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Three Names in an Envelope - South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is again in the market for a head football coach. Will Muschamp has been sacked after five years of consistently underwhelming on-the-field results.

Before jumping to the future, permit me to give a brief eulogy for Muschamp. He did do some good things in Columbia, including rebuilding a depleted roster, overseeing the construction of a sparkling new football operations building, and repairing relationships with South Carolina high school coaches. Also, his players stayed out of trouble and the team GPA improved. All good things.

But Will Muschamp was ultimately hired to win football games, and he didn’t do it. There were too many instances where his team seemed to be thinking “Oh, you mean we have a game today?” which resulted in painful and often head-scratching losses. Following Saturday night’s loss in Oxford, his Gamecock teams had lost 14 of their last 20 games. Frankly, Deebo Samuel and Brian Edwards won several games for Muschamp he would have lost otherwise. It’s also worth noting that he is the first Gamecock coach since Don McAlister (1935-1937) who had multiple opportunities against Clemson and failed to win at least once.

I do have some sympathy for Muschamp because he seems to be a likeable guy who wants to be a major college head football coach. But after two dismal tenures at Florida and South Carolina, I cannot see any Power Five school giving him the chance to lead a program again. Of course, I’m not feeling TOO sorry for him because he’s walking away with more money than I’ll make or spend in my lifetime.

So, on to the next guy – but who will that next guy be? It’s time to open up the “Three Names Envelope” for the Gamecocks. Interestingly, it appears the holder of said envelope will be Ray Tanner, despite having tied his fortunes to Muschamp’s. But don’t be fooled – other people, especially University President Bob Caslen, are going to be deeply involved in this hire. Ray will not be operating on his own like he did in 2015.

As was the case five years ago, the USC administration has to decide where they want the football program to be. Do they want winning seasons and bowl games every year, or do they want the program to chase elite status? Given the projected $60 million athletic department budget deficit and the fact the school had to turn over every rock and shake every tree to gather the coin needed to make this coaching change, the immediate focus needs to be putting the program on a consistent winning season/bowl bid footing before contemplating loftier goals.

Beyond that, there are some other principles to keep in mind:

In the past, I’ve said don’t waste time chasing a “big name” – but there is a sort-of “big name” out there that could prove to be an intriguing option.

Hiring a good recruiter is an absolute necessity – but he cannot have established his recruiting chops at schools with built-in advantages South Carolina does not have (e.g., “blue blood” program, championship tradition, only school in the state, etc.).

He has to be a cultural fit – able to relate to SC high school coaches and Gamecock Club members. Experience coaching in the South will be very important here.

I’m not usually a fan of “redemption” projects. This time, however, there might be an exception to consider.

My personal preference would be to hire a proven head coach with demonstrated ability for good game planning, in-game adjustments, and teams improving as the season progresses.

Finally, this hire has to be an upgrade. The program needs to send a strong message to the college football world in general – and to the SEC in particular.

So, with all this in mind, here are the names I think should be in the USC envelope:

Billy Napier (Louisiana) – Napier is a fast rising commodity in coaching circles for good reason. The Furman graduate has done a great job at Louisiana, taking the Ragin’ Cajuns to two consecutive Sun Belt Championship games and just qualified for a third this past weekend. Earlier this year, his Cajuns knocked off Iowa State in Aimes. He has significant Power Five experience and learned at the hip of Nick Saban during his five years as an assistant at Alabama. Plus, he knows South Carolina, having coached at South Carolina State and at Clemson. He has a very good reputation already with high school coaches in the state. Finally, he may want to settle a score with Dabo, who fired him as offensive coordinator after one bad season. Reportedly, he really wants the job in Columbia. I think he’d be a very good choice.

Hugh Freeze (Liberty) – A (sort of) big name and redemption project all in one. Freeze has won everywhere he’s been with only one losing season out of 10 at three different schools. And he has Liberty in the Top 25! Still, those lingering character questions from his Ole Miss dismissal will require plenty of due diligence and compliance safeguards. Also, regardless of assurances he gives and conditions he agrees to, there will surely be public uproar if he is the choice. At the very least, however, you have to call him and let him make his case for the gig.

Shane Beamer (Oklahoma Assistant Head Coach) – Beamer was an assistant under Steve Spurrier from 2007 to 2010 and was the recruiting coordinator when the Gamecocks brought in all the talent that produced three consecutive 11-win seasons. His father, Frank, had a long and extremely successful tenure at Virginia Tech. Shane has also coached at Georgia, Virginia Tech, and Mississippi State. He’s been on Lincoln Riley’s staff in Norman since 2018. He’s an intriguing option, as long as you are comfortable hiring a guy who’s never been a head coach at any level. Of course, he would have his Dad around to mentor him (Frank now lives in Hilton Head), so that could work.

There are two other coaches who could get into the mix if none of the above pan out – Jamie Chadwell at Coastal Carolina and Will Healy at Charlotte. The problem is neither one of these guys has any experience coaching at a Power Five program, so handing them the keys to an SEC program seems to be a reach at this point. It could be that either one would do a fine job in Columbia – I just don’t feel like that would be the best move for the program at this point, especially with other options on the table.

If you are forcing me to make a choice today, I’d say Napier is at the top of the list. Freeze and Beamer are neck and neck as far as I’m concerned. I’d even be tempted to put Beamer ahead of Freeze if he can clearly explain both his development plan for transitioning from assistant to head coach, as well as his plan for pulling together a strong staff of assistants.

Any of these three would be clear upgrades for South Carolina. Anyone after those three – barring a Frank Martin-like surprise – would not be an upgrade.

Bottom line: South Carolina missed on the last coaching hire – they cannot afford to miss on this one.

#South Carolina Football #Will Muschamp #Coaching Carousel

Will Muschamp Faces a Nearly Impossible Task

Will Muschamp is serious trouble. Make no mistake, it is trouble that he bears full responsibility for creating. There is no longer any margin for error – if he wants to survive this situation and continue coaching in Columbia beyond this year, he has to do the following four things:

He has to win this Saturday night in Oxford to stop the bleeding.

He has to make a change at quarterback. But that’s pretty much a no-win situation: If he makes a quarterback change and the new guy plays lights out, Muschamp will get blasted for not making the change sooner. If he makes a quarterback change and the new guy doesn’t do any better than Collin Hill, Muschamp will get blasted for not doing anything to prepare a backup. If he starts Collin Hill after a week of supposedly “open” competition in practice, Muschamp is going to get blasted for not giving the other guys a chance, especially if Hill continues his current level of performance.

After winning this weekend, he needs to win two of the three remaining games (Missouri, Georgia, Kentucky) to finish 5-5.

The one “allowable” loss cannot be a blowout.

If he does all these things, he may provide Ray Tanner and Bob Caslen the cover they need in this era of COVID-tightened revenues to keep him around for one more year. If he falls short on any one of these four, then it will be time to pass the hat to fund the astronomical buyout.

Do I think Will Muschamp can do all of these things? Well, I’m currently updating the South Carolina version of “Three Names in an Envelope” – so that should tell you where I am on this.

#Will Muschamp #South Carolina Gamecocks

No. 3 Clemson clobbers South Carolina, 38-3, for sixth consecutive win vs Gamecocks

Another year, another victory against rival South Carolina. No. 3 Clemson (12-0, 8-0 ACC) put the finishing touches on their undefeated regular season by making short work of rival South Carolina (4-8, 3-5 SEC) on Saturday afternoon. Clemson sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence passed for three touchdowns and 295 yards before getting an early rest in the second half.

Lawrence was also a factor…

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#Trevor Lawrence #Will Muschamp

Performance Improvement Plan for Will Muschamp

Regardless of what happens next week against Clemson, it appears Will Muschamp will have another year at South Carolina. Ultimately, I think the combination of his astronomical buy-out combined with the lack of an affordable replacement who would be viewed as an upgrade made it inevitable that “Coach Boom” would get a fifth year.

But make no mistake about it – there has to be A LOT of improvement or 2020 will be his LAST year at South Carolina.

In essence, Muschamp is being put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). “Be better or be gone” is the short message. That’s a message with both short and long term consequences because if he fails at South Carolina, Will Muschamp will NEVER get a chance to be a college head coach again.

But exactly HOW should he go about “being better?” Here’s what I would tell him:

Task One – Hire a new offensive coordinator – and STAY OUT OF HIS WAY. Look at how Ed Orgeron evolved in this area. It really is OK to admit that your coaching DNA is dominated by defensive genomes with next to nothing in the way of offense. Like Coach O, you need to delegate that side of the ball COMPLETELY to the new guy. And please make sure that the guy you hire has a proven track record of developing innovative game plans and making in-game adjustments. You cannot afford to whiff on this hire.

Task Two – Change your strength & conditioning approach. Over the past two seasons, your team has suffered a significant rash of injuries to key players – many of them season ending. That’s not just “bad luck” -- something is wrong with the way your team is being prepared physically to play football. If that means having to make a change at Strength and Conditioning Coach, do so with a guy who has a history of surviving seasons with very few major injuries to players in his charge.

Task Three – Strongly consider changing the way you practice. One of your former players recently said your staff is “overworking” the team during the week (https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/south-carolina-football/former-gamecock-believes-south-carolina-coaches-are-overworking-players/). We talking about PRACTICE…not a game, not a game! The fact that your team runs out of gas in the second half (and in the first half as the season has gone on) is a sure indication that you are practicing too hard during the week as well as further confirmation of the strength and condition issue. Other teams in the SEC and other Power Five conferences have moved to less intensive practice schedules – you need to do the same thing. After all, you will find it tough to win games when your team is tired but your opponents are not.

Task Four – Maintain your strong relationships with your team. This is your biggest strength. Players seem to really enjoy having you as their head coach and want you to succeed. That’s incredibly valuable for you and your program. Don’t lose that goodwill as you make these other changes.

Task Five – Win more games. If there’s a bottom line to this PIP, this is it. Even if you successfully complete the first four tasks, this one doesn’t necessarily follow. Let’s be clear -- you have to make a bowl game in 2020 if you want to remain head coach of the Gamecocks. That means at least six wins. Seven or more would be even better. One losing season every so often, while not desirable, is tolerable. Back-to-back losing seasons, especially in years four and five on the job, is grounds for termination.

#college football #will muschamp

Will Muschamp gets public support from South Carolina AD, will return in 2020

It’s that time of the year when athletic directors new and old are faced with addressing the future of football coaches if things aren’t exactly going too well with the program. South Carolina’s Will Muschamphas the Gamecocks sitting at 4-6 with just a few games remaining as they fight for bowl eligibility, and that has raised some questions about whether or not Muschamp will be looking for work…

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#Ray Tanner #Will Muschamp

Will Muschamp to Disclose Every Scripted Play Before Kentucky Game Next Season

(COLUMBIA, S. Car.) South Carolina Gamecocks football coach Will Muschamp had great success telling Cole Cubelic of SEC Network what he was going to do as soon as the half resumed this past Saturday. The success was viewed as so good by Muschamp that during his weekly staff meeting, the decision was made to approach Kentucky like this in general from now on.

“We’re going to set out a solid…

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#NCAA #SEC #South Carolina Gamecocks #Will Muschamp

Injury rumors swirling about South Carolina QB Jake Bentley

Everybody in the South Carolina media circle seems to have an idea of what the immediate future holds for Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley. After getting roughed up a bit by UNC in Saturday’s season-opening loss to the Tar Heels in Charlotte, Bentley will reportedly be set to miss some playing time in the coming weeks. The length of the possible missed time is unconfirmed at this time, although…

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#Jake Bentley #Ryan Hilinski #Will Muschamp