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Will Muschamp: Georgia’s defensive coordinator under Smart?

By John Buhler

Oct 31, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive coordinator Will Muschamp speaks to an official during the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive coordinator Will Muschamp speaks to an official during the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /
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Auburn’s defensive coordinator Will Muschamp may end up following new Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart to Athens to become Georgia’s newest defensive coordinator.

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first broke the news that Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart would become the newest head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs as early as either Sunday or Monday.

Towers colleague at the AJC, Seth Emerson wrote for DawgNation that Smart may likely try to persuade his former college teammate Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp to return to Athens as his defensive coordinator.

Current Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt likely will not be retained and is now the leading candidate to replace Kirby Smart as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Pruitt and Smart worked together on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama as late as 2012.

Smart possibly choosing to bring Will Muschamp back into the fold is a bit odd for Georgia Bulldogs fans. While Muschamp played safety for the Dawgs in the Ray Goff era, he’s been a defensive coach all over the SEC (LSU, Auburn, and the former head coach of Florida).

Muschamp, while a fantastic defensive mind, has struggled in taming the slow-learners on the defensive side of the ball at 6-6 Auburn. He also has a bit of an explosive temper, having nearly been ejected from last week’s Iron Bowl due to persistently yelling and cursing at the officials.

While the Georgia Bulldogs may not have the best impression of Muschamp the last five years (four at Florida, one at Auburn), should he be able to bring the defensive identity he had while he was Mack Brown’s defensive coordinator at Texas, then Georgia could have a strong replacement for the likely departing Jeremy Pruitt.

Kirby Smart will reportedly retain defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and possibly outside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer, wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon, and running backs coach Thomas Brown. The biggest question for Smart is not necessarily who will coach the Dawgs on the defense, but rather who will become Georgia’s next offensive coordinator.

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