Tag: Will Muschamp

Why Will Muschamp took reduced role on Georgia’s staff

Kirby Smart details Will Muschamp’s reasoning behind move to defensive analyst…

The Georgia Bulldogs’ sideline will look much differently this fall after multiple changes to the coaching staff this offseason.

The biggest difference will be on the defensive side of the ball. Formerly co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, Will Muschamp has moved to defensive analyst, and Travaris Robinson has taken Muschamp’s role after coming over from Alabama.

We received some clarity on Muschamp’s move from head coach Kirby Smart last week as the Bulldogs continue spring practice.

“He spent a lot of time around young men in this profession, and he’s developed a lot of really good football players. He’s shaped a lot of boys into men. He’s got a lot of great relationships from the places he’s coached,” Smart said. “He spent a lot of time developing those kids, and he wants to be able to see his son. He wants to be able to watch his son develop and play. He got to see that firsthand with Jackson here who did a tremendous job for us. Every day coach Muschamp got to go on the practice field and be with his son.

Mushamp’s son, Jackson Muschamp, is set to graduate from UGA this spring. The walk-on quarterback had a poetic ending to his career in 2023, seeing his first collegiate action in Georgia’s Orange Bowl win versus Florida State.

Smart acknowledged that Will muschamp’s diminished role, in part, is due to his desire to be more involved with his younger son, Whit Muschamp, who is preparing for his freshman season at Vanderbilt.

“I can only imagine what that felt like for him and the satisfaction of seeing his son each day. Now he’s got Whit, who’s got an opportunity to go to Vanderbilt and play. He wants to be a factor in his life and be with him. That was a really easy transition. I thought he handled it very well. He communicated very well with me.”

The combination of Smart, Muschamp and co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann has one of the best, if not the best, defensive staffs in the sport. Smart knew he needed a hard hitter to take Muschamp’s place, and he found that in Robinson.

Robinson coached with Muschamp at Florida and South Carolina, bringing a similar mindset to Athens. He is also considered one of the best recruiters in college football.

“Our ability to hire T-Rob was tremendous. He’s got tons of value in our SEC footprint. Recruiting value, football knowledge, leader of men. Anywhere he’s coached, his players really, really trust him and enjoy him,” Smart said. “He’s been nothing but an asset for us in terms of knowledge but also in terms of relationships. We’ll get a great benefit from T-Rob coming, and we’ll get a huge benefit from coach Muschamp remaining part of our program to help us.”

Georgia will continue spring practice leading up to the annual G-Day scrimmage game on Saturday, April 13. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET, televised on SEC Network+.

Georgia football’s Will Muschamp takes significant pay cut

Georgia’s Will Muschamp took a significant pay cut after the Bulldogs added former Alabama cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson to the staff

The Georgia Bulldogs and head coach Kirby Smart added former Alabama Crimson Tide cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson following Nick Saban’s retirement. Robinson will serve as the safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator at Georgia.

Robinson is slated to make $1.3 million in 2024. Robinson will work with Georgia co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann. Georgia should have a strong defense this fall. The Bulldogs return several key defensive linemen from last season.

Robinson takes over Will Muschamp’s previous role. Muschamp, who is looking to spend more time with his family, will be a defensive analyst for the Georgia staff. As an analyst, Will Muschamp is taking a steep pay cut. He will make $50,000 in 2024 after making $855,000 last season. Muschamp previously coached with Robinson during his time at South Carolina.

Kirby Smart has put together another elite coaching staff for the 2024 season. Georgia has a great deal of continuity from the 2023 coaching staff. The only key coach to leave Georgia this offseason is Syracuse head coach Fran Brown, who was the defensive backs coach at Georgia.

Watch: Will Muschamp overjoyed after his son gets first down

Georgia co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp loved seeing his son, Jackson Muschamp, pick up a first down

Georgia Bulldogs co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was hyped up to see his son, Jackson Muschamp, pick up a first down late in the fourth quarter of the Georgia-Florida State game.

You may have missed the moment if you weren’t watching until the end of Georgia’s 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Quarterback Jackson Muschamp, a walk-on, converted a third-down late in the fourth quarter with a 14-yard rush against Florida State.

Jackson Muschamp, a junior, does not play much for Georgia. Muschamp primarily helps the starting defense prepare for opponents as a member of the Georgia scout team.

Will Muschamp was fired up to see his son get a first down on the first carry of his college career.

Will Muschamp’s reaction to his son picking up a first down is what college football is all about. Will Muschamp played at Georgia back in the day and it is very special for him to see his son play for the Bulldogs. Muschamp’s celebration is a moment of pure joy.

Georgia DCs Will Muschamp, Glenn Schumann ranked No. 4 among top CFB coordinators

Muschamp & Schumann are listed among the top DCs in CFB

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top defensive coordinators in college football with Georgia’s duo of Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann coming in at No. 4 on the list.

“Eight players from Georgia’s historic 2021 defense were selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, five of whom went in the first round. Not only that but the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator that year, Dan Lanning, was hired as the head coach at Oregon. Despite that massive turnover, Georgia’s defense was still sixth in the Power Five in terms of EPA per play. Schumann and Muschamp may share the title of defensive coordinator, but it was Schumann who called the plays in 2022, according to ESPN’s Chris Low.”

Head coach Kirby Smart brought then 25-year-old Schumann to Athens as an assistant shortly after taking the job in 2016. Schumann had yet to serve as a on-the-field coach prior to the move to Georgia.

Schumann went from inside linebackers coach to co-defensive coordinator paired with former Bulldog Will Muschamp after the departure of Dan Lanning to Oregon ahead of the 2022 season.

Muschamp joined the staff shortly after the 2020 season as a defensive analyst and eventually transitioned to special teams coordinator that year after Scott Cochran took time away from the team for personal reasons.

With Muschamp and Schumann at the helm in the 2022 national championship season, Georgia finished 10th in total defense, first in rush defense and and fifth in scoring defense.

The Bulldogs rewarded Schumann with a salary boost this offseason of over $805,000 to raise his number to $1.9 million annually. Muschamp is still drawing funds from his prior contract as South Carolina’s head coach.

 

 

 

Do you know who Florida’s highest-rated recruit of the last decade is?

This former Gator was the second-highest-ranked prep prospect overall in the 2015 recruiting cycle.

Once upon a time, the University of Florida was a premiere destination for the top prep talent in the nation. Unfortunately, those days are now in the distant past but first-year head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is hell-bent on getting the Gators back to that promised land.

The peaks of the program came under [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] and [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag], with [autotag]Ron Zook[/autotag] connecting the two tenures with some solid recruiting of his own. But after the drama that surrounded Meyer’s final year in Gainesville, Florida fans were dealt a string of letdowns that led to a difficult decade in the Swamp.

However, in the recruiting class split between the outgoing [autotag]Will Muschamp[/autotag] and the incoming [autotag]Jim McElwain[/autotag], the Orange and Blue landed one of the crown jewels of the 2015 cycle — five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Martez Ivey[/autotag], who was the No. 2 overall prospect in his class and the top-rated player over the past decade for Florida. Here is what 247Sports’ writer Cameron Salerno offered on the former standout, who held a .9991 grade.

Coming out of Apopka (Florida) High School, Ivey was ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2015 recruiting cycle by 247Sports. The player that was ranked ahead of Ivey was Trenton Thompson, who signed with SEC rival Georgia. After going undrafted during the 2019 NFL draft, Ivey signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent. He currently plays for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League.

Ivey was one of many disappointments to come out of Florida during the middle of the decade and his failure to follow through on his immense talent undoubtedly took its toll on McElwain’s efforts. It just goes to show that nothing is ever certain when it comes to sports recruiting.

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Florida football among schools in ‘7 coaches this century’ club

Take a look at the seven former Gators coaches and their stats, joining six other schools as the most since the turn of the century.

Things were going great during the 1990s under head coach [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag], who resuscitated the program after the scandal-marred decade of the 1980s. However, the stability the Head Ball Coach brought to the sidelines of the Swamp came to an abrupt end after the turn of the millennium when Florida’s golden boy left Gainesville for the then-named Washington Redskins.

Following a weird tenure by [autotag]Ron Zook[/autotag], Gator Nation found its savior in [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag], who led the Orange and Blue to two national titles — the highwater mark in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. However, once again, fate did not let the golden era last long. Meyer dealt with reported health issues that were allegedly tied to the stress of the job, ultimately leading to his departure.

Since then, a carousel of mediocrity has lasted more than a decade, with [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] up as the next contestant on “The Coach Is Right” show. Time will tell if he is the one to break the rut or if the cycle of coaches will continue.

Take a look below at the seven different head coaches that have walked the sidelines of the Swamp since the turn of the millennium, according to On3, making Florida one of six programs to have earned the notorious distinction.

Kirk Herbstreit, Will Muschamp hilariously exchange barbs ahead of Georgia/Ohio State game

Well, this is one way to get the Georgia/Ohio State buildup going.

Georgia assistant coach Will Muschamp and ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit exchanged what’s sure to be the funniest “controversy” of the week. During the media buildup to Georgia’s upcoming College Football Playoff tilt with Ohio State, Muschamp recalled his playing days with the Bulldogs and one particular game against the Buckeyes.

In the only meeting ever between the schools, Muschamp was a safety for Georgia, and Herbstreit was Ohio State’s quarterback. They squared off in the Florida Citrus Bowl.

The Bulldogs won that game on Jan. 1, 1993, with Saturday’s matchup coming just about 30 years to the day.

Muschamp threw a little harmless shade Herbstreit’s way looking back on how he knew that game would go the Bulldogs’ way.

Rather than just laugh off Muschamp’s Bulldog-friendly snark, Herbstreit channeled his inner Don Draper and claimed to not remember much about Muschamp at all.

To be fair to Herbstreit, he seems to be taking Muschamp’s trash talk in stride. After all, both of their alma mater’s are about to go head-to-head for the first time in three decades with a lot on the line.

We’ll see whether Muschamp or Herbstreit is the last man laughing after the Bulldogs face the Buckeyes for a spot in the national title game on Saturday. If it’s Ohio State, maybe Herby will offer to take Muschamp out to lunch.

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Billy Napier’s 2023 recruiting class has best blue-chip ratio since Urban Meyer

There’s a lot to be excited about in Hogtown as Napier and Co. haul in the best recruiting class in a dozen years according to the blue-chip ratio.

Florida football brought in one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory this week when the early signing period opened on Wednesday. Of the 20 members of the 2023 cycle who signed on with the Gators, 16 were four-star-rated prospects — which are included with five-star prospects in the blue-chip designation used in recruiting circles.

That 80% clue-chip ratio is the best that the program has achieved dating back to Urban Meyer’s final season in Gainesville, which resulted in an 85% blue-chip mark. In between these two points, the Orange and Blue saw some very lean years including a paltry 35% ratio in 2022.

So how does Billy Napier’s performance compare with his predecessors since Meyer? [autotag]Will Muschamp[/autotag], [autotag]Jim McElwain[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] had blue-chip ratios of 65%, 40% and 60%, respectively, during their first full year at the helm of the program.

Take a look below at how Florida football fared in each recruiting cycle dating back to 2010, per On3.

Dooley’s Dozen: Looking at Florida’s Las Vegas opponent, the Oregon State Beavers

Here’s everything you need to know about the Oregon State Beavers ahead of the Las Vegas Bowl according to Pat Dooley.

The good news for Florida’s football team is that the Gators are going to a bowl game, sparing themselves the embarrassments of 2013 ([autotag]Will Muschamp[/autotag]’s 4-8 season) and 2017 ([autotag]Jim McElwain[/autotag]’s short season).

The bad news is that Florida drew a team that won its last three games, has a chance to win 10 games for only the third time in school history and is a bad match-up for a depleted Florida team.

Eh, it beats not being in a bowl said Florida fans to Miami and Texas A&M fans.

And it is Vegas baby. Considering that Florida comes in without a quarterback and with two straight losses, maybe it’s best that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Still, here we go for the last time in the 2022 football season, 12 things you need to know about… the Oregon State Beavers (9-3, 5-3 Pac-12).

Dooley’s Dozen: Midseason grades for Florida football’s 2022 campaign

Pat Dooley dishes out his midseason grades for Florida football ranging from the top of the program to the fanbase.

It is a little more than halfway through the 2022 Florida football season and we still don’t know where it is going.

The Gators have five games remaining and you hope for a sixth but they have to win twice to become bowl eligible. There was a time when worrying about making a lower-tiered bowl game was never even thought about.

But that was before [autotag]Will Muschamp[/autotag] and [autotag]Jim McElwain[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag]. And now [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag].

Since [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] left, Florida has zero SEC titles, a .623 winning percentage and a pedestrian .548 winning percentage in SEC games.

However, we cannot worry about the past, just learn from it. Where is this new incarnation going? It’s an unscripted game so your guess is as good as anyone’s.

All we know is that we are seven games in and have an open week, so that means it is time for a special bonus edition of the Dooley’s Dozen. Today, it’s the 12 13 mid-season grades for Florida football at the halfway mark.