5 Most Likely Landing Spots for Ousted Florida Coach Will Muschamp
The inevitable became reality on Sunday, when Florida announced via a press release that head coach Will Muschamp will step down at the end of the season.
"I was given every opportunity to get it done here and I simply didn’t win enough games—that is the bottom line," Muschamp said in the release. "I’m disappointed that I didn’t get it done and it is my responsibility to get it done."
We've already tossed out five options for the next Gators' head coach, but what does the future hold for Muschamp? The Gators have finished in the top 10 nationally in total defense in each of Muschamp's first three seasons in Gainesville, and are ranked 20th this season (330.3 YPG). He can still coach defense, and he will be sought after during the coaching silly season.
Where will Muschamp land? Our top five options are in this slideshow.
South Carolina Defensive Coordinator
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Could the team that ultimately caused Muschamp to pack up his office be the one he winds up working for?
South Carolina beat Florida 23-20 in overtime on Saturday, which will be forever known as "Muschamp's last stand." But it's no secret that current Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier is frustrated with this team, specifically where it is defensively.
"Yes, it has been [frustrating], because of our record," Spurrier said on Wednesday's teleconference. "We're sort of on pace to gain more yards and score more points than any team in school history, but we're doing the same thing on the other side. We've had some leads in the fourth quarter, and the entire team didn't finish the game."
The Gamecocks are giving up a league-worst 6.39 yards per play and 32.7 points per game, and they're 13th in the SEC in total defense (442.3 yards per game).
Spurrier was asked about the possibility of Muschamp joining his staff on Sunday, according to Josh Kendall of The State.
"Steve Spurrier on considering hiring Muschamp in future: "I don’t have any comment one way or another on that."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshatTheState) November 16, 2014"
If current defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward is let go, Muschamp joining forces with Spurrier would help solve South Carolina's problems in a hurry and add a little spice to the budding Florida/South Carolina rivalry.
Auburn Defensive Coordinator
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Auburn's defense has been more of a punchline than a power over the last two seasons, and while it looked to be on the brink of a turnaround a month ago, it has taken a turn for the worse.
The Tigers have given up an average of 471.2 yards per game and 35.8 points per game over the last five games—going 2-3 over that span. Current defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson's crew has displayed a remarkable absence of fundamentals over the last two seasons, particularly in tackling. The Tigers routinely take awful angles, go for the big hit rather than wrapping up and allow short gains to turn into big plays.
Muschamp served as Auburn's defensive coordinator in 2006 and 2007, and he got his start in coaching with Auburn as a graduate assistant in 1995 and 1996.
Would he consider a move back to the Plains? There's already a Twitter account set up by Auburn fans to start the campaign, and Bruce Feldman of FoxSports.com thinks that it could be a possibility.
"Will Muschamp is owed $6 million more from #UF. Also figures to be a hot DC commodity in 2015. Could see him back at #Auburn.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 16, 2014"
The combination of head coach Gus Malzahn's offense and Mushchamp's defense would be downright terrifying.
Texas A&M Defensive Coordinator
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Texas A&M's defense has been its Achilles heel over the last few years, and while the future looks pretty decent, it's no secret that defensive coordinator Mark Snyder's crew has been underacheiving.
The Aggies rank last in total defense (445.2 yards per game), are 13th in yards per play (5.85) and are 10th in scoring defense (27.7 points per game).
For a coordinator who was the 10th-highest-paid assistant in the county last year, according to the USA Today coaching salary database, that simply won't cut it.
The foundation for success in College Station is there with several young players, including superstud defensive end Myles Garrett, safety Armani Watts and linebacker Shaan Washington. The combination of those guys with Muschamp—who has connections to the region thanks to his time as Texas' defensive coordinator from 2008-2010—would make the Aggies dangerous.
Travis Haney of ESPN.com thinks that this is the most likely place for him to land among the potential SEC landing spots.
"If Muschamp coaches in '15, A&M makes most sense to me. Been wrong before, but can't see him going back to Auburn or working for Spurrier.
— Travis Haney (@TravHaneyESPN) November 16, 2014"
Muschamp in College Station would be scary if head coach Kevin Sumlin decides to make a change.
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Troy Head Coach
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If Muschamp doesn't want to take a step back and would rather prove that he's a capable head coach at a smaller school, Troy might be an attractive option.
Current Trojan head coach Larry Blakeney is retiring at the end of the season, and he thinks that the program will be looking to make a splash with the new hire.
"I think they need a younger guy that’s maybe an assistant at major schools who understands what big time is like," Blakeney told Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans of SI.com earlier this month. "It’s probably going to be who can splash the most water."
Does Muschamp check those boxes? He's not an assistant, but at 43 years old, he's relatively young by coaching standards and certainly would make a splash for the program—specifically in recruiting circles.
The question then becomes: Will it be worth it for Muschamp? Blakeney made $481,000 last year, according to the USA Today coaching salary database, and Muschamp would likely double that as a coordinator in the SEC—especially if his agent can get teams into a bidding war. But proving himself as a head coach might answer that lingering question for future, bigger employers down the line.
In the Media
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If the head coaching opportunities don't come or the coordinator openings don't feel like a good fit, it might be a good idea for Muschamp to take a year off and work in the media.
Can you imagine how great that would be?
He's animated, honest, fun and would be a tremendous addition to the SEC Network.
We've seen former head coaches go this route before. Former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik is fantastic on the network and provides clear, concise insight not only from the coaching perspective, but explains X's and O's very simply on SEC Now.
Muschamp and Chizik together for segments talking defense?
Sign me up.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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