With defensive coordinator Will Muschamp set to be a target for some of the nation‘s top programs, Texas has made quite the pre-emptive strike by giving Muschamp a raise and naming him as the head coach-in-waiting.
Muschamp has been mentioned as a candidate for the head coaching vacancies at Clemson, Tennessee, and Washington, and there’s a good chance he’d have been in the conversation if a vacancy opened up at Auburn.
It’s a smart move, because Mack Brown has handpicked his successor, and in doing so, taken an in-demand coach off of the market. All it takes to secure Muschamp and the program’s future is the new title, which comes with the added perk of double his current salary ($425,000 to $900,000) come January.
The 37-year old Muschamp is on his fourth job in five seasons, but it’s certainly not for a lack of success. From Baton Rouge (with LSU from 2001-04), to Miami (with the Dolphins in 2005), to Auburn (2006-07), and now to Austin, he’s made his mark as one of the top defensive coaches in the game.
In his first season at Texas, the Longhorns’ defense has improved across the board from 2007, when the defense fell off after Gene Chizik left to be head coach at Iowa State.
Texas’ defense is allowing 19.5 points and 348.5 yards per game, numbers that aren’t spectacular but are certainly marked improvements on last year’s numbers. They’re led by a run defense that is 4th in the nation (82.5 yards allowed per game) and a pass rush that‘s second in the nation with 38 sacks.
So, securing his services for the long term can only be a good thing for Texas, right? This announcement also has great recruiting implications, because they’ll be able to get acquainted with the current head coach and the future head coach. Score one for security, though it’s not like Texas needed anything else to swing top recruits.
However, some may point to the fact that Muschamp hasn’t been a head coach before and that no shortage of candidates would line up for the job when it becomes available, some of whom might carry more head coaching qualifications than Muschamp. There might also be a few people who’d prefer that a certain baby-faced former QB/current assistant coach get his shot.
Also, there is no timetable on when Brown will retire. Brown will likely hit the 200-win mark next season (he’s at 189 now), and he’s only 57, so he might have several years ahead of him. With that in mind, there might be concern about Muschamp getting antsy and wanting to try his hand at a head job elsewhere.
You can imagine that there are clauses written into his new contract that will come into effect if either party decides to go in a different direction, so Texas will end up with a great coach, no matter what, and Muschamp will end up with a great job, no matter what.
For what it’s worth, Bob Stoops went straight from defensive coordinator to coach at Oklahoma, and that’s turned out pretty well, hasn’t it? Muschamp is getting the interest he is for a reason, and all the same, there’s a reason why Texas made the decision to tie him up. Being a successful defensive coordinator at the places – at a relatively young age – trumps more than a few resumes out there.
And on his end, I don’t see him going anywhere. Going to Clemson, Tennessee, or even Auburn would net him a huge salary and a chance to coach at a top program, but he doesn‘t need the money, and Texas > Auburn/Clemson/Tennessee. He’s now in line for a job that many can only dream of, and if he keeps churning out good defenses, this could be a better hire than any of those schools wind up making in the next few weeks and months.
To see the initial reactions at some of the top Texas blogs, check out these Muschamp-related posts on Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival.
