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
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477 comments Add your comment
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
11:34 am
Insider,
If GM hires Kirby as the next head coach at UGA, he is not nearly as smart as I’ve given him credit for.
The next coach at UGA, if Richt craps his pants this year, needs to be a proven head coach at the D-1 level. Not some DC who has never had his balls on the line as the head man.
59bulldawg
May 20th, 2011
11:43 am
Given his former association with the UF, I’d think GM’s first call would be to Dan Mullen.
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
11:44 am
gt,
“Muschamp is a better coach than Richt.”
Uh, Einstein, he hasn’t coached a game yet.
Opinions are like rear ends son. Everybody has one and generally they all stink.
He might be the second coming of Meyer or he might be Charley Pell II.
nobody really knows.
Matt
May 20th, 2011
11:46 am
Couldn’t beat UF when Zook was there. Why would I believe we can when one of the nation’s top assistants takes over? Why should I believe anything different will happen this year given the history over the last 20 years??
Matt the Brave
May 20th, 2011
11:46 am
Danny Jack, apparently you didn’t read one dang word of the article. The man said “I’m loyal to the people writing the check.” He’d drop y’all like a bad habit if someone else offered him more money. And that’ll happen some day, and you’ll be wondering why Musky went away.
tre
May 20th, 2011
11:46 am
That is a sweet child molester van!
Saddest part of the night came when the UF fans spilled out of the club meeting and got turned away at the door at every restaurant in Atlantic Station because of dress code. Jean Shorts just aren’t acceptable everywhere boys.
PV Surfer
May 20th, 2011
11:48 am
Never seen so many puppies barking from the porch in years! Gators will need a year or two under the Purple Tiger to get Florida back to the BCS Championship about the time the puppies figure out that they have pinned their hopes on a semi-cane who lets the inmates run the prison just like his mentor. Too bad Dooley stabbed Erk in the back years ago as the program has never recovered from that blunder!
stephan
May 20th, 2011
11:48 am
I use to work with his dad, he is a great guy, he is just having some fun lighten up and graduated from Georgia twice.
Sure the vest is honest
May 20th, 2011
11:51 am
It appears that once you get on the NCAA’s enforcement radar, they go after you like a hound, and examine everything you do in the near future. Got to feel like you just inherited a new family. Read the below and it appears that the car deals for OSU are being questioned by another journalist, who I think is playing “Devil advocate”, for the NCAA. It is bad enough when you make a violation and you had no control over it. When you do it and knew it, you are going to be in some deep doo doo, I think.
http://www.foxsportsohio.com/msn/05/12/11/Redemption-for-Ohio-State-Not-quite/landing_ohiostate.html?blockID=521343&feedID=3724
Kenny Powers
May 20th, 2011
11:52 am
This guy is a douchenozzle and dead to UGA fans.
As he stated previously, Florida is the only school for which he would have left Texas.
I wish him nothing but the worse.
He is a traitor, no matter how you want to spin it in this ridiculous article.
Just like Pitino was to UK.
Enjoy the sand flea infested camper dwelling mullet trolls at that ridiculous “stadium” each week you classless piece of $%*&.
Kenny Powers
May 20th, 2011
11:53 am
This guy is a douch*nozzle and dead to UGA fans.
As he stated previously, Florida is the only school for which he would have left Texas.
I wish him nothing but the worse.
He is a traitor, no matter how you want to spin it in this ridiculous article.
Just like Pitino was to Kentucky.
Enjoy the sand flea infested camper dwelling mullet trolls at that ridiculous “stadium” each week you classless piece of $%*&.
Nesbitt Robbed for Heisman
May 20th, 2011
11:56 am
This guy is a d0u*h*nozzle and dead to UGA fans.
As he stated previously, Florida is the only school for which he would have left Texas.
I wish him nothing but the worse.
He is a traitor, no matter how you want to spin it in this ridiculous article.
Just like Pitino was to The University of Kentucky.
Enjoy the sand flea infested camper dwelling mullet trolls at that ridiculous “stadium” each week you classless piece of trash.
This site is a joke
May 20th, 2011
11:57 am
Any negative post is blocked. Thanks AJC for being a joke.
Musschump
May 20th, 2011
11:58 am
I suck,you think UF hated Zook. wait and see
Georgia | MrSEC.com
May 20th, 2011
11:59 am
[...] said, “I certainly can.”According to Jeff Schultz of The AJC who was in attendance, Muschamp then told the crowd that that quote would no doubt appear in press courtesy of Mr. Schultz.Many Dawg fans will no doubt view Muschamp as a traitor — as Schultz [...]
Dwayne
May 20th, 2011
12:03 pm
Hate the Gators, but how in the HELL can any Ga. fan say the Dawgs will own the Gators? geeeez
bamaguy
May 20th, 2011
12:03 pm
Do you think Muschamp’s “guarantee” of a win to be more bonehead or less bonehead that instructing your players to knowingly commit a rules infraction by running onto the field after a touchdown?
AltamahaDawg
May 20th, 2011
12:04 pm
NP Joey, I wasn’t trying to paint you as piling on Richt. I just wasn’t on the same page. You were specifically talking this year, and right, Muschamp is going to beat a lot of somebodies his first and next year with Zero experience.
I was, and for the most will always do, talking about the bigger picture. I’d rather USE Richt’s experience now, than throw it away and start that process over. (by hiring an untested co-ordinator). One thing I am convinced of, is that whatever the issues were last year, there was some lesson Richt learned from it. I am equally convinced that he is taking steps, as he sees it anyway, to correct that. Now, if he identified them correctly, or made the right right moves to counteract…..we’ll see. His history has certainly been that when he identifies a need, it has been addresssed. Just needs to stop letting a new one surface the next year. But without question, he is wiser from it, just like the freakish injuries a few years back and what seems like the over-correction the next year was a lesson. Somebody is going to benifit from that expereince going forward. Us right now, maybe somebody else in the future. Personally I don’t understand this completely illogical discussion of stepping right back into the same thing. (with all the talk of hiring somebody like Smart, etc.) Folks seem WAY too hung up on the name of the coach. Smart will be a good HC I assume, but I’d rather he had a smaller school HC, perhaps a year in he league, before he ran our program. Same for Mushchamp. I think that was a risky hire. POSITIVE that he is not going to step in and have 10-15 perfectly wonderful, never down, years at UF.
ed andrews
May 20th, 2011
12:04 pm
Go Will!
Kyle
May 20th, 2011
12:06 pm
The only thing I hate more than UF is a Democrat (not that there is really a difference there) but I do wish we could shove it down Muschamp’s throat but until we get a coach that plays football with a go for the throat attitude, the way it is supposed to be played and use to be, then I’m afraid his guarantee is right there with death and taxes as far as being a sure thing.
Sick 'em
May 20th, 2011
12:07 pm
Kyle – there is no difference between UF and Democrats? What???
59bulldawg
May 20th, 2011
12:08 pm
@bamaguy – They both were stupid!
BigTimeTECHFan
May 20th, 2011
12:10 pm
My guess is he will never be as good a coach as Urban Myer was.
Not this year
May 20th, 2011
12:14 pm
Gamecocks win the East with ease.
Not this year
May 20th, 2011
12:16 pm
Gamecocks win the east with ease
wardenerd
May 20th, 2011
12:18 pm
I’m sure the Auburn fans felt the same way about Vince( I know Nothing)Dooley. When he left Auburn he raised the IQ’s in both states.
MattDawg
May 20th, 2011
12:23 pm
Hey Gator fans, me thinks thou doth protest too much. Sounds like a lot of preseason guarantees to me. I hope for your sake you don’t have to eat a lot of crow come the end of that cocktail party. It really seems like bravado and another case of Florida taking us lightly, and maybe they should, but how did that work out for you in 2007?
Pat Dye
May 20th, 2011
12:24 pm
What a great coaching move to “Guarantee a Win” by Mr. Muschamp. I think it is the perfect thing to do. I did the same thing to UGA when I said they weren’t “Man Enough” to beat Bama under Richt.
Look how well that turned out for Bama.
Bobby Petrino
May 20th, 2011
12:26 pm
I think Will Muschamp is very loyal to UF. It’s not as if he was the coach in waiting for Texas or he “Walked On” at UGA to play football. He said he was a Bulldog and a Longhorn for life. He is the most loyal man I know.
Spike
May 20th, 2011
12:26 pm
Avoid the rush. Start disliking this d-bag early.
kentucky dawg
May 20th, 2011
12:27 pm
Georgia had it’s chance to hire a quality coach and many have long realized that CMR isn’t capable but the powers to be stuck with him and screwed us all by doing so.
AltamahaDawg
May 20th, 2011
12:28 pm
My guess is that not many Auburn fans could even name an assistant coaches on the football team staff, when Dooley left.
DGAD
May 20th, 2011
12:30 pm
Once you wear the “G” on your helmet you stick together. It keeps the other inmates away from you.
Flatiron Steak
May 20th, 2011
12:34 pm
“I’m loyal to whoever signs my checks.” Man is he going to regret that statement in the years to come..
Coach Must-be-a-Chump
May 20th, 2011
12:36 pm
Doesn’t take us gator coaches long to become obnoxious!
Chad
May 20th, 2011
12:36 pm
Eventually UGA will wake up and realize that the world around them has advanced and gotten better while inside thier little box everything has stayed the same. Saban, Miles, Dooley, Mushchamp, Spurrier, Mullen, etc, etc. Richt is a good man, but that and .50 cents will get you a cup of coffee.
Georgia Fans
May 20th, 2011
12:38 pm
Dang, y’all are a bitter bunch. Here’s a bit of unsolicited advice: the whole “b*tchy spurned ex-girlfriend” thing is not a very flattering reflection on your fanbase.
Truth
May 20th, 2011
12:39 pm
FIRE MARK RICHT
59bulldawg
May 20th, 2011
12:39 pm
I agree that CMR is probably gone (and he should be)if he has another bad season this year. But I’m not convinced that he will. The only question in my mind is how many wins will be enough for GM. My preference is for CMR to get it done but my patience is not eternal.
Bob Marley
May 20th, 2011
12:40 pm
Florida may win but all their fans look like fruits mon, so who really wins?
The General Feeling
May 20th, 2011
12:40 pm
The 2011 season in the SEC East will be a fun one to watch. No school is a clear leader. Although, Vandy is a clear loser.
Florence SC
May 20th, 2011
12:43 pm
SC beats fl and ga this year. Mark THAT down.
JaxDawg
May 20th, 2011
12:43 pm
What kind of dumb a$$ Gator chick fan actually plans her wedding on UGA/UF weekend???? For that alone she should be banned for life.
http://www.fallweddingssuck.com/
Truth
May 20th, 2011
12:46 pm
All the talent is in Georgia but none go to UGA
JB
May 20th, 2011
12:48 pm
Looking at the last 20 years, did Muschamp feel he had to make that promise. If I’m a real Florida fan
( like ants on a watermelon, they’re everywhere)I would take that as a given. He should of said the beatings will continue. Florida people think we’ve never owned them before, and we have,and one day soon, with the right guy and the talent in this state, we will again.. He better beat Georgia if he wants to keep that job
AltamahaDawg
May 20th, 2011
12:49 pm
I assume you based that on (Fl and GA)’s most recent disappointing seasons, and not the confidence that a 5 loss, poor passing, poor rushing, nothing more than average talent team that SC put out their last year, give you.
gt4ever
May 20th, 2011
12:50 pm
Not too smart coach…. Look for UGA to finally bring home a win against UF….
gt4ever
May 20th, 2011
12:51 pm
Of course he did graduate from UGA, couldn’t be that smart….
352
May 20th, 2011
12:51 pm
JB – all Gator fans know that Georgia used to own us because all Georgia fans have left is pointing to their dwindling six game lead in the overall series. Believe me, we hear it all the time.
Harry the Hat
May 20th, 2011
12:54 pm
We are now at the time of year when the UGA sidewalk fans (those who have never, ever sat in a college classroom) claim the national championship, Wait for some other year, punks.