Will Muschamp Could Be An Interesting Option For South Carolina

South Carolina is hiring a head coach. The smoke is coalescing around Will Muschamp. His candidacy does not surprise. There were rumors about him last year going there as defensive coordinator or as head coach if Spurrier left. Though, his name will spark immediate, visceral reactions.

Muschamp flamed out at Florida. He got the Gators to an 11-1 regular season his second year in 2012. Then he went 10-13 the final two years, going 2-7 in one-score games. That included an embarrassing loss to Georgia Southern.

He is an excellent defensive coach. He was tremendous as a coordinator at multiple stops. His last three defenses at Florida ranked 4th, 15th, and 8th in S&P+. The defense he left Jim McElwain ranks 5th. His first coordinator hire, Dan Quinn, won a Super Bowl in Seattle and is now the Falcons’ head coach. His second, D.J. Durkin, is fresh off a stellar year at Michigan and is soon to be a head coach himself.

When Muschamp came back on the market to coach defense, interest from his SEC colleagues was fervent. Auburn shelled out big coordinator money to land him.

The trouble at Florida was offense. Muschamp is to blame, but not entirely. Urban Meyer left him a mess. Much has been written about the cultural issues. But, just considering talent, the offense was in a rough state.

Viable QB options were Jeff Brantley and freshmen (Driskel never developed, Brissett transferred). In retrospect, he had a young, gutted offensive line. He had non-entities at wide receiver, and a couple decent running backs. His 2011 offense had one player drafted in the first four rounds: TE Jordan Reed.

So, Muschamp inherited rot. His coordinators only compounded the problem. Charlie Weis was the first offensive coordinator. He left after a year to inflict himself on Kansas. Brent Pease from Boise State did not work out. Kurt Roper from Duke could not resolve the mess in a year.

His Florida tenure was Rich Rodriguez at Michigan in reverse, with an extra year. Bad coach or bad situation? The absolute first question interviewing Muschamp: what would you do differently on offense?

Muschamp may not be a perfect candidate. South Carolina is not a perfect job. We had it among our third tier jobs. The program’s profile has risen. Still, Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier, two national title winning coaches, struggled to build and sustain success there. It’s an uphill fight with Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Clemson functioning near full capacity. The present team is not turnkey. A no-brainer hire isn’t going there.

South Carolina’s options are dwindling. Kirby Smart seems bound for Georgia. Justin Fuente is going to Virginia Tech. Tom Herman opted to stay at Houston. Is SC enough of an upgrade over Mississippi State to pry away Dan Mullen? Do you go for Larry Fedora, who looked like he was on the hot seat at UNC until he caught lightning with a putrid schedule and a senior quarterback? How vengeful is Mark Richt feeling?

Maybe a chastened Muschamp can fashion a Top 10 defense, do enough on offense, and keep South Carolina competitive? It’s an interesting option. Well, the idea of it is interesting. Not sure it’s an experiment you want happening with your team.