Will Muschamp comes back to Georgia — as a Gator
Will Muschamp may have barked as a Bulldog but he's all Gator now as the Florida coach.
A young, pretty girl sitting near the front of the room had a question for the Florida coach.
“Coach, I’m getting married soon and he’s a Georgia fan and …”
“That’s not my fault,” Will Muschamp said, playing to the crowd.
“My wedding is on the same day as the Florida-Georgia game,” she continued. “I was wondering: Can you guarantee Florida will win?”
Muschamp, the native of Rome, a long-time Georgia resident and former Bulldogs safety, smiled.
“I certainly can,” he said (and then he turned in my direction and alerted the crowd that this pronouncement almost certainly would be used in the local newspaper).
This should end any lingering debate about whether Will Muschamp has divided loyalties.
The annual meeting of the Atlanta Gator Club was held Thursday night. Atlantic Station was crawling with reptiles. More than 360 Florida fans crammed into a hotel ballroom, the largest turnout in years, to greet their new leader.
Muschamp was in Georgia, but the Atlanta Gator Club would protect him.
This was the safe room for Muschamp. But outside the walls, he’s same guy who was branded “traitor” or “Benedict Arnold” by some hard-line Bulldogs fans who believe once you’ve worn the “G” on your helmet, any career movement – especially to the mother of SEC rivals – is borderline sacrilegious. (Or over the border.)
“I’m loyal to who signs my checks,” Muschamp said earlier. “All of that other stuff, I don’t get into. In our
You might've thought you were lost walking in Atlantic Station.
profession you’re loyal to the people you work for. I’ll do the best job I can for the Gator nation.”
Go easy, folks. The man’s gotta earn a living, you know.
It may have been a shock in Athens when Muschamp, the official coach-in-waiting at Texas for Mack Brown and a possible unofficial coach-in-waiting for Georgia, was tabbed as Urban Meyer’s replacement at Florida.
But it shouldn’t have been. Yes, he lived in Rome up until age 5, and then he returned before his ninth-grade year. But during that period in between, orange blood ran through blue veins. He walked to Gators games as a kid. He watched Wilber Marshall. Even when he went to high school in Rome, he was a Florida fan.
Fact is, Muschamp might never have stepped foot on the Georgia campus if he hadn’t broken his leg while playing in high school.
“All of the big schools backed off,” he said.
His choices: Enroll at West Point or try to walk-on at Florida or Georgia.
“My dad was a school teacher,” he said. “The [cost of] in-state education was a factor.”
So if he didn’t break his leg or his father was a surgeon, he would’ve attended Florida?
“Hah — I’d rather not play what-if,” he said.
Muschamp waited 15 years for a head coaching job. So far, he wears it well.
The fact he was one of the nation’s best defensive coaches at Texas, LSU and Auburn doesn’t guarantee success. Even he acknowledges that he’s in a honeymoon period with Gators fans. (“Everybody has been great. But we haven’t played a game yet.”).
But if he doesn’t succeed, it won’t be for a lack of confidence. He brought in Charlie Weis to run his offense. Most new head coaches would balk at such a move, believing the former Notre Dame coach and New England and Kansas City offensive coordinator might be scheming behind his back for the top job.
“I have confidence in myself. I want the people I hire to have tremendous confidence in themselves,” he said.
Last month, Muschamp kicked his best player, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, off the team after his third arrest (and second in three months for marijuana). It was a stunning move at a program that had its share of legal issues between SEC and BCS championships under Meyer.
“I didn’t look at it as sending a message early,” Muschamp said. “I look at everything as an isolated situation. Each player will have to [act] right.”
He has learning the hard way of the demands of being a head coach and fielding endless advice from fans (“My email works, I can tell you that.”). But this feels like Utopia.
After the questions, he planned on flying back to Austin, Texas. His family hasn’t moved yet and his 5-year-old is graduating from kindergarten Friday. Then it will be back to Gainesville.
“As coaches, we move around so much,” he said. “Home is where the house is.”
That’s not in Georgia anymore.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend meat Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
477 comments Add your comment
Bettman wants to make Thrashers' sale hurt for Spirit | Jeff Schultz
May 20th, 2011
10:18 am
[...] Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has posted a blog outlining the exact thing I just addressed. But he takes it one step further, writing that not only is Bettman seeking a share of the Spirit’s possible $110 million, but Levenson is countering by seeking a share of the NHL’s would-be $60 million. [...]
icedawg
May 20th, 2011
10:19 am
Muschamp has graduated from university. He’s a professional now. He’s right. His loyalty lies with the one to whom he is contracted and who pays him for his services. Sure those years he was at Georgia will probably be special to him but they are memories, not the present reality. You would expect him to give everything he’s got to the Gators while he is there.
JB
May 20th, 2011
10:19 am
Richt is only 4 or 5 wins over Florida away the last 10 years of being at Georgia forever. I know Tech folk would love to see him gone.Florida will struggle this year….but won’t be down long.
JB
May 20th, 2011
10:20 am
Do they tow that ugly POS blue and orange van their last night…LOL
JB
May 20th, 2011
10:23 am
s/b did they tow
Joey
May 20th, 2011
10:24 am
It wasn’t a put-down on Richt, just making a point that his experience edge over Will may not matter when they meet up, as it clearly didn’t with Mullen.
You made my point clearer that experience isn’t that big of a deal. Richt has beaten Bowden and Spurrier, after all.
Born 2 Bark
May 20th, 2011
10:24 am
@the obvious: You’re obviously an idiot. Muschamp hasn’t truly coached a game yet and you’re saying he’s a better coach than CMR who won 2 SEC Titles and 90 games in 9 years?? You’re a douche! Plus I wouldn’t be bragging about UF’s character when you have guys making death threats to their girlfriend, using the debit card of a deceased UF student,and trying to gouge a player’s eyes out. We gave you a hell of a game last year and this year with a bye week to prepare and heal I’m feeling good! GO DAWGS!
1eyedJack
May 20th, 2011
10:26 am
JB, they got a great deal on the van…it used to be a hearse.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
May 20th, 2011
10:28 am
Muschamp will continue the domination over UGA, and his move to Florida was a major slap in the face for UGA football. UGA could not land their own folks, including Kirby Smart or Muschamp, which confirms that UGA program is tanked.
The brightest spot of a UGA football season is the off-season, when all those dog fans can brag about the forthcoming season, and then prepare the excuse list once the season beat downs begin.
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
10:28 am
Why did we “not land” Muschamp?
Where was the opening?
He wants to be a head coach. We already have one.
Go wax your Pinto
The Way It Is
May 20th, 2011
10:32 am
Muschamp turned down Tennessee to stay at Texas, and he would’ve turned down UGA, too. The Florida job simply is a better job, and it was more than Muschamp could refuse.
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
10:32 am
and he would’ve turned down UGA, too.
****************************************
And you know this how??? are You his sister?
Mike Bobo 17 INT
May 20th, 2011
10:34 am
R dawg
SOS…already talking smack at the UF game, and you know the outcome will the same. Just look over that record for the past 20 years….that would be UGA losing 18 of the last 20…..nice….now who can really talk smack here. Gainesville? Athens? That would be Gainesville, and now they have your former player preparing to provide your beatdowns…
Mike Bobo 17 INT
May 20th, 2011
10:35 am
DawginLex
Glad to see you here with all of your valuable insight. Now, let’s breakdown that UCF game and that 6-7 record last year. Oh I know, the Dogs are going to win a title this year……you guys were looking really good last year, keep up the great work!
The Way It Is
May 20th, 2011
10:37 am
What’s Richt’s record the last 2 years? 14-12? He’s circling the drain. If Muschamp really wanted a shot at the UGA job, he could’ve stayed in Austin. The odds are pretty good that there will be a vacancy in Athens soon enough. And if Richt rights the ship, then he ends up being the HC at Texas. Not exactly a bad consolation prize. But that’s not what happened.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
May 20th, 2011
10:37 am
Jeff:
Thanks again for actually writing an objective article in the AJC about the pathetic UGA program. It is nice to see someone needle these UGA boosters and let them know where they stand.
dawgrific
May 20th, 2011
10:38 am
I am ashamed that he ever wore the “G” and the Red and Black! I bet the Natural Light cans sold like crazy and that they had to relax the “No Jort” rule in order to have more than 100 people show up to hear that clown talk. I know that Zook was a clown, but he seemed to have class and a clue, while this traitor has neither. Thanks for the extra motivation you greenhorn moron! Go Dawgs!!!!!
Joey
May 20th, 2011
10:38 am
I’m not piling on Richt. I hope he can do it, as I wrote. I also believe I wrote that 6-6 was a worst-case scenario.
After the last two seasons, it’s hard to look at the schedule and predict anything rosey. I never thought I’d see the day when Mark Richt would lose 4 games in a row, or lose to the likes of Colorado and UCF.
And I never, ever thought a Mark Richt offense would have trouble scoring TDs, or would have a half-dozen 3-and-outs in one game.
But like DIL writes, if the Dawgs D is sound, it can make up for a lot of bad offense. I’ll settle for a 6-3 win. Any day.
King Gator
May 20th, 2011
10:38 am
Don’t worry about the Dawgs beating UF .. they couldn’t even beat UCF! Liberty Bowl or Bust!! Go Gators!!
dawgrific
May 20th, 2011
10:39 am
btw, please keep talking muschump, PLEASE!!!!!
Mike Bobo 17 INT
May 20th, 2011
10:39 am
DawginLex
How did the Kirby Smart issue work out when UGAY attempted to land him? He rejected you, because he would prefer to remain with a program that has a chance to win championships, as opposed to your pathetic program.
Make all the excuses you want, but when your own boys don’t come home, it speaks volumes of how broken your program really is.
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
10:41 am
Last year is done. Grantham has his scheme in place with better players more suited for the system. Richt is clearly on the hot seat.
10-2 is possible but highly unlikely and gets him an extension
9-3 with a win over Florida keeps him employed
Anything less gets him fired. IMO
The SEC East is mediocre and UGA can win it just like UT,UF or SC can.
To say any different only sounds like a idiot hater who knows nothing about college football. I got mad over the end of last year. Tech game and UCF. Richt gets another year in my book because we have on more under his watch than under anyone else’s.
Perfect world he goes 9-3 or 10-2, wins the East loses the SECCG, wins the bowl and goes 10-4 or 11-3. 2012 then becomes a year when something can really be done in a big way.
If he craps his pants, we get a new coaching staff in 2012 and we are 2 or 3 years away from competing for a title.
Interested
May 20th, 2011
10:42 am
Worm…Give me a call to discuss the the O’Leary like transgression. I think we may be on to the same thing.
Dawg 1
May 20th, 2011
10:43 am
Florida has owned us for 25 years. So to sit and talk trash isn’t the smartest move. They are loaded with talent, but their are all kinds of rumors as to why the job was open in the first place. And bringing in Weiss will either make him or break him.
Talented Florida Teams are a fact of life. Georgia has to work a little harder, but can go ‘toe to toe’ with these guys. We’ll see what happens.
JackDennis
May 20th, 2011
10:44 am
No dog is this fight, but I will say it appears WM has the intellect of a dawg and the arrogance of a gator. Not good.
Sick 'em
May 20th, 2011
10:45 am
If Muschamp were the new coach at UGA, we’d want him to show some confidence that he could beat FL. We wouldn’t want some middle of the road, political answer…it’s a booster meeting, for crying out loud. It’s not like he made that big of a deal about the Georgia game. Lighten up, fellas. Complaining about it makes us sound like whiners.
JT
May 20th, 2011
10:46 am
“who gets married on GA-FL weekend to a Gator” Perhaps this one UGA fan has the same ability that us Gators do, the ability to seperate football from REAL LIFE. If college affiliation matters so much to you in who you marry no wonder so many of you end up marrying relatives. The wedding is one of the most important days of their life, it is not in the same universe as a freaking football game. It reminds me in 2007 when UGA was #1 a fan emailed in to ESPN College Football Live and seriously, i stress, seriously, asked since UGA was picked to win the NC and the due date for his FIRST child was the same day as the game would it be outrageous to miss the birth of his child to attend the game. Get some freaking perspective, UGA fans are absolutely crazy. They are like the kids that play GTA then shoot someone, learn to seperate hobbies from reality!
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
10:46 am
Smart coming to UGA was a lateral move. He wants to be a head coach. Why leave one place for another to reamin a DC?
mcgdawg
May 20th, 2011
10:50 am
BIG TALK FOR A GUY WHO HASN’T WON ONE GAME AS A HEAD COACH….DIDN’T LEARN MUCH FROM VINCE….TIME WILL TELL IF HE CAN BACK THE SMACK!
DawgsWin
May 20th, 2011
10:51 am
Damn, I was hoping he would go easy on us because of his ties to UGA.
59bulldawg
May 20th, 2011
10:53 am
Guaranteed win huh? Sounds like good bulletin board material to me. I hope our valiant lads in red and black read this and work even harder this summer preparing for the season. Can’t wait for it to start! Go Dawgs!
Muschamp
May 20th, 2011
10:53 am
If that joking comment is what Georgia players need to get ready for the WLOCP, then I like our chances.
Buckeye
May 20th, 2011
10:55 am
At least when FL beat us it was for a National Championship. Y’all are barking about a game in the SEC Least in what, late October?
uga hasn’t even showed up of late other than to execute a premeditated end zone penalty.
Buckeye
May 20th, 2011
10:56 am
dawg gone,
Two words X 3: Time Out
Steve Spurrier
May 20th, 2011
10:58 am
Even I wouldn’t guarantee that when I was bold and brash. Oh, that’s right. I’m bold and brash again and with the best team in the east to boot. Can’t wait to beat both of these rodeo clowns.
Rick S
May 20th, 2011
11:02 am
Will Mus”chump” never beat Florida as a player at Georgia so what makes him believe he will beat Georgia as the Florida Head Coach! He is an idiot!
59bulldawg
May 20th, 2011
11:03 am
It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s “joking comment” came back to bite them where the Good Lord split them!
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
11:04 am
buckeye,
Ohio State got humiliated/destroyed/beatdown/abused by florida in 2006. It was the beginning of the SEC run of national titles and opened the door for the perception, right or wrong, that the SEC champ ALWAYS deserves to be in the BCS title game. Your team’s sorry performance paved the way for the 1st 2 loss BCS champion.
We lost to florida in 2006 21-14 and were right in the game with a true freshman QB until a late fumble recovery for a TD cost us momentum. Ohio State got destroyed. Ohio state would have gone 7-5 in the SEC that year including losing to us.
We as SEC fans want to thank The Ohio State University for helping to create the current perception that exists and that always reults in the SEC champion playing for the national title.
Dawg Squeeze
May 20th, 2011
11:05 am
Mus “chump” is an idiot? Yeah, right. If he was a uga, urinating on the library, had tobacco juice on his chin and “woofing” you’d be singing his praises. (UGA football…..31 years and counting)
Muschamp
May 20th, 2011
11:05 am
Bottom line: if Georgia’s players need to search high and low for motivation after the past 2 decades, then there’s something wrong in Athens.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
May 20th, 2011
11:05 am
Dawginlex
If CMR goes it will be more than 2-3 years before UGA competes for a title. It has been 31 years since your last and only (concensus) title, does anyone around Athens ever view your program from this angle?
59bulldawg
May 20th, 2011
11:06 am
At the end of the bottom line: A little extra motivation never hurts and no matter what your loyalty, it’s not exceptionally smart to offer those type of comments.
College Football Expert
May 20th, 2011
11:07 am
Ho hum. Everyone outside of Georgia state lines would bet on Florida to beat UGA. Every preseason Georgia is overrated and its fans have hope. Then the season and losses happen and they roll over for the Gators. I am not a Florida fan. This is just common knowledge.
Sure the vest is honest
May 20th, 2011
11:10 am
Buckeye,
I bet our 6-7 record from last year is going to look a lot better than the 1-11 you record for last year, will be adjusted to after the NCAA gets done with you. I hope your new coach can meet your high expectations of your honest, high standard university.
At least you will not have to worry about getting beat by an SEC team in a bowl game for the next couple of years. The only bowling your team will be doing is on a lane with 10 pins.
Spike 80DF
May 20th, 2011
11:11 am
He must be worried to guarantee a win against the Dawgs! Sounds like a desperate move to me…..
Belcher
May 20th, 2011
11:12 am
Let’s face it. With the cupcake schedule. uga should be 12-0. anything less is big trouble for CMR!! NO more excuses!!!
Dawg Gone
May 20th, 2011
11:16 am
Buckeye face it THE OSU would be a middling SEC team most years. You only hang around here to gauge which SEC team will get to beat hell out of OSU come bowl season. In your bunch had the stones to play us every year the last 10 we would have taken at least 7 of them….you a big fish in a woefully small pond. and what is that conference calling itself these days the “Slightly larger than normal” 10 ?
Mike Bobo 17 INT
May 20th, 2011
11:19 am
Bottom line, 8-4 at best for 2011….business as usual, just another wasted effort and a fan base that needs a refund for the past 10 years.
UGA Insider
May 20th, 2011
11:30 am
Many of you are commenting on Kirbyt Smart and let me share some factual information with you…
Kirby Smart was actually set to take the defensive coordiantor job 2 years ago. Bobo had talked him into the lateral move. However, one request Kirby had was that the s&c coach at that time had to go. Kirby felt like UGA’s program was WAY behind others and paled in comparison to Alabama. When CMR said there would be no change at S&C then Kirby decided to stay at Bama. Kirby firmly believes he will be the next head coach at UGA.
gt
May 20th, 2011
11:34 am
Muschamp is a better coach than Richt. He gets great assistance because he is a smart guy and his assistance are smart. Jury is still out but his worries in the SEC are Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn,maybe Miss State, maybe Tenn. all but maybe Tenn have better coaching than Georgia which is the name of the game now in this parity they call college football This guy should have been coaching at Georgia and they will regret not hiring him. Next year they will lose Smart to someone probably in the SEC and back up one more position. My bet is that Smart ends up at Mississippi.