The Florida Way.
When Will Muschamp came into the program, he lauded his approach to the program. He was staunch. It would be his way or the highway.
The Gators would learn how to be true Gators or they would be gone. He wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense.
After a 6-6 season, plenty of fans are wishing they were hitch-hiking on the highway right now.
But a fired-up, angry Muschamp unexpectedly gave some insight on why Florida fans may want to wait before they jump out the passenger seat after Saturday night’s 21-7 loss to Florida State.
Florida entered the season with just 71 scholarship players on the roster, not counting four walk-ons who were awarded scholarships during fall practice.
Part of that was by Muschamp’s own doing.
Before the season even began, five scholarship players had transferred. Another was unceremoniously kicked off the team. Three more transferred during the season.
Almost all of them left for “playing time,” but listening to Muschamp last night, it sure sounded like that was just a bit of PR on the part of Florida.
It’s no secret Florida’s team chemistry was terrible last season. Players on both sides of an upperclassmen-underclassmen rift have openly admitted that this season.
Players said prior to the season the chemistry was much better and guys were getting along. That’s easy to say when you haven’t really faced any adversity. And, on the surface, it’s not clear if that chemistry is actually any better after a frustrating 6-6 season and some outward signs there are still problems.
But there was at least one guy who was proactive in trying to build and foster that chemistry during the offseason. It wasn’t a veteran team leader who was sick of losing. It wasn’t an underclassman trying to carve out a role by impressing the coaching staff.
It was Will Muschamp.
His methods were a little unconventional, maybe. After all, nine scholarship players have left since he took over the program.
There’s little doubt that was by design, though. Muschamp was more revealing in his post-Florida State press conference than he has been at any point this season.
It wasn’t in talking about the players he has. It was in talking about the ones he no longer has.
“We’ve got to develop more discipline and toughness within what we’re trying to do, which I think we’ve made strides,” he said. “We ain’t got nobody missing practice no more.”
On the surface, the comment was innocent enough. But it was the way Muschamp said it that spoke volumes.
Everyone knows Florida is woefully short on bodies, particularly in the trenches. The first-year coach repeated emphatically last night the Gators simply don’t have the players to win right now.
He knew players transferring out of his program would leave him short on depth heading into his first season. Looking back, he didn’t do much to discourage it.
There are two ways that can be interpreted.
One is that Muschamp is naïve or inexperienced and didn’t realize how much that lack of depth would hurt him on the playing field in his first season.
The other is to give a guy who’s been around the SEC for a while the benefit of the doubt and assume he knew he would struggle as his depth dwindled.
If the latter is true, it’s a much more positive sign for the Gators.
It means Muschamp looked right into the heart of Florida’s problem and didn’t flinch. He saw chemistry issues and players who felt entitled and unwilling to work hard to get where the Gators needed to go.
He let them part ways. They weren’t going to do it the Florida Way.
While that has led to some short-term heartache for Florida fans, it’s a sign Muschamp has a clear goal in mind.
He said it when he came in. He wants a blue-collar, overachieving team.
So far, all he’s got is an underachieving team that has made fans hot under the collar.
But the foundation is in place. Muschamp’s blueprint has been put out for the entire Gator Nation to see. He’s had a year to go about changing the attitude on the team.
Now the real challenge begins.
Muschamp has to prove he can do it with his guys who will do it the Florida Way. That starts with getting enough of those guys on the roster.
In the end, few will care if he has a team of hard-working individuals doing it the Muschamp way.
The only thing that will matter is whether those players and this coach can churn out wins. The foundation is in place and the clock is ticking.
Time to start building again.