http://espn.go.com/college-football...champ-return-florida-gators-coach-next-season
[h=1]Florida's Will Muschamp won't return[/h]
Updated: November 16, 2014, 11:20 AM ET
By Brett McMurphy | ESPN
Will Muschamp will not return as Florida's coach next season, a source told ESPN.
Muschamp will coach the team's final two games this season, and then step down.
[+] Enlarge
Rob Foldy/Getty ImagesWill Muschamp will not return as Florida's coach next season, a source told ESPN's Brett McMurphy.
Muschamp was 27-20 in four seasons, 17-15 in SEC play.
Saturday's 23-20 overtime loss to South Carolina was the Gators' sixth in their last eight home games.
Last year UF lost eight starters to season-ending injuries and finished 4-8, the Gators' first losing season since 1979.
After the 2010 season Muschamp, thenTexas' defensive coordinator and head coach in waiting, was hired at UF to replace Urban Meyer. After Muschamp's 7-6 debut season, UF went 11-2 in 2012, reaching as high as No. 2 in the AP Poll.
Just two weeks ago, UF upset Georgia 38-20, marking Muschamp's first victory in four tries as a head coach against his alma mater.
[h=1]Florida's Will Muschamp won't return[/h]
Updated: November 16, 2014, 11:20 AM ET
By Brett McMurphy | ESPN
Will Muschamp will not return as Florida's coach next season, a source told ESPN.
Muschamp will coach the team's final two games this season, and then step down.
[+] Enlarge
Rob Foldy/Getty ImagesWill Muschamp will not return as Florida's coach next season, a source told ESPN's Brett McMurphy.Muschamp was 27-20 in four seasons, 17-15 in SEC play.
Saturday's 23-20 overtime loss to South Carolina was the Gators' sixth in their last eight home games.
Last year UF lost eight starters to season-ending injuries and finished 4-8, the Gators' first losing season since 1979.
After the 2010 season Muschamp, thenTexas' defensive coordinator and head coach in waiting, was hired at UF to replace Urban Meyer. After Muschamp's 7-6 debut season, UF went 11-2 in 2012, reaching as high as No. 2 in the AP Poll.
Just two weeks ago, UF upset Georgia 38-20, marking Muschamp's first victory in four tries as a head coach against his alma mater.
I'll throw a couple names out there. What about a guy like Houston Nutt or Butch Davis. Then there is always a guy like Bob Stoops since OU fans continue to want to dump on the guy for ONLY winning 8 B12 championships, 1NC, and a couple of other appearances in 15 years. Funny how they forget the Gary Gibbs, or Boo Blake, or Howard Schnellenberger days of not that long ago.
I'd take Butch Davis. He knows Florida, has competed at the highest levels, and was not implicated in the Miami or UNC scandals
I'd take Butch Davis. He knows Florida, has competed at the highest levels, and was not implicated in the Miami or UNC scandals
WinOne...I appreciate everything that Bob Stoops has done at OU. Just like I'm sure Va Tech and FSU fans appreciated what Beamer and Bowden did for their schools. But there comes a time that you can't keep living off your past achievements and start producing on the field. OU hasn't won a Big 12 Championship in 6 years. And this is even with Texas being down and schools like Nebraska, Mizzou and Texas A&M no longer there. There are no excuses for for it. OU has already lost 3 games this year. And this is with Texas still a .500 type of teams and OSU down this year. And 2 of those losses have come at home, with one blowout loss. Tell me where you think this is the same OU team as we've seen in Stoops past 14 years. I don't care how good of a coach you are or were, there comes a time when things get stale and it's time to move on. This happens for every coach out there. It happened for Meyer at Florida, so he moved on to greener pastures. I promise you it will happen to Saban if he stays at Bama long enough. Luckily for Saban he usually doesn't stay at one program long enough for things to get stale. But it happens to everybody. Personally, I think Stoops should be given one more year to turn things around. If he doesn't I believe he should move on. He makes terrible mistakes of hiring friends and relatives to coach for him. His brother is doing a lousy job, and can't get a grasp of these new Big 12 offenses or the 3-4 defense that he's running now. And our OC Huepel is terrible, but he's probably not going anywhere because he's married to Boren's daughter. So I'll give him one more year. If some changes aren't made and they continue on the same road they are on, I believe he should leave.
Florida will beat Fla St
I think Stoops retires, if anything. Since there is not a national move to get rid of him, OU will stay with him for one more year. As far as Florida is concerned, a major rebuilding and recruiting project await them. Georgia, Missouri, and South Carolina are still way ahead of them. Even Tennessee is showing signs of improvment. Recruiting against Florida State and Miami in state, and the rest of the SEC, is going to be difficult, to say the least.
As far as who takes his place is concerned, I doubt that Dan Mullen makes a move. He has a great situation at Miss. State, where expectations are not sky high, as they always are at Florida. Butch Jones will not leave Tennessee for Florida. Personally I would throw a bunch of green at Northwestern HC Pat Fitzgerald, who has a 59-52 record at downtrodden Northwestern as of today. If he can make winners out of those players, he could do wonders at Florida, where academics is just a word in a dictionary.
As far as who takes his place is concerned, I doubt that Dan Mullen makes a move. He has a great situation at Miss. State, where expectations are not sky high, as they always are at Florida. Butch Jones will not leave Tennessee for Florida. Personally I would throw a bunch of green at Northwestern HC Pat Fitzgerald, who has a 59-52 record at downtrodden Northwestern as of today. If he can make winners out of those players, he could do wonders at Florida, where academics is just a word in a dictionary.
Not likely, IMO. But, I would gladly welcome aboard Muschamp at SCar as Def. Coordinator and boot Whammy out...Please please please.
It is hard as hell to grab the big names from the big schools. It simply doesn't happen very often. I don't know why they don't go after some of these small conference coaches like Ole Miss did with Freeze. There are some great prospects out there like Justin Fuente and Jim McElwain. Both terrific young coaches. I would hire both of these guys without blinking an eye over a Butch Jones or Mullen.
I was thinking the same thing for OU. I think Muschamp would be a great hire for DC. Trouble is Stoops is loyal to a T. He'll never get rid of family. Some of these guys who were terrible head coaches, people forget how good of a coordinator they were. Lane Kiffin is the best OC in the business. But terrible as a HC. Saban's decision hiring him is looking pretty smart right now.
McElwain is the best coach available at a non-power conference school. He's going to win big somewhere. He's an outstanding coach.
I think FL will make a run at someone like Freeze, but I think ultimately that coach stays. They could do a hell of a lot worse than McElwain, that's for sure.
Agreed.
