News / People
UT’s Muschamp Named Head Coach At Florida
Will Muschamp is the new head coach at the University of Florida.
Despite all the rampant rumors about several big-name coaches in the mix, UF athletic director Jeremy Foley says Muschamp was the only person interviewed for the position. The move was announced in a statement released tonight by Florida.
"Coach Muschamp is someone we targeted from the beginning and he is the guy we wanted," Foley said in a statement. " ... When we started the search for our next head coach we wanted a coach who was familiar with the Southeastern Conference. We wanted a candidate who was a relentless recruiter and was familiar with recruiting in the state of Florida. We wanted a candidate who was high energy and had been on the big stage. We wanted a candidate who was respected by his players and his peers and we wanted someone who had a passion for the University of Florida. Coach Muschamp is all of those things and more. He is a grounded family man with a wonderful wife and two children and we welcome them into our Gator family."
Muschamp has some huge shoes to fill as he replaces the highly successful Urban Meyer. Meyer, who resigned Wednesday to spend more time with his family, led the Gators to two national titles during his time in Gainesville.
And while this is the first head-coaching gig for Muschamp, it’s not a low-profile hire. The former head-coach-in-waiting at Texas is widely considered one the nation’s top defensive coordinators. In his three seasons at Texas, his defenses ranked #1 with 119 sacks and 949 yards lost.
This will be the fourth SEC team that the former UGA safety has ties to. In addition to his playing days at Georgia, Muschamp worked as an assistant at LSU and Auburn. But his latest role is by far the largest.
"This is a dream come true to be the head coach of the Florida Gators," Muschamp said in a statement released by the school. "I grew up watching the Gators and whatever other SEC team was on television. I have great memories watching SEC football with my father on Saturdays and playing football in the back yard with my two brothers right here in Gainesville."
It is unclear when Muschamp will move to Gainesville and start working with the team. Florida will hold a news conference at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to introduce Muschamp and provide further details.
