Will Muschamp: ‘Most complete team I’ve had at Florida’
Will Muschamp began his opening statement at SEC Media Days by mentioning he is aware he will hear the term “hot seat” bandied about if Florida struggles this season after a 4-8 season with the Gators a year ago, but he’s ready to put those thoughts to rest.
More from College Football
- Jim Harbaugh facing 4-game suspension over NCAA violations
- College football neutral site games in 2023: Full list
- College GameDay announces surprise Week 1 destination
- College football analyst warns Oklahoma that Texas is doing better prep for SEC
- College Football Playoff national championship game locations for 2024, 2025 and beyond
Muschamp found himself in a war of attrition last season, a year that saw the Gators miss a bowl game for the first time in more than two decades and eight starters lost to season-ending injuries, but the 2014 roster is the most complete team he’s had in his tenure at Gainesville, he said minutes into his near-11 minute opening statement.
A confident Will Muschamp says "this is the most complete team we've had since I've been at Florida."
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) July 14, 2014
Will Muschamp: This is the most talent we've had on offense in my time at Florida.
— Alex Scarborough (@AlexS_ESPN) July 14, 2014
It would be easy to scoff at such a notion after a 4-8 season, but looking at the roster and the talent returning on both sides of the ball and it’s not so far-fetched to think Florida can win the SEC East and play in the SEC Championship Game.
Offensively, it all starts at quarterback with Jeff Driskel returning from a broken leg and is finally in an offense that is tailored to his skill-set under offensive coordinator Kurt Roper. He has a rebuilt offensive line blocking for him and a potential star running back in Kelvin Taylor to bring a balanced attack that Florida lacked last year.
Defensively, the Gators are talented at all three levels and feature a number of players that will be playing on Sunday in the next couple years, in All-American candidates Dante Fowler Jr.and Vernon Hargreaves.
If Florida has a big turnaround like Auburn, a place Muschamp is familiar with as a former defensive coordinator, we can look back to his opening monologue at SEC Media Days when Muschamp looked in the eye of those who put him on the hot seat and made them eat their words after issuing the bold proclamation.