Is WiIl Muschamp the Best Florida can hire?

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Jacob Bunn

Before 1990, Florida football had little to show for itself. With no national or conference championships to speak of, a hungry program hired former Gator quarterback Steve Spurrier. From the moment he stepped on campus in Gainesville as a coach, things began to change. Spurrier coached his teams to six SEC Championship wins, seven SEC East division titles, and one national championship in 1996. Needless to say, Spurrier changed the mindset and yearly expectations at Florida.

His successor, Ron Zook, did not share the same success. More than once, Zook found himself losing to teams that Florida had blown out during the Spurrier years. After three less than average seasons as the head coach in Gainesville, Zook was let go.

Then in 2005, Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley hired the sought after head coach of Utah, Urban Meyer. From day one of the Meyer era, the Florida program began to ascend once again. In only his second season, Urban Meyer’s squad won the conference championship before blowing out a favored Ohio State team to win the national title.

The Gators then endured a transition year in ‘07 that saw them go 9-4 (5-3 in the SEC). In 2008, though, Florida was right back in the national championship picture. With only one blemish on the regular season record, a loss to Ole Miss at home, the Gators prepared to face #1 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, which became a de facto national semifinal. Florida won that game by Tim Tebow’s brilliant passing in the fourth quarter. That placed them in the BCS Championship against Oklahoma, which they won 24-14.

Again in 2009, Meyer’s Florida team was poised for another title. They went undefeated in the regular season before losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship, knocking them out of BCS title contention.

After the Alabama loss in 2009, Meyer endured several health issues which caused him to reevaluate his career. So late last December, he resigned as the head coach at Florida. After what seemed like only twenty-four hours, Meyer reconsidered and decided to remain the head coach for another year. I know it feels like whiplash.

This past season was definitely not Florida's finest since Meyer arrived. The Gators went 7-5, lost by 25 to Alabama, lost to LSU, and got run by Florida State 31-7. So Meyer again decided, this time permanently, to step down.

As the coaching search began, most people who were familiar with the situation in Gainesville said Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen was the likely replacement for Meyer. Others, however, were not as convinced.

Names like Kyle Wittingham (Utah head coach), Chris Petersen (Boise State head coach), Bobby Petrino (Arkansas head coach), and Charlie Strong (Louisville head coach) seemed to be the trendiest picks from the rumor mill to be the next Gator coach.

One thing that most people, including me, forgot is the fact that Jeremy Foley’s trademark when hiring coaches is going outside of the proverbial box. So, Foley played a card that very few (if any) were expecting. On December 11th, Foley named Will Muschamp, the defensive coordinator and coach in waiting at Texas, the head coach at Florida.

The immediate reaction from most of the Florida fans I spoke with was predictable. They were surprised but not shocked, and they are optimistic about the Muschamp era in Gainesville.

I, however, am not as convinced. Don’t get me wrong, I think Muschamp has been and will be a very good defensive coach. Muschamp was on staff at LSU under Nick Saban when the Tigers won the national championship in 2003. He also served under Tommy Tuberville at Auburn, under Nick Saban at the Miami Dolphins in the NFL, and most recently under Mack Brown at Texas. He has a formidable resume as an assistant for sure. But, is he ready to be the manager of a program?

Most first time head coaches start at a lesser school to prove themselves. It is very uncommon for a coach to get a job like Florida for his first.

As opposed to the way it was two decades ago, Florida is now one of the most dominant programs in the nation. The state of Florida is arguably one of the top three states in the nation in football recruiting, and the facilities at the University of Florida are second to none.

Certain college football programs such as Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Michigan, USC, and Florida are simply on another level when it comes to attracting coaches. So at this moment of perhaps the greatest success in Gator football history, why did Foley hire an assistant?

Muschamp may turn out to be a great first time head coach. After hearing his press conference, I think he can be a success if he remains calmer than he did during his speech. Did he take a breath during the entire presser?

Let me be clear that I am not prophesying that Muschamp will be a flop at Florida. Time will tell how much of a success he will be in Gainesville. Rather, I am scratching my head about why Florida took a risk on a young defensive coordinator when they could have snagged a proven head coach. One thing is for sure; it was a bold move on the part of Jeremy Foley that could turn out well or end up being a colossal failure.

Contact Jacob Bunn at jacobabunn@yahoo.com