When University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley hired Will
Muschamp to be the head coach of The Florida Gators football team, he
knew that he was getting a disciple of current Alabama Crimson Tide head
coach Nick Saban. From 2001 to 2004, Muschamp was Saban’s defensive
coordinator for The LSU Tigers as his stingy defense helped “The Bayou
Bengals” win The Bowl Championship Series Title in 2003. When Saban left
LSU in 2005 to become the head coach of The Miami Dolphins in The
National Football League, he took Muschamp along for the ride as his
defensive coordinator. Muschamp stayed with The Dolphins for one year
before he returned to the college ranks to become the defensive
coordinator for The Auburn Tigers. After leaving Auburn in 2008,
Muschamp became the defensive coordinator at The University of Texas. It
appeared that Muschamp would be a lifer in Austin, Texas as he was made
the head coach-in-waiting as he would wait in the wings once Texas head
coach Mack Brown would decide to retire. Once Foley was notified that
Meyer would not return to Florida in 2011, he set his sights on Muschamp
who was one of college football’s hottest commodities.
From day one it appeared to be a match made in heaven for Muschamp
and The Gators. Muschamp grew up in Gainesville, Florida which is the
epicenter of “Gator Nation”. Muschamp is one of the best recruiters in
college football and in The Southeastern Conference it is imperative
that you are able to recruit top-tier talent. The football facilities
that The Gators have are second to none in college football. Muschamp
also knows what it takes to win in The SEC. Aside from being a defensive
coordinator at Auburn and LSU, Muschamp was a walk-on safety for The
University of Georgia Bulldogs football team from 1991 to 1994.
Now Muschamp has brought that same intensity that he played with to
The Gators. Muschamp’s Gators have been one of the most penalized teams
in the nation, but they have become an angry team that plays with a ton
of passion and emotion.
The Gators finished 2011 with a record of 7-6. Florida was 0-5 last
season against teams that were ranked in the top 25 which included a
38-10 home loss to Alabama and Saban. Last season Florida was 20th in
the nation in scoring defense. This season The Gators enter the bowl
season third in the nation as they are only giving up 12.9 points per
contest. Only Alabama and The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are giving up
fewer points per game than The Gators as these two teams are preparing
to face off in The BCS Championship Game. Only The Florida State
Seminoles scored more than 20 points in a contest this season against
Muschamp’s tough defense.
As The Gators struggled against ranked opponents in 2011, they have
thrived in 2012 with a record of 4-1 which included a 44-11 beat down of
The South Carolina Gamecocks on October 20 at The Swamp in Gainesville.
The Gators are also 3-1 against teams that are currently in the top 10
of The BCS standings.
When Meyer left The Gators he didn’t leave an untalented team.
Muschamp has taken Meyer’s talent along with a pair of his top five
recruiting classes and he has The Gators back on the national spotlight.
Senior linebacker Jon Bostic, junior safety Matt Elam, junior defensive
tackle Shariff Floyd, and junior linebacker Jelani Jenkins could hear
their names called in the early rounds of next April’s NFL Draft as each
player has been vital in The Gators 11-win regular season. Muschamp’s
key recruit has been sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel. Driskel is a
clone of former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow who became a folk hero as
he helped The Gators win a pair of BCS Championships. At 6’4″, 237 lbs.,
Driskel is a dual-threat in the same mold as Tebow which has
immediately made him a fan favorite with Gator fans.
Muschamp may appear to be more intense than his mentor, but he is
fresh off of Saban Ave. In Saban’s first year at Alabama, The Tide went
6-6 in the regular season before they defeated The Colorado Buffaloes in
The Independence Bowl. In Muschamp’s first season with The Gators, the
team went 6-6 in the regular season before they defeated The Ohio State
Buckeyes in The Gator Bowl. In Saban’s second season with The Tide,
Alabama went 12-0 in the regular season before they lost to Florida in
The SEC Championship Game. Alabama would go on to lose to The Utah Utes
in The Sugar Bowl. The Gators didn’t make The SEC Championship this
season as their only loss was to Georgia which prevented them from
winning The SEC East and facing Alabama. Being that The Gators were
ranked fourth in The BCS Standings, they were able to move past Georgia
once The Bulldogs lost to The Tide in The SEC Championship Game. Just
like Saban’s Alabama team in 2008, Muschamp and his Gators are in New
Orleans as they are preparing to take on The Louisville Cardinals in The
Sugar Bowl.
From his first day in Gainesville, Muschamp has not
let his foot off of the throttle as he has been preaching intensity and a
commitment to excellence. Not only are The Gators now looking for the
school’s second Sugar Bowl victory since 2009, but they are hoping that a
victory over Louisville will be a catalyst to a top ten preseason
ranking for 2013 as well as Heisman hype for Driskel. Driskel sat back
and saw Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel win The Heisman
Trophy as a redshirt freshman. Driskel and The Gators defeated Manziel
A&M back in September at College Station to solidify that 2011 would
be special. Muschamp’s relentlessness has paid off as he has quickly
established himself as one of the top head coaches in college football
and he only appears to be scratching the surface.
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