Will South Carolina fire Will Muschamp? Here are the buyout details
By SDS Staff
Published:
The 2020 South Carolina football season has been a roller coaster under head coach Will Muschamp. Will Muschamp is in his fifth season as South Carolina’s head coach. After this Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M, Muschamp’s full record at South Carolina is 28-29 and 17-21 in conference play. Since going 9-4 in 2017 with a 2nd place finish in the SEC East, Muschamp’s Gamecocks have not had a winning season since. And it appears that the Gamecocks are heading for another losing season after a couple rough losses against LSU and Texas A&M.
After the win against Auburn on October 17, it appeared that maybe South Carolina had turned its season around. But, then came two ugly losses to struggling LSU and ascending Texas A&M. Both losses happened by a combined score of 100-27. The uncertainty has picked up, and major voices such as Paul Finebaum are now saying Muschamp’s future is increasingly in doubt.
Here are the overall facts regarding Will Muschamp’s head coaching career including his time at South Carolina:
- Previous season records: 6-7, 9-4, 7-6, 4-8
- Current season: 2-4
- Overall record at South Carolina: 28-29
- Overall record as head coach (South Carolina & Florida): 56-50
Will Muschamp buyout details
Like any program in college football, firing a head coach means contending with a potential buyout. Here are the buyout details for Will Muschamp at South Carolina.
Originally, Will Muschamp would have been owed just over $15 million if he were fired after the 2020 season, however due to a slight restructuring of his contract last December, his buyout will be $13.2 million if he is fired after the 2020 season. Apparently, the restructuring was Will Muschamp’s idea. Considering there have been some grumblings over his future at South Carolina, it’s not a shocking move.
Will South Carolina fire Will Muschamp this year?
The $13 million plus buyout will certainly be a factor for South Carolina, especially in an environment where athletic department budgets have been slightly compromised due to COVID-19 affecting revenues. In addition to possible reductions in TV revenue related to fewer games being played, SEC schools such as South Carolina are also missing out on major gameday related revenue due to fewer fans attending games as well as fewer home games than a typical season. COVID-19 truly might be what saves Muschamp’s job this year.
However, the rest of the season will be a major factor in what happens with Will Muschamp’s job status. South Carolina currently sits at 2-4 after six weeks of play. According to the schedule, the Gamecocks play at Ole Miss, Missouri, Georgia and at Kentucky. Looking at next week, according to FanDuel, South Carolina is a 11.5 point dog against Ole Miss. Certainly not an easy road.
If South Carolina can surprise and knock off a team they are not expected to win, it could be enough (plus the COVID-19 related financial situation) to save Muschamp’s job for another year. If the Gamecocks finish on an even worse note, the grumblings around the program could be enough for the program to fire Muschamp despite the challenging financial environment.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
