In 2011, when South Carolina coach Will Muschamp was the head coach at Florida, current Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn was his defensive coordinator.

Fast forward five years and Quinn’s Falcons are preparing to take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

According to The State, Quinn reached out to Muschamp and South Carolina defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson to see if they were interested in coming to the Super Bowl, but both Gamecocks coaches couldn’t make it:

“He and I talked about it, and he tried to make sure TRob came, too, but TRob turned him down, too,” Muschamp said. “We’ll be with him there in spirit.”

Though Muschamp won’t be in Houston to support his friend, he said he’s not surprised Quinn has had so much success in the NFL. He said Quinn is one of the best communicators he’s ever worked with:

“Dan has a very uncommon ability to relate to anyone, whether you are a self-starter or you need a kick in the pants,” Muschamp said. “He has a very unique ability in my opinion to relate to everyone in the room. I don’t know if I’ve ever hard Dan Quinn raise his voice. He is a very unique individual in how he reaches people, does a phenomenal job.”

Former Alabama WR Julio Jones is a big part of the Falcons’ high-octane offense, so there are plenty of SEC connections for fans to root for with Atlanta.

Whether or not Quinn’s squad wins the Super Bowl, he’s reached the top of the sport. He can thank Muschamp, who gave him his first coordinator job, for a lot of that success.