MILLER REPORT: The search begins

Well, the seemingly inevitable has transpired. Florida has announced that it will part ways with head coach Will Muschamp after the season. I believe that nearly everyone would concede that UF gave Muschamp every possible opportunity to turn the program around. Some Gator fans felt Muschamp got way too much opportunity but this is where that loyalty should pay off. Candidates to replace Muschamp should feel warm and fuzzy about the effort of Florida and athletic director Jeremy Foley to stick with their beleaguered head coach as long as they did.

I am sure that there are those among the Gator Nation that are rejoicing in this moment because they wanted Will gone and the program turned over to somebody who could restore the Gators to their place among the college football elite. I am not rejoicing. This situation is sad. To me, it is always a little sad when a coach gets the ax no matter how frustrated I may have become with that coach. Entire families get uprooted. Friends get separated from friends. It would have been much better for all concerned for this to have worked out. It did not. Watching the collapse in the fourth quarter against South Carolina was like having a root canal and I believe wholeheartedly that it was the result of coaching philosophy. It was clearly time for something to change.

Well, change it has. And so the insanity begins. The coaching searches will take place. I say plural because there will actually be two searches. The real one that will lead to the hiring of a new Gator head coach and the public search that will play out over message boards and ESPN. Rumors will emerge pretty much daily. Everyone will “know someone” or “have contacts” who know what is really going on behind the scenes. Names will emerge and then be eliminated only to have new names emerge. Some of the names and rumors will be intentionally misleading to aid in the negotiations going on behind closed doors. I advise fans to roll with the punches.

Obviously, how many names and rumors pop up depends on how much time passes before Foley and Florida announce their hire. Timing becomes quite the variable in a situation like this one. The sooner a replacement can be announced the sooner some stability can be brought to the recruiting process. On the other hand, it is important to make the best possible hire and many of the potential candidates are still coaching teams right now either in college of the NFL. It might become necessary to wait for the guy you want to become available.

The usual list of suspects has been rolled out. Jon Gruden, Chip Kelly, Bob Stoops and Jim Harbaugh have been mentioned. I would imagine that feelers have been sent out to all four of these coaches already. I also think it is unlikely than any of them are going to be the next coach at Florida. Of the four, I actually thinks Stoops has the most likelihood. This might actually be the right time for Bob to change scenery. Other names are swirling around just outside that circle. Rich Rodriguez, Gary Patterson, Hugh Freeze and Dan Mullen. Personally, I think Mullen is likely to stay right where he is. Freeze could actually be interested in jumping to a program that has a better recruiting base than this current gig. Rodriguez has the Michigan debacle hanging over him but I really think that was more about Michigan than it was about Rich Rod and his offense would benefit from the speed and skill players that are available in the state of Florida. My concern here is that I’m not sure that Rich Rod, Patterson or Freeze is a big enough splash to salvage a critical recruiting class that has floundered badly throughout a second disastrous Gator season on the field.

In the end, even with the urgency that recruiting demands, I think it is far more important to hire the right coach than to it is to meet any perceived hiring deadline. Florida does not want to find themselves in the same situation Tennessee has struggled through for the last ten years. I would prefer Foley take all the time he needs to land the best possible replacement. Talent is important but coaching up that talent is even more important and success on the field at a school like Florida recruits itself. With the right hire, the Gators can be contenders again in as little as a year or two. There is a lot of talent on the roster already.

The only thing Gator fans can do at this point is strap on the seat belts and enjoy the ride. The next three to eight weeks promise to be quite interesting. Just embrace the thrill. Personally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Will Muschamp for all the he did for the program. Will took over a team that desperately needed discipline to be restored. He accomplished that goal. The players he leaves for the next coach are not only talented but they have been taught character and loyalty. Many of these players have commented on how much Muschamp taught them about being men and not just football players. That is to be commended and I thank Will for his dedication and hard work. I wish him and the rest of his staff the best in their future endeavors regardless of where they end up. Coaching can be a lucrative occupation but it is also stressful and often thankless and fickle. Good luck. May you and your families find a new home and happiness.