Florida Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley faces a tough task in the coming weeks. Just one day after announcing Will Muschamp will no longer be the Gators’ head coach, he is now responsible for finding the next person who will lead the football team.
And Foley will waste no time in beginning the process.
“The coaching search will begin immediately this afternoon,” Foley said to conclude Monday’s press conference. “We understand how important this hire is. There’s a lot of work to do, a lot of research to do.”
Muschamp was hired nearly four years ago and brought to the program a strong defensive mind. Unfortunately for the Gators, the offense has underperformed and not met expectations during Mushcamp’s four years, something which Foley is hoping to resolve with his next hire.
“We’d like an individual who has been successful on the offensive side of the ball,” Foley explained. “That’s obviously what the Gator Nation wants.”
“High integrity, high character … that is paramount,” he added about what he’ll look for in possible candidates.
Reports surfaced today that Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez and Mississippi State head coach (and former UF offensive coordinator) Dan Mullen were not being considered for the job. Both were thought of as popular choices to replace Muschamp.
Although rumors are already starting to circulate about certain coaches Florida has looked at, Foley cleared the air saying there’s been no communication with any potential candidates.
“I have not contacted anybody. I haven’t contacted one coach,” Foley said. “We’ll handle this the right way. We don’t cut backroom deals here … We’ll talk to the coaches, we’ll talk to the athletic directors. I understand it’ll generate a lot of rumors and a lot of conversation.”
“We will not disrupt people’s seasons,” he added.”
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Foley also announced that Muschamp’s last game with the Gators will be against Florida State on Nov. 29. However, no decision has been made on who will act as the interim head coach for the Gators if they make it to a bowl game.
No official timetable was set by Foley, but he explained that having a new head coach in place by Christmas would be “ideal.” When the Gators hired Muschamp, it was on Dec. 11, 2010, a time frame Foley would likely want to follow this time around in order for the new coach to have enough time to establish his coaching staff and develop some momentum in recruiting.
The search committe will include Foley, current UF president Bernie Machen and incoming president Dr. Kent Fuchs.
“There will be a lot of misinformation about this search in the next month, I just asked the fans to be patient. When we can share information, we will when we want to do that.”
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
