Picture an alternate universe in which Will Muschamp remains the coach at Florida.

Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated wrote an interesting analysis looking back on Muschamp’s time with the Gators in an exchange with The State’s Josh Kendall. Staples revealed that Muschamp has said he feels like he would still be at Florida if he had hired someone like Kurt Roper in his first season with the Gators.

Check out part of Staples’ commentary below:

Will has said he felt like he would still be the head coach at Florida had he hired a guy like Kurt Roper his first year at Florida. So I want to see what the difference is when Roper comes in with Muschamp. I don’t think Will is wrong about that. I think the biggest mistake he made at Florida was hiring Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator right away. It changed how they recruited. It changed how they evaluated, and it put them in a hole they never really could get out of.

There were many issues during Muschamp’s tenure at Florida, so it’s not like Weis is the lone name to blame. But Staples’ view seems fair. By the end of Muschamp’s time in Gainesville, the Gators’ offense had become difficult to watch.

We’ll see if Muschamp can reinvent himself and revive his coaching career with the Gamecocks. He has Roper as his co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, so perhaps the assistant will become a vital part of the reconstruction project in Columbia.