Florida assistant coach’s status unclear with Muschamp hire at Auburn
By Drew Laing
Published:
The news of former Florida head coach Will Muschamp accepting the defensive coordinator position at Auburn late Friday night sent shockwaves throughout the SEC and could especially hit home for his former employer.
Although Florida won’t play Auburn in the regular season again until 2017, Muschamp’s hiring could have a direct effect on the Gators coaching staff, specifically defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson.
Robinson, an Auburn alum, has been the defensive backs coach for the Gators since 2011 (when Muschamp was hired). He and Muschamp developed a close bond during these past few years and Robinson could be on the way to Auburn to join Muschamp on the defensive staff at his alma mater.
According to Booger McFarland of the SEC Network, Robinson was initially going to stay with the Gators, but a late push by Muschamp overnight convinced Robinson to join him on the Tigers’ staff.
T Rob is staying at Florida even though Muschamp is the new DC at Auburn #gators He loves being in Florida
— Booger (@SECbooger) December 13, 2014
Muschamp put a full court press on T ROB over night in the end he simply said he had to go HOME- T ROB headed w/Muschamp to Auburn #WDE
— Booger (@SECbooger) December 13, 2014
Florida fans are upset over TROB I get it but if the Gator brand is still great, should it matter? #gators must upgrade facilities quickly!
— Booger (@SECbooger) December 13, 2014
Other media outlets have reported Robinson is expected to join Muschamp in Auburn, but nothing has been made official yet by either Auburn or Florida. According to Thomas Goldkamp of 247sports, Robinson is at the Gators’ bowl practice this morning.
Whether that’s an indication of his future plans has yet to be determined, but the loss of Robinson would have a big short-term impact on the program. Robinson is regarded as one of Florida’s top assistant coaches and the Gators’ top recruiter. He’s the main recruiter for South Florida, one of the most important and talent-rich areas in the state of Florida.
Throughout the week, Robinson has been recruiting alongside new head coach Jim McElwain, further supporting the notion that Robinson would be kept on staff by McElwain. However, with the latest development at Auburn, Robinson’s future with the Gators is much more unclear.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
