Breaking Report: Will Muschamp to Florida

by Gamecock Man on Dec 11, 2025 8:53 PM EST in Football

More photos » Jae C. Hong - ASSOCIATED PRESS

13 days ago: Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, right, answers a question from the media during a news conference in Newport Beach, Calif., Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. Texas plays Alabama in the BCS Championship NCAA college football game Thursday in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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ESPN.com's Chris Low is reporting that the Florida Gators have hired Will Muschamp to succeed Urban Meyer:

Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has accepted an offer to be the head coach at Florida, sources told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach.

Muschamp, who just finished his third season at Texas, where he was the head-coach-in-waiting to succeed Mack Brown, replaces Urban Meyer at Florida.

The sources said Muschamp was the only person Florida interviewed.

If this is true, I say fantastic. Don't get me wrong: I have no doubt that Muschamp is a great coach and that he has the potential to lead Florida to plenty of success. If he didn't have the look of a potential head coach at a powerhouse program, Texas never would have agreed to make him the head-coach-in-waiting, and his experience in that capacity means that he's been groomed for the role by coaching great Mack Brown. However, Muschamp has no head coaching experience. Given the choice between Muschamp and Dan Mullen, Bobby Petrino, or Bob Stoops, who would you pick? I'd pick Muschamp over anyone who has proven that he can succeed as a head coach, and frankly I'm surprised that a program like Florida--perhaps the nation's premier program--couldn't bag more of a sure-fire coach.

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Comments

This will either be a Home Run or Ron Zook...

I don’t see much room for anything else..

by theodometer on Dec 11, 2025 9:05 PM EST reply actions

I don't know anything about this guy, or his football philosophies.

I’m just surprised they went with a defensive minded head coach. Now, I’m much more interested in who their offensive coordinator will be.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Dec 12, 2025 8:06 AM EST reply actions

I think the safest thing

is to consider Muschamp to be the defensive equivalent of Jimbo Fisher - i.e., smart, dagerous and being handed the reins of a powerful squad.

.So, I see your point, GM. UF could have made a run at an established head coach - TCU’s Patterson, Boise State’s Petersen, Utah’s Whittingham, or Stanfords’ Harbaugh.

But, on the other hand, you’re correct that WM has got the look of a “next” head coach. Other than Malzahn, he’s the best of the CFB coordinators ready to go to the next level … just like (in no particular order), Richt, Miles, Petrino, Chizik and Fisher before him.

Personally, I didnt see Petrino or Stoops bailing on their schools, so I dont think Foley needed to waste much time on them. Petrino has things set for him in Fayetteville and needs to fight his peripapetic reputation, plus the Hogs are going to throw more money at him. OU is one of the top/elite programs and with Texas down, why should he leave when he’s already in NC contention each season?

As for the others - whose to say they’’d be better in Gainesville than Muschamp? In any event, the SEC east is just crazy enough, and Meyer’s recruiting classes superlative enough, that Muschamp could be coaching in the SECCG next season.

They wore garnet helmets.

by tryptic67 on Dec 12, 2025 8:43 AM EST reply actions

Yeah, I think that's all correct.

I expect Muschamp will do well, but, like I said, I still think this is a best-case scenario for us. You might be right about Petrino and Stoops, but I can’t imagine how Mullen wouldn’t have been interested, and frankly I’d much prefer Muschamp in Gainesville right now. Given the alternative between a guy with a relatively proven track record as a head coach and a guy without one, I’ll take the guy without one. I’m really just saying that I think Florida MIGHT have been able to do better, and it couldn’t have done much worse, at least unless Foley really bungled the hire. Like others have said, it all depends on whether or not Muschamp builds a good staff. We know he knows defense and recruiting (the latter I’m not even sure is a necessary talent in Gainesville because it’s so easy to recruit there), but can he execute the more management-oriented head-coaching tasks?

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Dec 12, 2025 11:25 AM EST up reply actions

You're right ... Mullen coulda, woulda, shoulda

Mullen did the typical non-denial denial dance. Miss State can’t compete with UF’s money, and for all Mullen’s success, it came with a fifth place finish in the SEC West and only one division victory; the wins over the SEC east that propelled Miss State to its bowl will be a little more difficult … USC replaces Florida, and the Bulldogs must travel to UGA and Kentucky. Add the near-certainty of NCAA investigation hanging over the program, and you wonder why Mullen didn’t jump … unless Foley knows something we don’t.

They wore garnet helmets.

by tryptic67 on Dec 12, 2025 5:19 PM EST up reply actions

Also worth noting...

Urban Meyer has recruited players to fit his offense over the past few years. What happens if Muschamp hires a more conventional offensive coordinator? The thought of a transition period occurring in 2011 sounds like great news to me, considering that this will again be a good chance to make a run at Atlanta.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Dec 12, 2025 11:30 AM EST reply actions

It is an absolutely horrible hire.

Florida could have hired almost any head coach in college football, and they settled for someone with no experience and no ties to the program. That is a terrible decision.

The only way Muschamp can vindicate Foley’s decision is to prove himself to be one of the top two or three coaches in college football. If he is merely a great coach, then Florida exposed themselves to unnecessary risk and allowed their program to serve as on-the-job training to get a result they could have achieved anyway without the attendant risk.

Florida could have hired a great coach. Instead, they hired someone Foley is pretty sure (but cannot be certain) will become a great coach. That is a necessary risk for most programs, but a poor decision when you are filling one of the best jobs in the country.

"They've just discovered a new use for sheep over there at Clemson... wool." - Lewis Grizzard

by GwinnettGamecock on Dec 12, 2025 2:22 PM EST reply actions

Yep...

Florida could have hired almost any head coach in college football, and they settled for someone with no experience and no ties to the program. That is a terrible decision.

That’s exactly the point I was trying to make. The Gators could have gone for the slam dunk. They’re one of the few programs in the country that has a realistic shot at just about any of the top coaches in footall. Instead, go with a good prospect. Not the best move they could have made by a long shot.

I can’t help but compare this situation to Alabama hiring Saban. When it was time to put the program back on the map, Mal Moore opened his pocketbook and hired the best coach money can buy. When Foley had the same opportunity, he went with Muschamp. Maybe it’ll work out for Florida, maybe it won’t. But when you’re Florida, why take that chance?

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Dec 12, 2025 4:26 PM EST up reply actions