Will Muschamp

William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is the current defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida from 2011 to 2014 and at the University of South Carolina from 2016 to 2020.

In his second season as defensive coordinator at Auburn, in 2007, Muschamp was a finalist for the Broyles Award for the most outstanding assistant coach in college football. Before he accepted the position of coach for Florida, the University of Texas announced that Muschamp would later succeed Mack Brown as head coach of the Longhorns designating him as the "head coach in waiting."

College career Muschamp attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. He walked on to the Georgia Bulldogs football team and played safety from 1991 to 1994. As an undergraduate, he was initiated into the Kappa Alpha Order (Gamma chapter) and also earned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1993. and played in two bowl games with the Bulldogs. Bulldogs quarterback Mike Bobo, who was Muschamp's college teammate, described him as "a hard worker. Very physical. Very intense." Muschamp graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in 1994.

Coaching career After graduating from Georgia, Muschamp became a graduate assistant coach at Auburn University, where he worked under defensive coordinators Wayne Hall and Bill Oliver in 1995 and 1996. He earned a master's degree in education from Auburn in 1996, then spent a season each at the University of West Georgia and Eastern Kentucky University as the defensive backs coach, before becoming the defensive coordinator at Valdosta State University in 2000. supervised a defense that ranked fifteenth in total defense in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed 19.8 points per game and 317.4 total yards per game during the 2005 NFL season. The unit also ranked second in the NFL with 49 quarterback sacks.

Auburn When the Auburn defensive coordinator position became available in January 2006, Muschamp took the opportunity to return to the college game. In 2006, Muschamp's first season at Auburn, the defense finished seventh among NCAA Division I-FBS teams in scoring defense, allowing only 21 touchdowns. In 2007, Auburn led the SEC in scoring defense and finished in the top 10 in four defensive categories, ranking 7th nationally in pass efficiency and 6th nationally in total defense, passing defense, and scoring defense among NCAA Division I-FBS teams.

Texas On January 3, 2008, Muschamp interviewed for the vacant co-defensive coordinator job for the University of Texas. The next day, he resigned from Auburn to accept the position with Texas. Muschamp was slated to receive a raise to $425,000 per year with a two-year, no buyout, contract at Auburn for 2008, which would have made him the highest-paid assistant coach in the SEC. Muschamp received a contract with a $425,000 annual salary at Texas, making him the highest-paid assistant coach in the Big 12.

On November 18, 2008, the University of Texas announced Muschamp would succeed Brown whenever he retired. They agreed in principle to increase Muschamp's salary to $900,000. There was no timetable set for Brown's departure, and both Brown and UT said they expected Brown to stay a long time. Fifty-nine-year-old Brown was under contract as head coach through 2016. After Brown's retirement Muschamp was supposed to get a five-year contract as the head coach.

In announcing the move the University of Texas said, "Muschamp's Longhorn defense is leading the Big 12 in rushing defense (82.5 ypg/25th NCAA) and scoring defense (19.5 ppg/25th NCAA). UT ranks second nationally with four sacks per game. The Horns have held all of their Big 12 opponents below their season scoring average and limited six foes to 14 points or less." but as a result of this deal decided instead to wait his turn at Texas, saying, "This is a special place. I think it is 'the' elite job in the country." Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls predicted this would be good for the program: "Muschamp's ascension conveys to fans and recruits that Texas values what it has now as one of the elite programs in the country and wants to maintain. This smart, bold move should bring coaching stability, sustained recruiting and possibly expanded recruiting into the Southeast and a continued framework for success."

Florida

On December 11, 2010, University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley named Muschamp to succeed Urban Meyer as the 23rd head coach of the Florida Gators football program.

Return to Auburn On December 12, 2014, a week after the end of the regular season, Muschamp became defensive coordinator for the Auburn Tigers. He agreed to a three-year deal with the Tigers that was worth between $1.6 million and $1.8 million annually. This deal made him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football. He became Auburn's fourth defensive coordinator in five years and replaced Ellis Johnson, who was fired the day after the Tigers' 55-44 loss to Alabama in November of the same year.

South Carolina On December 6, 2015, Muschamp was announced as the 34th head football coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Muschamp inherited a 3–9 team and went 6–7 in his first season as head coach of the Gamecocks.

In his second season at the helm, Muschamp improved to 9–4, including a 26–19 win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl. South Carolina's 5–3 conference record marked the program's first winning record in conference play since 2013 under then-head coach Steve Spurrier.

In his third season as head coach of the Gamecocks, Muschamp led South Carolina to a 7–5 regular season record. Muschamp's 22 wins through his first three seasons at South Carolina is the most among Gamecock head football coaches.

His fourth season came with one of the toughest schedules in the nation. South Carolina finished the season 4–8, although they did upset #3 Georgia on the road. After that season, his record was 26–25, and his 25 losses through his first four seasons is the most among Gamecock head football coaches.

South Carolina fired Muschamp during the 2020 football season on November 15 following a disappointing outing. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo replaced him as interim head coach with three games left in the season.

Georgia On February 3, 2021, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart announced that Muschamp had been hired as a defensive analyst. According to Smart, Muschamp would work with the defense and "help coach the coaches". However, Muschamp assumed the mantle of special teams coordinator prior to the start of the 2021 season after Scott Cochran, the incumbent special teams coordinator, stepped away for health-related reasons.

Following the departure of Dan Lanning to become the head coach of the Oregon Ducks, Muschamp was promoted to co-defensive coordinator of the Bulldogs, alongside Glenn Schumann. On January 10, 2022, the Bulldogs won the National Championship against the Alabama Crimson Tide. He won his second title with the Georgia coaching staff, and third overall, when they defeated TCU in the National Championship.

On January 13, 2024, Georgia announced that Muschamp would transition to an off-field analyst role to spend more time with his family. Travaris Robinson, who served on Muschamp's staff at Florida and South Carolina, was named as his replacement the same day.

Return to Texas On December 18, 2025, Texas announced that Muschamp would return to the program as its defensive coordinator, replacing Pete Kwiatkowski.

Personal life Muschamp's wife Carol (née Davis) is from Thomaston, Georgia. They have two sons, Jackson and Whit. His brother Mike Muschamp is the head football coach at The Lovett School in Atlanta; he led the team to a state championship in 2013.

Jackson is a walk-on backup quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs. Whit is a backup quarterback for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Head coaching record