It was Steve Spurrier’s larger-than-life shadow that ultimately proved to be Will Muschamp’s undoing at Florida, and the specter of The Head Ball Coach could again haunt him at South Carolina.

Following a legend is never easy — even years after he left — especially when that person is the best all-time coach at both schools.

Such is the dilemma of sorts in which Muschamp again finds himself after taking over the Gamecocks program following Spurrier’s abrupt mid-season resignation.

Muschamp is certainly no stranger to the situation after having spent three years along the sidelines at Florida — though 10 years and two coaches after Spurrier, who won a Heisman Trophy as a player in 1966 before stamping the Gators back into national prominence as coach during an illustrious 11-year run from 1990 to 2001, winning six SEC titles and the 1996 national championship.

Always quick with a zinger for his opponents, the Visored One changed the face of the SEC with his high-octane “Fun ‘N’ Gun” passing offense that revolutionized a conservative football conference that had always prided itself on the power running game and solid defense as its main staples.

Spurrier defied the naysayers, putting up staggering video-game like numbers never seen before in the SEC. His swagger and larger-than-life personality made you either love him or hate him. But there was no question that his offensive genius forced other programs in the conference to catch up to the more modern game of which Spurrier was so fond.

He became the first Heisman Trophy winner to coach a Heisman winner when Gators quarterback Danny Wuerffel was so honored in 1996.

After an unsuccessful two-year stint with the NFL’s Washington Redskins, the HBC would soon return to the college ranks, taking over at South Carolina in 2005.

Spurrier quickly resurrected a moribund Gamecocks program to usher in the most successful era in school history, winning nearly 64 percent of his games during an 11-year run in Columbia that ended in an ugly manner this past season.

His 2010 Gamecock squad posted several milestones en route to a 9-5 season in which they claimed the school’s first SEC Eastern Division title and first appearance in the SEC Championship. South Carolina also defeated the nation’s No. 1 team, Alabama, for the first time in school history, and finished the season ranked 22nd in both major national polls. Spurrier was named SEC Coach of the Year for the seventh time and his ninth overall Coach of the Year honor.

In 2011, the Gamecocks won a school-record 11 games and finished in the Associated Press Top 10 final rankings for the first time. Additional 11-win seasons followed in 2012 and 2013.

Spurrier’s 2013 team at South Carolina finished fourth in the final rankings — highest finish in school history.

Muschamp was two coaches removed from the Spurrier era when he became a first-time head coach at Florida in December 2010, but the comparisons were always there.

They’ll be even more pronounced at South Carolina.

Legends are never easy to follow, and nowhere is Spurrier’s legend more tangible than at both Florida and South Carolina. And rightfully so, too.