Will Muschamp taking his time, playing the field
“Will Muschamp to South Carolina is a done deal.”
“Will Muschamp is definitely heading to Auburn.”
Rumors — definitely not news — have been bubbling up about Will Muschamp since the former Florida coach wrapped up his last game with the Gators. None of the rumors have come to fruition yet, and there’s one phrase we haven’t heard enough of yet.
“We have no idea what Will Muschamp is going to do.”
Muschamp has said he’ll take his time before deciding on any new job, be it as a defensive coordinator, head coach or hot dog vendor. The always honest Coach Boom has been true to his word so far, seemingly to everyone’s surprise. With two high-profile defensive coordinator jobs at Texas A&M and Auburn open, and third at South Carolina perceived to be his for the taking, observers thought Muschamp would be employed within days of becoming a free agent.
Just like Muschamp said, he’s not near a decision. An SDS source said last week that Muschamp didn’t plan to make any decision until he returned from vacation this week, so the reports that he’d been offered and was in the process of working out the details of the South Carolina job appear to be false, and there’s no confirmation that he’s worked on a deal at Auburn.
It should be noted that Jimmy Sexton, the most powerful agent in college football, represents Muschamp, along with the coaches at some of the schools Muschamp has been tied to. Sexton has been known to use coaching vacancies to his clients’ advantage — like the Texas job a year ago, which resulted in a pay raise for Nick Saban — and he already got one of his other clients, Jim McElwain, in to replace Muschamp at Florida.
Could Sexton use his ties to land Muschamp at the school of his choosing? He represents Gus Malzahn at Auburn, and has worked with South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier throughout the Head Ball Coach’s career. It’s not like Sexton needs an in, but he could always leverage that kind of position.
For now, everyone is still in the dark about Muschamp’s future. There hasn’t been a single rumor attributed back to a source willing to put a name or even a title on their statements, and the message board fodder has fans going crazy wondering where Muschamp will land. Muschamp hasn’t even committed to coaching next year, and with his more than $6 million buyout from Florida in hand he’s not exactly hurting for a job.
With Muschamp’s competitiveness, though, it’s hard to imagine him away from the game for long.
As it stands, the coach is doing exactly what he said he would, letting teams position themselves for his services and drive up his price tag, letting the field play itself out.