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It doesn’t take long for Gator Nation to move on.
Just one day after the dismissal of Will Muschamp became official following the Florida Gators’ season-finale game against Florida State, coaching rumors have saturated Florida sites and message boards.
Who will be the guy to replace Muschamp?
Muschamp’s time at Florida was ultimately unsuccessful — considering he was dismissed with two games left in the season — but his four years with the Gators were full of ups and downs and that’s exactly what how he’ll be remembered.
Couldn’t get the job done on offense
Muschamp’s most obvious and lasting impression as Florida’s head coach will be his deficiencies on offense. He hired three different offensive coordinators in four years, but neither Charlie Weis, Brent Pease or Kurt Roper could solve any of the offensive issues.
The Gators’ offense was defined by a low-scoring, run-oriented offense under Muschamp. Quarterback play certainly wasn’t the strong suit.
In his four years as Florida’s head coach, the Gators averaged no higher than 185.7 passing yards per game in one season and were consistently ranked near the bottom of the SEC.
Florida finished the season ranked 93rd in total offense, which was the highest of Muschamp’s career. Previous high: 104 in 2012. #Gators
— Daniel Thompson (@DK_Thompson) November 30, 2014
Under Will Muschamp, the #Gators had 14 players drafted. Only four were on offense.
— Daniel Thompson (@DK_Thompson) November 30, 2014
Redshirt junior quarterback Jeff Driskel imploded as he furthered his career at Florida, culminating in a 2014 season where Driskel threw nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions and lost his starting job to a true freshman halfway through the season.
Offensive recruiting never really panned out, either, as Muschamp failed to develop any real offensive star during his four years. Unfortunately for him, he also missed out on some huge offensive recruits early on, which slowed the development of the offense (i.e. Stefon Diggs, Nelson Agholar, etc.).
It was never a unit that could obtain any momentum, both on or off the field and it’s ultimately what cost Will Muschamp his job.
Defensive guru
Well, Florida never won any championships under Muschamp, but I can guarantee if the Gators had achieved that, it would have been because of Muschamp’s defense.
Aside from stockpiling several NFL-caliber players like Dante Fowler, Vernon Hargreaves, Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley, among others, Muschamp’s defenses were constantly a force to be reckoned with.
This season’s unit has some struggles early on, particularly with communication breakdowns in the secondary, but once the young defensive backs progressed during the season the Gators’ defense took off.
In Muschamp’s last three seasons with the Gators, Florida finished second in the SEC and top-10 nationally in total defense. That top-10 national ranking held true during Muschamp’s entire tenure at Florida — an incredible feat.
Ironically, Muschamp’s final game with the Gators was a microcosm of his head coaching career. The defense picked off Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston four times and held the FSU offense to just 14 points, giving Florida every opportunity to win.
But did Florida win? Nope. Offensively, the Gators struggled to move the ball down the field and only scored one touchdown all game and that was due to a blocked punt that set Florida up in FSU’s red zone. Four field goals off of FSU’s four interceptions simply won’t cut it and as a result, the Gators lost by five points.
“We’ve had our opportunities,” Muschamp said following the loss. “You look at two other games where we had the game in hand and had our opportunities to get it done and we didn’t get it done. That falls on my shoulders and that’s why they’re looking for a new coach.”
Despite Muschamp’s struggles offensively, no one can doubt his defensive prowess. As one of the most-respected defensive minds in all of college football, it won’t be long before other schools come calling for Muschamp’s services as a defensive coordinator, if they haven’t already
Beloved around the program
Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley aptly summarized the feelings of the athletic department when it came to dismissing Muschamp.
“He gave his heart and soul to this program,” Foley said back on Nov. 17. “He loves this university. He’s as fine a person you could ever me. Muschamp is a good, good person, which is why this is so tough.
“It was just not working here as we all envisioned,” he added. “When things are not working, sometimes you have to make a difficult decision.”
Not the usual words you hear from an athletic director about an outgoing head coach. But Muschamp was in an unique position. He was beloved around the program, whether it was by his co-workers or his players. The responses from both Foley, UF president Bernie Machen and Muschamp’s players indicated their level of respect and support for him.
As for Muschamp, it wasn’t always about on-field results, although that is what led to his dismissal. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment came off-the-field.
After the team was riddled with legal issues and arrests during Urban Meyer’s tenure, Muschamp improved the environment around the Gator program. Out of the 22 arrests since 2014, only two were players that Muschamp recruited. And since July 2013, the Gators have had only one arrest (Jalen Tabor — possession of marijuana).
Fans were ready to see someone other than Muschamp lead this football team. At Florida, you can be the nicest guy in the world, but if you don’t win football games, you’re not going to be around for very long — and that’s what happened with Muschamp.
RELATED: What Muschamp said after his final game as Florida head coach
But when Florida fans look back on Muschamp’s tenure, they’ll most likely see a guy who did things right and left the program in better shape than when he arrived in 2010.
And that’s exactly how Muschamp wants to be remembered.
“Just a guy that did it the right way. I hold my head walking out of here. We did things the right way, but we didn’t win enough games. I was asked to clean up the program and we did that.”
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
