Will Muschamp faces a difficult task as a first-year coach in the Southeastern Conference, but the odds are stacked in his favor.
As his friend and second-year Tennessee head man Derek Dooley will attest to, taking over a program is a complex job.
“I could probably write a book on the first year,” Dooley said. “It’s trying to relay the expectations of everything you do, at every stage.”
A coaching switch does not happen in one swift movement. It takes place over and over again, at every level of team activity.
Spring practice. Summer program. Training camp. Weekly schedule. Weekend games. Every phase is a fresh start for a first-time coach.
“Even though a new coach right now would be about 7 or 8 months into his job, he’s really starting over as it relates to game week,” Dooley said. “I think that’s the biggest change your first year: taking every component over the course of 365 days and implementing how you want to do things.”
As Muschamp enters his next fresh start, he has a leg up on those who came before him.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier noted that Muschamp has the luxury of a top-tier talent base, something not usually present in situations that call for change. He specifically cited former coach Urban Meyer’s top-ranked recruiting class from 2009.
“I don’t know how many of those guys are still there, but they’ve certainly got a lot of good ball players, we all know that,” Spurrier said. “I think they’ll be a very strong team — hopefully not too strong — but they’ll have a good year.”
After leading what should have been a rebuilding Gamecocks team to a 7-4 record, Spurrier got the nod for SEC Coach of the Year in his first season at South Carolina.
Muschamp’s Gators may not have the talent of last year’s group, but it’s fair for fans to optimistically expect a Spurrier-esque season, at the least.
When Houston Nutt took over at Ole Miss in 2008, he was assuming the task of changing the entire mindset of a program that hadn’t put together a winning season in four years.
His plan? Eliminate penalties, take care of the ball and develop a familial attitude — things Muschamp has tried to do at Florida.
The adjustment was admittedly slower than Nutt anticipated, but a few critical early season wins, including the inception of Tim Tebow’s famous 2008 speech, really convinced his players to buy in.
With a brutal October schedule featuring matchups against LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia, Muschamp will have similar opportunities to score a galvanizing, statement victory. And even if he doesn’t, the memory of the 2008 national championship is only three years old.
If Nutt can take Ole Miss from 3-9 in 2007 to 8-4 in his opening season, then the sky should be the limit for Muschamp’s Gators.
Nutt’s results may represent an outlier, but first-year SEC coaches have fared well overall. Of the ten returners — Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is also entering his first year — only three failed to maintain or improve their team’s record in their inaugural season.
Of those three, only Bobby Petrino, whose depleted Arkansas team went from 8-4 to 5-7 upon his arrival, was more than a single win worse.
Pundits point to the schedule as a reason Muschamp won’t succeed, but Dan Mullen brought Mississippi State from 4-8 to 5-7 in his first year despite facing the nation’s most difficult slate.
Even Dooley expects Muschamp to have a big season, so much so that he opted not to counsel his close friend on the challenges that await him.
“Will doesn’t need my advice,” Dooley said. “He’s a great football coach, he’s been around a lot of great programs and he’s ready for the job. He doesn’t need any help from me, that’s for sure.”
Muschamp supporters expect a lot from him, and the situation he enters is as strong as any a new coach could ask for.
It’s on him to deliver.
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org.
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