UF coaching reset: Will Muschamp, 2010

BMF

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THIS

Remember, Muschamp had considerable exposure due to his "HC in waiting" status at Texas. Even though he had zero HC experience he was seen as an "it" hire. It's a damn shame he could never solve the offense side of things. I loved his fire on the sidelines.

I think Mullen would have been a tough sell to UAA and fan base. All we knew about him at the time was he was a solid OC under one of the pre madonna (sp, seems like the right thing to do here) offensive minds in the game in Meyer. And I'm not sure he would have accomplished much as he needed time to grow into the HC role. I think there's a decent chance his tenure would have been 3-4 years as he figured things out, and if he wasn't able to accomplish what Meyer did he might have been shown the door anyway.

I don't necessarily agree that he was "the right hire". But he certainly was groomed to be a head coach and he would have been somewhere, even if UF had not hired him. But there's really no reason he couldn't have done what Kirby is doing at UGA. Instead, he came in and made the wrong OC hire (and repeated it)....and he meddled too much on that side of the ball. He was doomed from the start. Then he made excuses, blamed Meyer, acted like an *******, etc. I just think Foley panicked and then thought he was going to pull a Billy Donovan type hire w/ Muschamp and it failed. After Zook he should have known better.....
 

Durfish

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I don't necessarily agree that he was "the right hire". But he certainly was groomed to be a head coach and he would have been somewhere, even if UF had not hired him. But there's really no reason he couldn't have done what Kirby is doing at UGA. Instead, he came in and made the wrong OC hire (and repeated it)....and he meddled too much on that side of the ball. He was doomed from the start. Then he made excuses, blamed Meyer, acted like an *******, etc. I just think Foley panicked and then thought he was going to pull a Billy Donovan type hire w/ Muschamp and it failed. After Zook he should have known better.....
I agree with everything you said. My perspective on this was the hire without knowing what was to come (as it happened back then). I still think Mullen needed some "cureing" so to speak. Not entirely confident he could have done better than Champ without the opportunity to grow without the eyes of a fanbase and administration who are always looking for immediate results. And we are.
 

Swamp Donkey

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Instead, he came in and made the wrong OC hire (and repeated it)....and he meddled too much on that side of the ball. He was doomed from the start.
That was his best OC hire actually (as repulsive and incompetent as Cheeseburger is) and his best offense statistically to date. His fvkktarded insistence on Ray Goof Ugaball, his disdain for the forward pass, his belief that TOP wins games, and his belief that all the best athletes should play defense was always going to produce 100th ranked offenses after 100th ranked offense.
 
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GatorJB

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Gary Patterson was red hot, and that was prior to TCU joining the Big 12.

He or Chris Peterson were my top two hopeful coaches when the search went on in 2010 and then again in 2014. I think either of those guys would have been successful here.
 

GatorInGeorgia

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Patterson and Chris Peterson like Sas said, or maybe Whittingham. Those 3 come to mind without having gone back and researched the full slate of candidates back then.
 

78

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What I find interesting is no one being able to come forward seven years later, in hindsight, and declare an obvious better (and gettable) choice. Petersen doesn't count as gettable. He was never coming here.
 

MJMGator

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What I find interesting is no one being able to come forward seven years later, in hindsight, and declare an obvious better (and gettable) choice. Petersen doesn't count as gettable. He was never coming here.
He was the hot name in the coordinator ranks, so most thought he was the right hire at the time. I think I’ve learned my lesson on hiring coordinators as head coaches...let someone else train them first.
 

Swamp Donkey

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He was the hot name in the coordinator ranks, so most thought he was the right hire at the time. I think I’ve learned my lesson on hiring coordinators as head coaches...let someone else train them first.
That's so stupid.

How has Oklohoma done with hiring coordinators?

Most fail. I can list dozens of failed UF coaches who were former head coaches.

The lesson should be not to hire TERRIBLE coordinators. Or people that Saban demoted from DC to position coach then encouraged to leave. Saban doesn't let the good ones get hired away.
 

78

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That's so stupid.

How has Oklohoma done with hiring coordinators?

Most fail. I can list dozens of failed UF coaches who were former head coaches.

The lesson should be not to hire TERRIBLE coordinators. Or people that Saban demoted from DC to position coach then encouraged to leave. Saban doesn't let the good ones get hired away.
They've all been hired away.
 

t-gator

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What I find interesting is no one being able to come forward seven years later, in hindsight, and declare an obvious better (and gettable) choice. Petersen doesn't count as gettable. He was never coming here.
I disagree. He flirted with us back then. We were a completely different job back then.
 

t-gator

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He was the hot name in the coordinator ranks, so most thought he was the right hire at the time. I think I’ve learned my lesson on hiring coordinators as head coaches...let someone else train them first.
He was the defensive coordinator of the worst Texas team this century. Man i was pissed when we hired muschamp. Him being a coordinator has nothing to do with it.
 

soflagator

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Well assuming I was AD in 2010, I was also AD in 2009. In that scenario, I would’ve a) had a real list of current candidates rather than just saying so to make myself seem smart...and b) would’ve seen that Meyer had zero long term objective at UF, and would’ve immediately reached out to Strong before he officially became entrenched at Louisville—meaning Meyer never unsteps down.

Now, I’m not certain, or really even suggesting, that Strong would be the right guy. But hired/promoted then would’ve immediately stopped or prevented any bleeding from a recruiting standpoint. In addition, he would’ve inherited a solid roster, so we could at least have had a clear answer about his abilities with no excuses. If he works out, great. If not, I immediately start looking at next options, which would by then include Franklin, Mullen, Patterson or whoever.

In short, I would never have allowed the staining of the UF brand from events like the 2010 train wreck, the hiring of Muschamp, or the settling for McElwain.
 

InstiGATOR1

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If you could go back in a time bubble with the aid of hindsight, who would you have selected to replace Urban Meyer in 2010 instead of Will Muschamp and how might that have changed the trajectory of Florida football over the past seven years?

Let's try and make this at least somewhat realistic. In other words, who was available at the time and who could we have realistically considered in place of Muschamp?

James Franklin? (bit of a stretch)
Steve Spurrier? (too old?)
Kyle Whittingham?
Dan Mullen? (unpopular)
Etc., etc., etc.

Certainly sometime in the last 15 years UF should have hired Spurrier, but alas the staff at the UF UAA like the FBI and Justice Department in the recent election thought it was all about them. So that was not going to happen.

So if UF was going to end up with Mullen anyway, UF should have hired him in 2010 or 2013 or 2014. Then by now we would know about Mullen at UF. But instead, the UAA lead by Foley went with several delaying tactics and UF is 7 years later just beginning the Mullen experiement.
 

-THE DUDE-

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I always said Mullen would be a good fit of for no other reason than a very smooth transition from Meyer. There were others I'd rather have had but Mullen was best in my mind of who we actually could get and that would fit in nicely. Sure Mullen would not have been popular but in my view he would have been way above muscrap who wouldn't have even made my list
 

Durty South Swamp

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I've never mentioned this before on the board, but I have a good friend who worked in the football office for years under Spurrier. She was very close with him and the family and spent plenty of time with them outside the office over the years. I can't divulge what she told me about the whole foley fiasco because for years she would never say anything when questioned but about 3 years ago she opened up to me about it under the strict pretense that I never reveal a word of what she said.

So... I can't provide anything of substance, and for that reason feel free to disregard if you so desire, but what I can say is that the information she revealed about foley and his actions regarding Spurrier and the HC job were pretty shocking. There's a big part of behind the scenes foley that noone here knows about and that would shock even the most died in the wool foley bashers. Bottom line, foley was one supremely arrogant, narcissistic POS to the point of mortally damaging the football program just to spite SOS. To this day, my friend is so disgusted with foley, she won't even say his name.
 

Swamp Donkey

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Bottom line, foley was one supremely arrogant, narcissistic POS to the point of mortally damaging the football program just to spite SOS. To this day, my friend is so disgusted with foley, she won't even say his name.
Consistent w what my friend on the inside. To be fair, he said SOS was pretty arrogant too, though nothing compared to CUM and Butters. My friend isnt the type who just hated every boss btw.
 

Swamp Donkey

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They've all been hired away.
He kept smart for years and paid him record breaking salaries.

He demoted Chimp, invited Nusschump to leave, let Butters go to the WAC and didnt offer the OC (or position coach) coach it was open this year. Didnt fight to keep Pruitt this year.

Yeah, I think we can use his assessments pretty reliably.
 

Durty South Swamp

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Consistent w what my friend on the inside. To be fair, he said SOS was pretty arrogant too, though nothing compared to CUM and Butters. My friend isnt the type who just hated every boss btw.
My friend always had good things to say about Steve. He would go out of his way to do kind things for the staff, knew everyone's name or nickname (that he gave them) and would joke and tease people in a good-natured way all the time. But just like any other top notch coach, there is an arrogance that is pernicious... just part of the character type.
 

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