Muschamp out at Florida: Who’s going to take over?

Will Muschamp has been fired as the head coach of Florida, the school announced on Sunday.

After a terrible 2013, it was always going to be difficult for Will Muschamp in 2014. After getting blown out at home to Missouri, it looked as though Muschamp might be fired a few weeks ago. However, a shocking win over Georgia and a win over Vanderbilt seemed to buy the Gator boss sometime….until everything unravelled at home to South Carolina on Saturday, when the Gators lost 23-20 in overtime in a game they should have won.

Although he will stay at The Swamp for the last two games of the season, Muschamp’s services will not be retained after that – although there will be one bonus for getting fired — Florida’s buying out of his $6.3m contract.

All season long Florida’s offense has been awful, not helped by Muschamp’s decision to keep on with quarterback Jeff Driskel despite everyone calling for a change at the position (Freshman star Treon Harris took over and has been a lot more successful)

So who’s going to take over?

– The name of Dan Mullen, the Mississippi State head coach who was previously offensive co-ordinator at Florida is going to be discussed a lot – but we think after the incredible season the Bulldogs are having, it’s unlikely he’ll leave.

– If Florida needs an offense (which it does), then making a call to Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez might be a pretty great option. Rodriguez has had a great season at Arizona thus far – way beyond the fanbase’s expectaions, and he’s well-known as an offensive genius. He’s also an excellent recruiter. The biggest issue for Rodriguez may be his last job at a big-time school, when he coached Michigan from 2008-2010. He not only had problems with rules violations, but the Wolverines were a problem ON the field too, compiling a 15-22 record. Could he cope with the SEC?

– Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops  has also been discussed, although will Florida fans really be excited about a coach who has endured a disappointing 2014 in a year where he was expected to go unbeaten and be the No.1 seed going into the College Football Playoff?

– Baylor coach Art Briles would be wonderful for Florida fans who get off on great offense, but after Briles refused to take the Texas job (despite a lot of money being offered to him), does anyone think he’ll make the move to Florida? We don’t!

So, we’d like to throw over some names that the Gators might consider…

– Clemson offensive co-ordinator Chad Morris. Recent alumni includes NFL rookie star Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, and his offensive schemes have been excellent. DeSean Watson’s going to be fantastic next year (if he stays fit). He can put up the points, and he’s exciting. Don’t look at 2014 and start saying “Morris isn’t a good OC”, folks. He lost a lot of talent last year.

– Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers head coach. Used to dealing with huge pressures, and had a solid college coaching career at Stanford. He’s one of the reasons why the Cardinal has had a renaissance over the years….despite the fact he’s in the NFL. He also knows how to coach offenses, having been a NFL QB himself.

– Alabama defensive co-ordinator Kirby Smart. He can recruit big, and more’s the case, he’s been mentored by a college football great in Nick Saban. And he’s used to winning. Plus, Georgia fans are already talking about him as a possible replacement for Mark Richt.