My day just got a little better with this news:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden, the youngest son of Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, resigned Tuesday, just three days after the Seminoles were shut out for the first time in 233 games.
His resignation will be effective at the end of this season, athletic director David Hart Jr. said.
The leading candidate to replace Bowden is Valdosta State coach Chris Hatcher, a source close to Bobby Bowden told ESPN's Joe Schad. Hatcher is close to the head coach and would be available to coach as soon as a bowl game.
Hatcher, considered an offensive guru, led Valdosta to a Division II national championship in 2004. Valdosta did not make the playoffs this season for the first time since 1999.
According to the source, Bobby Bowden tried to talk his son out of resigning. But after a 30-0 loss to Wake Forest, Jeff felt there was nothing left to try and wanted to end speculation and take pressure off his father.
Jeff Bowden will take another job in the university outside the athletic department.
"I believe in my heart that for Bobby Bowden this is the decision that I need to make," Jeff Bowden said. "I could not be happier that I had this opportunity. But it's just time for me to move on."
Florida State (5-5, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) has its homecoming game Saturday against Western Michigan followed by the season finale on Nov. 25 against rival Florida. It needs to win one of those games to become bowl eligible.
Bobby Bowden has stood by his son's performance as offensive coordinator, despite a notable decline in scoring and yardage gained in the past half-dozen seasons.
"I am disappointed in Jeff's decision," the elder Bowden said in a statement. "This is a big loss to me personally. His decision is an emotional one for me."
Jeff Bowden replaced current Georgia coach Mark Richt as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator in 2001.
Florida State stood near the pinnacle of college football in the 1990s, winning national championships in 1993 and 1999.
Fans have been reluctant to criticize the elder Bowden -- major college football's wins leader at 364 -- focusing instead on his son. A Web site calling for Jeff Bowden's removal had gathered 2,975 signatures by Tuesday.
Florida State president T.K. Wetherell received hundreds of e-mails urging that the younger Bowden be fired.
The school had skirted a nepotism policy by having the younger Bowden report to another coach on the staff other than his father.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden, the youngest son of Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, resigned Tuesday, just three days after the Seminoles were shut out for the first time in 233 games.
His resignation will be effective at the end of this season, athletic director David Hart Jr. said.
The leading candidate to replace Bowden is Valdosta State coach Chris Hatcher, a source close to Bobby Bowden told ESPN's Joe Schad. Hatcher is close to the head coach and would be available to coach as soon as a bowl game.
Hatcher, considered an offensive guru, led Valdosta to a Division II national championship in 2004. Valdosta did not make the playoffs this season for the first time since 1999.
According to the source, Bobby Bowden tried to talk his son out of resigning. But after a 30-0 loss to Wake Forest, Jeff felt there was nothing left to try and wanted to end speculation and take pressure off his father.
Jeff Bowden will take another job in the university outside the athletic department.
"I believe in my heart that for Bobby Bowden this is the decision that I need to make," Jeff Bowden said. "I could not be happier that I had this opportunity. But it's just time for me to move on."
Florida State (5-5, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) has its homecoming game Saturday against Western Michigan followed by the season finale on Nov. 25 against rival Florida. It needs to win one of those games to become bowl eligible.
Bobby Bowden has stood by his son's performance as offensive coordinator, despite a notable decline in scoring and yardage gained in the past half-dozen seasons.
"I am disappointed in Jeff's decision," the elder Bowden said in a statement. "This is a big loss to me personally. His decision is an emotional one for me."
Jeff Bowden replaced current Georgia coach Mark Richt as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator in 2001.
Florida State stood near the pinnacle of college football in the 1990s, winning national championships in 1993 and 1999.
Fans have been reluctant to criticize the elder Bowden -- major college football's wins leader at 364 -- focusing instead on his son. A Web site calling for Jeff Bowden's removal had gathered 2,975 signatures by Tuesday.
Florida State president T.K. Wetherell received hundreds of e-mails urging that the younger Bowden be fired.
The school had skirted a nepotism policy by having the younger Bowden report to another coach on the staff other than his father.