Quote:
Originally Posted by WVRed
I understand Muschamp was the "coach in waiting", but Texas took a major step backward this year and a lot of heat could be applied to Mack Brown for that. If Texas continues into a downward spiral, Mack Brown and his entire coaching staff (Muschamp included) could have been on the way out.
To me its more of a "get out now" type of deal for Muschamp. He knows that something is wrong in Austin and decided to jump ship. He was courted by Tennessee last season and turned it down. That should say something.
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If Mack Brown is in trouble, that was incentive for Muschamp to stay, not leave. As I remember it, Muschamp's contract was the typical head-coach-in-waiting deal: (1) You will be the successor when the head coach's job comes open for whatever reason. (2) If we decide not to give you the job when it comes open, you will receive a trainload of cash.
I'm sure there were caveats for exceptional circumstances, but the whole point of those deals is to encourage the HCIW to stick around until it's time. If Texas could clean house without giving Muschamp the job or the money, then the HCIW deal wouldn't have been worth the paper it was written on.
And anyway, not taking the Tennessee job last year was just good sense for any coach who felt secure in his profession. It's been a good job and it will be a good job again (although Florida is still better in absolute terms due to recruiting base etc.), but the Vols were such a mess after Kiffin left, the rebuilding couldn't even get started until the crime-scene cleanup was finished.