Could Will Muschamp be available in 2011?
It’s Friday again which means the floor is open to discuss any topic, football or otherwise. Here are just a few opinions/questions to get the party started this morning:
1. Don’t look now, but Will Muschamp could be available for the 2011 season. Muschamp, the former Georgia Bulldog and current defensive coordinator at Texas, has one of the great deals in college football. He is the coach in waiting to Mack Brown and Texas continues to pay Muschamp handsomely to remain in that spot. Tennessee came calling last January when Lane Kiffin bolted for USC and Muschamp told AD Mike Hamilton that he was staying put in Austin.
But the dynamic changed at Texas this week as word came that DeLoss Dodds, one of the best athletics directors in the country, was negotiating an extension to his contract, which previously ran through 2011. There has been talk for several years that when Dodds, 72, retired head football coach Mack Brown would slide into that chair and Muschamp would become the Longhorns’ head coach. But if Dodds remains in place so does Brown, who is only 58 and whose contract runs through 2016 at $5 million per year.
I talked to Will during the NFL draft and suggested to him that, despite his telling Tennessee no earlier this year, others would come calling in December. “I’m very happy at Texas. I think I have the best job in college football,” he said. Stay tuned.
2. Should Derek Dooley allow Bryce Brown to return to the Tennessee football program? It’s probably not fair to the kid but Brown, who some recruiting services said was the No. 1 prospect in the country in 2009, has become the symbol for everything that was wrong with the Lane Kiffin regime at Tennessee. Brown saw limited action behind Montario Hardesty at running back last season because Hardesty was having a great year. When Dooley became head coach in January he brought a more team-centered approach to the job. Brown said he would be leaving Tennessee but he hasn’t left yet. He also did not take part in spring practice. Some Tennessee fans who have welcomed Dooley on the Big Orange Caravan Spring booster tour want to know about Brown’s status. Dooley has made it clear that if Brown wants to return, it will have to be with the understanding that the culture has changed at Tennessee. Dooley doesn’t have to convince Brown to return. Brown has to convince Dooley that he can adapt to a new way of doing things in Knoxville. “I’m not going to make a recruiting pitch to get him,” Dooley told one of the booster clubs. Given the situation at Tennessee right now, Dooley needs all of the good football players he can get. It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out.
3. Why did Miami wait so long to sign Randy Shannon? In this day and age, when recruiting is like hand-to-hand combat, it is unheard of to send assistant coaches on the road recruiting when the head coach is in the last year of his contract. But that’s what Miami did to Randy Shannon for the first couple of weeks in May. Shannon got a new four-year deal this week, but not before he and other coaches had to answer question after question about his future.
Shannon, the former Miami player and long-time defensive coordinator, has done the job he was asked to do when he became head coach in 2007. He has restocked the talent base with great players who have gotten a little better each season. Shannon won five games in 2007, seven in 2008, and nine last season. This will be his first senior class and there is reason for optimism in 2010.
Shannon has also been a stern disciplinarian, on and off the field. He cracked the whip academically and now the Miami program is consistently among the top 10 percent in APR in all of college football.
“My attorney kept telling me, be patient, not take it personal, it’s business,” Shannon told the Associated Press this week. “It was business. I’m glad it’s done.”
4. Mississippi State made a great hire in Scott Stricklin: You’d have to say that things are pretty stable at Mississippi State with Dan Mullen as head football coach and Rick Stansbury as the men’s basketball coach. So continuity is what Mississippi State needed when athletics director Greg Byrne, an Arizona State grad, announced that he was returning home to be the AD at Arizona. The Bulldogs made a very good move in hiring Scott Stricklin, Byrne’s top assistant. Strickland, 40, will bring the same kind of energy to the job. He’s a Mississippi State grad who will be in that seat for a while. He was instrumental in hiring Mullen, and the excitement surrounding the Mississippi State football program is just huge. He was involved in making sure Stansbury stayed in place when Clemson came courting earlier this year.
Another good candidate at Mississippi State could have been Joe Dean, Jr., who is now the AD at Birmingham Southern. Dean is a Mississippi State grad and one of the bright minds in college athletics. Somebody needs to take a look at that guy.
5. The bowl volunteers in Arizona are going to be busy: Folks, the bowl business isn’t really complicated. If you want to improve your bowl game, then get to work and find some more cash. That is what the Insight Bowl did last week. The Insight has always been pretty far down the pecking order in the bowl business and didn’t create a whole lot of buzz outside the state of Arizona with its match up of lower level Big Ten and Big 12 teams. But last week the bowl announced that it was increasing its payout from $1.35 million to about $3.35 million per team. For that the Insight will get the No. 4 pick in the Big 12 and the No. 4 or No. 5 team from the Big Ten. ESPN has jumped on board and signed the Insight to a four-year deal, saving it from another stint on the NFL Network, where it was a fish out of water.
So if you like college football and nice weather, the Phoenix area may be a good place to go after Christmas. The Insight Bowl will be held on Dec. 28 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. Four days later, on Jan. 1, the Fiesta Bowl will be played in nearby Glendale. Then on Jan. 10 Glendale will host the BCS championship game.
So why does a city do this? Simple: The last time the Phoenix area hosted three bowl games (2006-2007), the economic impact was just over $400 million.
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207 comments Add your comment
Will
May 14th, 2010
4:38 pm
I think the most important question that was not mentioned here was…. how many hubcaps will Steve Garcia steal this summer?? I would imagine that number will be between 5-10. I have no worries about going to Columbia this season, Grantham will be ready and Garcia will not be. UGA will hurt some pride over there this year. No nail-bitters this time.
Eddie
May 14th, 2010
5:34 pm
Richt’s gone after 2010, no way he fixes the turnovers, penalties, and losing to Florida. He’s had years to fix it, and nothing he’s tried has worked. Time for someone else to try a new approach and get their chance.
Tommy
May 14th, 2010
5:35 pm
I like Chris Petersen, Boise St., better than ASmart or Muschamp, more tested, better at turnovers, better at scoring, effiecient QB’s, most winning coach in the land.
Chuy Dawg
May 14th, 2010
7:50 pm
Let me throw my two cents in this suddenly political garbage.
I really don’t know where to start and how to finish but I promise I will give it my best.
In case you haven’t noticed, this is simply a political tactic by our right wing politicians to excite our ignorant hillbillies, they hope that this will get them to vote by the masses.
Is illegal immigration a problem? You Da*n right it is, Do our politicians really want to do something about it? Hell no. The politicians that pretend to care only use this tactic for political gains, and once they make it to Washington they forget about the people who put them there. And illegal immigration is not the only problem that they burn us with, there’s a whole other list of other problems they cause for us.
The Repubs just had a candidate who has been pro-illegals for a long time and guess what, he happens to be from AZ as well. Do you see where I’m going with this yet.
Illegal immigration is actually really easy to resolve, check out my ideas;
Set up the National Guard to actually control our borders, I have much respect for our Border Patrol Agents but for some reason they all seem to have Hispanic names whenever I see their shows on the National Geographic Channel.
I would hit the countries with the worst immigration issues with serious economic sanctions. We do it to other countries, why not do it to the countries that can’t control the flow of people wanting to leave their country. Instead we send them billions of dollars, export tens of thousands of jobs that American citizens are willing and able to do, and the whole time our unemployment rate is insane.
I can go on and on. The fact of the matter is most of you dumba**es on here hating on Mexicans probably have had a Mexican clean your house, mow your lawn, paint your house, etc. So in reality, you are just as guilty. But this is what Capitalism creates, Supply and Demand, surely most of you Hillbillies at least have a High School education.
For the record, I do not support illegal immigration but I am not going to suddenly hate or start shooting Mexicans because politicians suddenly want to do something about illegals, when in reality we know November is coming up and we all know what that means.
You don’t have to like what I have to say nor do you have to agree with it. Just simply acknowledge the facts and hold your politicians accountable.
Good day and GO DAWGS!!!!!!!
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
8:08 pm
“lets just agree that our last 3 presidents have been bafoons.”
Need clarification on that one.
Multiple choice:
1) baboons
2) buffoons
3) baloons
Or from the Urban Dictionary
4) bafoons
5) bufoons
Chuy Dawg
May 14th, 2010
8:10 pm
Hey Delbert,
“Bafoons” Are you serious? Go away man!
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
8:19 pm
Chuy Dawg – I didn’t expect a Google hit on that one, but the Urban Dictionary came through again.
Chuy Dawg
May 14th, 2010
8:24 pm
Wow!!!!
So this goes from a sports blog, to a political blog, and now a comedy jokes blog. I’m laughing my As* off, come on tell us another joke.
Ignorant hillbillie
May 14th, 2010
8:28 pm
Chuy Dawg,
When Delbert put up the line about “bafoons” it had quotation marks around it meaning that Delbert, like you, was questioning the person who wrote “bafoons” as opposed to the correct spelling of buffoons.
Delbert was making a joke and it obviously was way above your limited intelligence. Perhaps you are the one that needs to go away since you can’t understand a simple thing such as this. And just maybe since you are lacking in reading comprehension that you are one of those “ignorant hillbillies” that you so condescendingly called everyone else who posted. In that case I reiterate that maybe it is indeed you who just needs to just go away.
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
8:28 pm
Chuy Dawg – After reading the political stuff on securing the southern border, I’ve come up with an elegant solution that takes care of some other pressing problems as well.
1) Dig a 20′ wide, 20′ deep trench all along the border (cheap labor *is* available)
2) Concrete and rebar the sides and bottom
3) Fill with spent nuclear fuel and other high-level solid radwaste
4) top off with used kitty litter and styrofoam mix.
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
8:32 pm
Hey, my ancestors were ignorant hillbillies. Fortunately they moved. So technically, I think I’m now a “peckerwood.”
Chuy Dawg
May 14th, 2010
8:34 pm
My bad Delbert, I indeed did misunderstand your comments. I just browsed through them quickly and did not read your comment thoroughly. And your last comments remind me of Neal Boortz, you must be a fan.
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
8:42 pm
Occasionally Mr. Boortz seems to be right on target. I think I may be an “objectivist.” Me and Neil Peart, the drummer for Rush. We seem to dislike the same foolishness.
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
8:44 pm
Chuy Dawg – No problem. Anyway, I thought “Go away man!” was a compliment in pop culture-speak. What do I know.
this blog is not even funny
May 14th, 2010
8:54 pm
usually enjoy reading football type blogs…but this Friday junk is……junk. You guys are not nearly as clever as you hope and surely are not funny. Sad.
Out. I’m going to Bass Pro.
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
8:58 pm
This blog seemed to have died at about 5:35. It needed a proper nail in the coffin to tie up all the politics stuff.
Chuy Dawg
May 14th, 2010
8:59 pm
Boortz speaks from both sides of his mouth. Back in ‘99 he would praise and bragg about his “Hispanic audience” which he now refers to as invaders. You sound like you’re and old man or a very lonely young man with your “pop culture speak” comments. But overall I think I could get along with someone like yourself.
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
9:25 pm
Topic: Muschamp, 2nd paragraph.
Chuy Dawg – I can never be sure about guys who make their money in talking on the radio or opining on TV networks. However, I’ve always liked Buck and Kincaid’s show, it is entertaining due to their natural predilections. I lived in the Philly area for 5 years, and Georgia’s run to the 1980 undefeated season coincided with my move back here. So, no, I am not a lonely young man. Pop culture is basically anything I don’t understand as the world seems to pass me by at accelerating speeds. I don’t take myself too seriously.
If this blog needs a reboot, well, Muschamp must be discouraged by Dodds’ extension. I don’t see how Mack Brown can keep stringing him along. I’ve never been a Brown fan since his days in Carolina. He has always seemed to be so full of himself. The whining he did in 2008 about not playing in the big game was really bad. The way money is thrown around by boosters, I don’t see his “head coach-in waiting” strings being very restrictive.
Nachos
May 14th, 2010
9:48 pm
Bryce Brown is a THUG.. UT should tell him to FOFF. I hear he dating that skanky blonde who lures all the brothers to UT with her huge booty.
Dick Nixon
May 14th, 2010
9:49 pm
Is Bama on probation yet? Is Urban’s dose of phyco meds correct? Ain’t college football great?
Gen Neyland
May 14th, 2010
9:52 pm
Chuy Dawg : Boortz refers to “ILLEGAL immigrants” as invaders. I take it on that point, you disagree with the ILLEGAL part…Now, do something positive and go save a Pelican down in the Gulf.
Gen Neyland
May 14th, 2010
9:53 pm
Nachos : Do tell all the stuff you hear about. Inquiring minds want to know…
Hiram Dawg
May 14th, 2010
10:25 pm
Am I the only one who thinks mr college football needs a long break? These stories are getting pretty weird.
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
10:36 pm
So much for Muschamp being available. Maybe he and his Texas defense can head over to Galveston and start prepping the beaches for the oil slick.
Illegal=illegal=illegal. The senior girl at Kennesaw St. is here illegally. So is Pres. Obama’s grandma; why is she getting a free pass? Other than whatever may happen in Arizona, the U.S. Border Patrol can do nothing but fingerprint and recycle the illegal travelers back to Mexico. I strongly suspect that no high-level U.S. government action against illegal immigration will be taken until after the November elections, if then.
Delbert D.
May 14th, 2010
10:38 pm
By the way, Tony Barnhart’s first sentence reads “It’s Friday again which means the floor is open to discuss any topic, football or otherwise.”
I guess “otherwise” wins.
Nachos
May 14th, 2010
11:12 pm
Tennessee will suck the next 4 years
Coach in waiting room
May 14th, 2010
11:47 pm
That contract at Texas does’nt mean much.
Muschamp might push Mack Brown out the door like Jimbo did to Bobby Bowden.
Coaching contracts are a big joke.
ToccoaDawg
May 15th, 2010
12:35 am
Why is it the bugs want CMR fired? Anyone with common sense knows we love our coach and he is doing a great job.
Southside Dawg
May 15th, 2010
7:59 am
I am sorry Muschamp didn’t take the Tennessee job. He could have given some class to a classless school. Kiffin and Tennessee were a perfect fit, criminal and slimy.
PTC DAWG
May 15th, 2010
8:42 am
Let the minority voice continue to crow about Arizona…all the while, the MAJORITY of this Nation approves of what they are doing.
Jake
May 15th, 2010
9:11 am
S. Jacket,, I have your same thoughts about Charlie Cobb at App. State. He played center for NCSU football team. His leadership has put App. State on the map. When they go after a kid today,, the kid knows of App. State. I’m sure App. State would not like to see him leave.
TommyJack
May 15th, 2010
10:20 am
100% total support of AZ
obomaisaclown
May 15th, 2010
12:32 pm
Hey bama fans why is Auburn winning the war instate this year for players. This week a life time bama fan committed to Auburn. Auburn looks to sign 7 or 8 of the top 13 players in state. Bama hates the word family but the kids do.
sweeks
May 15th, 2010
1:25 pm
Tony,
Will have to disagree about Miami improving every year under Shannon. Even though they finished 9-4 in a mediocre ACC. They had no right winning the Wake game, could have easily lost the FSU game, beat OK without Bradford by one pt, and were blown out at VPI. The Canes also finished the last two seasons with dismal losses to fair Big Ten(Wis) and Pac-10(Cal) teams. UM use to lock up South Florida when it came to recruiting but only locked up something like 4 of the top 28 prospects this past year.
When it comes to Football the ACC still relies on UM/FSU(Clemson has not won since they quit cheating). I believe the crimiNOLES will be more competitive this season and have a bright future under Fisher, but I believe the Canes will be mediocre as long as Shannon is around.
Enjoy your colum,
sweeks
JW
May 15th, 2010
1:56 pm
@Rational Citizen: I guess that pot has clouded your thinking. This article has nothing to do with marijuana. WHile that topic should be up for debate, it is on the wrong board.
Gen Neyland
May 15th, 2010
2:39 pm
Southside Dawg : Who’s up in the Fulmer Cup standings..?
PTC Dwg & TommyJack : We share common ground…and TommyJack, do I read you in govolsxtra..? If so, you read me ( maybe) but I’m under another tag there. Call it my Indian name meaning from sky to dust…
Tide Rising
May 15th, 2010
5:30 pm
obamaisaclown,
Not sure what planet you are living on. On my planet Nick Saban already has 12 commits for the class of 2011 including several of the top 10 instate players such as Brent Calloway, Marvin Shinn, etc. AU has only 6 commits. Are you trying to say 6 commits is better than 12?
You can’t even keep the state’s top defensive lineman in def end LaMichael Fanning of Auburn high school. He committed to Bama. How does it feel to know one of the top 5 prospects in the state is from Auburn high school and is going to roll with the tide?
Your top commit Spencer Region, possibly the best O-lineman in the state, re-opened his recruitment last week. Or did you not hear? AU did land instate linebacker Chris Landrum a fine 6′2, 215 lb linebacker who will probably be a 3 star. We would have offered him except every linebacker on our offer list is a 4 star like Brent Calloway or 5 star. That is the difference between AU recruiting and Bama recruiting under Saban.
Even though AU does have only a paltry 6 commits compared to Bama’s 12 it is possible that AU has more instate recruits. Why? Because Bama will get its share of the top 10-15 instate recruits as it always has under Saban and right now is cherry picking a lot of 4 and 5 star recruits out of the neighboring states like 5 star Clinton-Dix out of Florida.
Bottom line: Get real dude. Saban has been cleaning AU’s clock on the recruiting trail since day 1 and will always dominate you. Nuff said!
Delbert D.
May 15th, 2010
5:41 pm
Tide Rising – Looks like Auburn is planning for a big raid on other schools’ commitments. It’s the all or nothing approach. But hey, I’ve go to like ‘em. $30,000 spent on out-of-state tuition for nada.
Auburn Rules
May 15th, 2010
5:43 pm
Auburn beats Georgia in 2010–mark it down!
Greensboro News & Record
May 15th, 2010
10:00 pm
………………Nesbitt for Heisman………….
hop
May 16th, 2010
7:07 am
richt is not going anywhere and it is clear the man is on a mission, with the many changes in coaching staff,the focus on recruiting the state of ga again. a renewed commitment to bring the program back to greatness with emphasis on doing the great things with discipline as it’s conerstone!
yes, 10 is going to be a great year with the dawgs with the best sec schedule in years.
as one post has said, there is no assurance that either smart or will can be highly succesful as head coaches.
the dawgs will be the surprised team in the SEC with a ten plus wins and an sec east championship!
we have a winner and he will be a big winner this year!
go dawgs!!!!!!!!!
Beast from the East
May 16th, 2010
10:22 am
Hop, glad you are optimistic. Until you can beat UF, keep it in check. I do agree that UGA will be the “surprised” team this year, though! Just not to the tune of the SEC East champs. That BELONGS to UF!
hounddog
May 16th, 2010
7:59 pm
Joe Dean, Jr. might have a “bright” mind, but he wasn’t worth a danm as a basketball coach!
Skip
May 16th, 2010
8:12 pm
Hop,
Richt is going to bring the dawg’s back to greatness? Since when was Georgia considered a program of “greatness”. 1980 maybe but that’s about it.
HornBuc
May 16th, 2010
9:53 pm
Mr. Barnhart, I always value your inputs and I think you are one the most respected writers of college football. Here is my two cents..
Will Muschamp: Has a great setup in Austin. The quality of life for his family is worth value too. Austin Texas versus Athens Georgia… No offense Athens Georgia but Austin is one the best cities in USA. I think Muschamp will become head coach in 2012. The contract extension to Deloss Dodd was to have him aboard until the conference expansion scenario settles. Once the inks dries on any SEC, Big 12, Pac 10 effect on University of Texas, expect Dodd to resign. Need his experience to make sure UT gets the best scenario.
Mack Brown will hand over the program to Will Muschamp and it is clean, every year competing for a national title and will be rewarded greatly for results. I have a “gut feeling” Mack Brown will take a year off and be a commentator on TV or write a book. Then be handed the AD job once the conference expansion scenario is settled.
Although the Georgia coaching position is of worthy consideration, I think coach Richt is doing a great job. I would give him another 2 years minimum. The only downfall of the SEC is SEC. Imagine being in the heart of the SEC and trying to recruit. Yikes.. Whereas, Texas is a large state so pride and prestige is regarded in a large land mass. UT picks the majority of its recruits and has pull of its own state but know reaching into many other states.
I say Muschamp stays because
1. Austin quality of life for his family
2. May have to wait another 2-3 years but get the keys to a fine tune machine
3. Has a strong line of continued recruits to keep the success moving forward
4. Will eventually have Mack Brown as AD after the conference expansion scenario settles
5. Georgia is over reacting. Georgia will be in the SEC champ game in 2011. Coach Reicht is a great coach. Saben go lucky last year and if Colt McCoy would not have gotten hurt they would have been behind 17 points going into the 2nd quarter last year. UT would have won the BCS.
Georgia will be the top team in the SEC in 2012 under Reicht. Muschamp will win a BCS championship his first or second year as head coach at University of Texas.
The Big Roundup – May 17, 2010 | goutlonghorns.com
May 16th, 2010
10:04 pm
[...] But with the latest development on Dodds’ contract, the speculation on Muschamp’s future has already begun. Veteran college football observer Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution addresses it in his latest blog. [...]
hatsoff
May 16th, 2010
11:15 pm
Texas, USC and Florida are the top college football programs in the country. Muschamp knows this and this conference expansion stuff may have changed the landscape but Texas is still Texas and Muschamp knows that he will be a head coach at Texas. Estimation within 3 years. Mostlikely after the 2012 season. Best guess.
Georgia is a great college program too but the facts are the facts. To coach in states like Texas, Florida and California. Yes, USC is a top college football coaches dream. Although, I think they are a bunch of crooks and thiefs… Reggie Bush needs to return the Heisman out of respect of the trophy. Georgia is a fight of diminshing returns with Alabama, Auburn, etc… Just in return as the other schools also in diminshing returns. I think Georgia will be a competing national title contender in 2012. Then it will take another 3 years to rebuild. That is the nature of the SEC. SEC is so talented that it almost hurts the levels out the playing field within the conference every year…
I am sure Mack Brown and Will Muschamp have an agreed time frame. Deloss Dodds extension was to allow him to oversee the conference expansion scenario. That is why he only got a one year extension. There is not an AD in waiting named. However, we all know that will be Mack Brown in 2012.
I would be very interested in learning more about the USC NCAA investigation. Reggie Bush needs to return the Heisman since he disrespected college football.
support Arizona
May 16th, 2010
11:25 pm
If the federal gov would do something along the borders than AZ would not have to implement the laws. Good for AZ for taking the initiative. I am not against immigration. However, do it legally, learn the english language like former immigrants did and do not expect to be handed the life time savings of social security to be handed to illegal immigrants. Also, tired of paying for illegal immigrants children education and healthcare. Do it right and no worries… BUt that is not the case. GO Arizona….
Could Will Muschamp be available in 2011? - Article Depot
May 18th, 2010
4:24 am
[...] Could Will Muschamp be available in 2011? Tags: head coach, nfl draft [...]
TX A & M will go after Will
May 18th, 2010
10:23 am
A&M is looking for a break through year after UGA pistol whipped that long time, highly regarded program in Shreveport. They wanted their coming out party to be the Independence Bowl but UGA and having no D coaches, and only grad assistants, got in the way of that.
A&M will be looking to make a change after this year if their coach ends up with another medicore season. Losing to their in state rivals and all will not sit right with their fans. OIL $$ is the source of the energy for their football empire and it will control their future.
Muschamp would be offered tons and tons of $, cattle and oil wells to be HC by December if they do not have that BREAK OUT YEAR. Young folks under age of 30 have no idea how powerful A & M has been over the years in football fanaticism and $$ support. It might return with WIll Muschamp as Head Coach.
Gooooooooooooo Dogs.