sporting a "for sale" sign in its front yard Thursday.
Holliday has built a reputation as one of the nation's best recruiters, and he focused most of his efforts on the South Florida area while at UF. It's unknown what effect Holliday's departure will have on the Gators' current class, which features several players that he recruited.
"He's widely known across the nation as one of the most successful recruiters in all of college football," Scout.com recruiting analyst Mike Bakas said. "When Florida hired him, he immediately made a difference by getting them involved with a lot of top kids."
Two of the best safety prospects in the country, Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep's Will Hill and Auburn (Ala.) High's Dee Finley, have verbally committed to UF, and the loss of their position coach could sway them elsewhere before National Signing Day on Feb. 6.
Finley chose the Gators over his hometown Auburn Tigers in June.
"I'd be just floored if Will Hill went anywhere but Florida," Bakas said. "Of the two, somebody like Dee Finley would be more likely to back out."
"Whenever you lose someone like (Holliday), there's obviously some type of impact, but how much of an impact will depend on who replaces him."
