Will Muschamp

Head Coach – 3rd Season

Official Website

When athletic director Jeremy Foley began his search for the University of Florida’s next head football coach, he knew exactly what he was looking for in a coach: someone familiar with the Southeastern Conference, a coach who had competed on the big stage, a relentless recruiter who was familiar with the state of Florida and the SEC and someone with energy and passion. From the very beginning, the search honed in on one person and on December 11, 2010, former Gainesville native Will Muschamp was introduced by Foley as the 23rd head coach in Florida football history.

“It was very, very clear early on that this was the guy we wanted to bring to Gainesville to lead our football program and build on the wonderful foundation that’s been left here by Urban Meyer,’ said Foley at Muschamp’s introductory press conference.

Muschamp, 42, came to UF after being the coach-in-waiting and defensive coordinator at the University of Texas since November 2008. He brought 16 years of coaching experience with him, including 12 years in the SEC, eight as a coach and four as a player at the University of Georgia. Muschamp also served as defensive coordinator at Auburn University (2006-07) and LSU (2002-04; he was LSU’s linebackers coach in 2001) and was a finalist for the 2007 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. The son of a football coach, he turned down appointments at West Point and Annapolis to become a four-year letterman as a safety at the University of Georgia from 1991-94, where he was voted defensive co-captain as a senior.

“This is a dream come true to be the head coach of the Florida Gators,” said Muschamp, who spent 10 years of his childhood living on 27th Street in this city. “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.”

Not only did Muschamp, a highly-respected coach among both his peers and his players, bring collegiate and National Football League experience back to Gainesville, he also brought a wealth of big-game experience. Prior to arriving at Florida, he coached in two national championship games, winning the ultimate prize in 2003 as the defensive coordinator at LSU, and coached in a third BCS bowl game following the 2008 season, when Texas won the Fiesta Bowl. In addition to his national championship past, Muschamp has coached in the SEC Championship Game twice and in the Big 12 Championship Game once, coming out on the winning side in each of those three contests.

After a 7-6 record in his first season at Florida, Muschamp led the Gators to one of the nation’s top turnarounds in year two, finishing 11-2 and playing in a BCS bowl game. Florida improved from a 6-6 regular season in 2011 to an 11-1 regular season in 2012, which marked the biggest one-year leap for the program in 32 years (0-10-1 in 1979, 7-4 regular season in 1980). Muschamp became the only head coach at a BCS-conference school to win 11 regular-season games in their second season after finishing .500 or below the previous regular season in records dating back to 1996. In addition, the Gators finished 7-1 in the SEC East, tying for the division crown, a year after posting a 3-5 record in the conference. Florida defeated three top-10 opponents for just the second time in school history. Muschamp was named the SEC Coach of the Year by CBSSports.com, and was also voted as the SEC Coach of the Year by the league's coaches.

After not being ranked in the final polls in each of the last two seasons, the Gators finished No. 3 in the final regular-season BCS standings, the third highest finish in school history and ranked in the top 10 in both the final Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches’ Poll. UF won 11 games for just the sixth time in school history, won four of five games against the final BCS top-12 teams and defeated seven bowl eligible teams in what ranked as the toughest schedule in the nation according to the NCAA.

The formula for the Gators success was to take care of the football, control both lines of scrimmage, finish games, have outstanding special teams and a physical defense. The Florida defense continued to be one of the nation’s best in 2012, ranking fifth nationally in scoring defense (14.5 points per game) and total defense (287.5 yards per game). UF’s rush defense improved dramatically from year one, limiting opponents to just 94.9 rushing yards per game after allowing 132.7 yards per game in 2011. The secondary also shut down the opposition, ranking as the nation’s No. 2 pass efficiency defense (95.55) and allowing just seven touchdown passes, the second-fewest in the nation.

A year after being outscored 86-59 in the fourth quarter, UF posted a 128-32 edge in the final quarter in 2012. That led to a 5-1 record in games decided by one score or less and matching a school-record eight come-from-behind wins. UF improved from -12 in turnover margin to +15 and ranked seventh nationally. Punter Kyle Christy set a school record for average yards per punt, placekicker Caleb Sturgis finished his career as Florida’s leader in career field goals made and the special teams unit blocked six kicks in the last eight games.

Muschamp’s first season in Gainesville produced the school’s 24th-consecutive winning season and its 32nd-consecutive season of .500 football or better, the longest streaks in the nation. With the victory over Ohio State in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, UF established a school record with its fourth-straight bowl win. Muschamp’s first squad will go down as one of the youngest in school history: 15 true freshmen and 52 underclassmen saw action – the second most in school history.

UF finished 2011 with 72 scholarship players, including four walk-ons who were awarded scholarships in August prior to start of the season. The Gators opened fall camp with just nine scholarship seniors.

Despite returning 37 combined starts on the defensive side of the ball, the fewest in the SEC, Muschamp’s defense ranked second in the nation in third down conversion defense (.273) – the best national ranking in school history. Florida allowed just 166.8 yards per game passing to rank seventh nationally and permitted just 299.5 yards per game to rank eighth nationally.

In his five seasons as an SEC defensive coordinator, Muschamp’s defenses ranked among the nation’s top 10 in total defense every single year, while always maintaining a top-15 rating in scoring defense, including three times inside the top 10.

In four of his eight seasons overall as a Division I defensive coordinator, the high-energy coach’s team has allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game and has twice led the nation in rushing defense while yielding less than 75 rushing yards per game. His 2003 LSU defense led the country by allowing 67 yards per game on the ground, the best mark by an SEC team in the 2000s, while Texas gave up just 73.1 yards on the ground in 2009 to pace the nation.

From 2008-10 under Muschamp’s guidance, the Texas defense ranked No. 1 in the nation with 119 sacks for 949 yards lost. His unit also ranked in the top-10 nationally during the same time frame in several other major categories, allowing 2.9 yards per rushing attempt (third), 96.7 rushing yards per game (fourth), 297.4 yards per game (seventh), all of which are Big 12 bests during that span. He also helped the Longhorns’ defense to top-20 rankings during his tenure at Texas, with 650 first downs allowed (18th) and a 114.3 pass efficiency defense (20th).

In 2009, the Texas Longhorns advanced to the BCS National Championship Game as Muschamp’s charges gave up just 73.1 rushing yards per game, the best figure by any BCS school from 2008-10. The Longhorns also led the nation in 2009 in third-down defense (26.5 percent), turnovers created (37, tied with Ohio University) and interceptions (25) as Texas claimed the Big 12 championship in 2009.

Under Muschamp’s tutelage at Texas, Brian Orakpo claimed the 2008 Rotary Lombardi Award (lineman of the year), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (most outstanding defensive player) and Ted Hendricks Award (top defensive end), while the Longhorns’ defense saw Sergio Kindle become the first player in college football history to be named a finalist for both the Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker) and the Hendricks Award. Earl Thomas also earned finalist honors for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2009.

In the 2009 and 2010 NFL Drafts, Muschamp had a combined eight players drafted, including seven in the first four rounds and two first-rounders in Orakpo and Thomas.

In a two-year stint as the defensive coordinator at Auburn from 2006-07, Muschamp’s defense ranked third in the nation in scoring defense (15.4 points per game) and fourth in the nation pass defense (170.7 pass yards per game). During the same time frame, Auburn ranked third in the SEC in total defense by holding opponents to 295.1 yards per game.

Muschamp’s first full-time coaching experience in the SEC came at LSU as the linebackers coach for one season before being elevated to defensive coordinator from 2002-04. His 2003 defense helped the Tigers to the national championship by leading the nation both in scoring defense (11.0 points per game) and total defense (252.0 yards per game), while finishing second nationally in pass efficiency defense (89.8) and third in rushing defense (67.0 yards per game). The Tigers allowed just 19 touchdowns all season in 2003, three less than the next closest competitor nationally.

Between his positions at LSU and Auburn, Muschamp spent a season with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in 2005 as Assistant Head Coach for Defense. He helped the Dolphins finish second in the league with 49 sacks, while leading Miami to top-10 finishes with 4.7 yards per play (seventh), 3.7 yards per rush (seventh) and 6.0 yards per pass (ninth).

The 1994 graduate of the University of Georgia moved immediately into coaching following his collegiate playing career, working as a graduate assistant at Auburn from 1995-96, earning his master’s degree in 1996. He became a secondary coach at West Georgia (1998) and Eastern Kentucky (1999) before moving on to his first defensive coordinator position at Valdosta State for the 2000 season, where he helped the Blazers to a 10-2 record and the Gulf South Conference championship with an 8-1 league mark.

In his playing career at Georgia, Muschamp earned his way from walk-on to scholarship player by the spring of his redshirt freshman season and eventually was named co-captain for his senior season. He also earned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1993.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

NFL Players drafted under Muschamp

Personal information

• Birthdate: August 3, 1971
• Hometown: Rome, Ga.
• Education: 1994 - Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia; 1996 - Master’s Degree from Auburn
• Family: Married to Carol Muschamp (formerly Davis); Has two sons: Jackson and Whit

BOWL GAMES AS A COACH

BOWL GAMES AS A PLAYER

MUSCHAMP NOTABLES

• He is the third-youngest head coach in the SEC (James Franklin and Dan Mullen are both 41)
• Had a 17-inch steel rod inserted in his leg after breaking his tibia and fibula as a junior on his high school baseball team; Keeps the steel rod in a shadowbox in his office to remind players about overcoming adversity
• Visited Florida as a senior in high school in hopes of earning a chance to walk on to the football team
• Father, Larry, played football at North Carolina and later coached football in Rome, Ga., at the Darlington School
• Oldest brother, Mike, played football at Duke and is now a high school coach in Atlanta, Ga., at the Lovett School
• Older brother, Pat, was an offensive lineman at West Point
• Was on LSU staff with Jimbo Fisher and Derek Dooley under Nick Saban
• Was awarded a scholarship at Georgia in the spring of his redshirt freshman season
• Was teammates with Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart at Georgia
• Also was on same staff with Smart at Valdosta State
• Graduated from Darlington High School in Georgia, lettering in football (four years), track (four years), baseball (four years) and basketball (three years)