They say when you move to Austin, you never want to leave.
That's basically what Will Muschamp's wife, Carol, told her husband shortly after his family followed the defensive coordinator to Texas in May.
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| Will Muschamp's salary will double to $900K come Jan. 1. (Getty Images) |
There are no worries about that and for a very long time for the Muschamps. The superstar defensive coordinator and his employers rocked the college athletics world Tuesday with the announcement that Muschamp would be the program's new head coach-in-waiting.
The university is loathe to use those exact words because sitting coach Mack Brown has eight years left on his current contract. The exact point when Muschamp takes over full time is open ended and frankly he's young, only 37. But he made such an impression on Brown and the administration that this was the only logical move.
And Texas doesn't make many mistakes athletically, proudly sporting the country's largest athletic department with an estimated budget of $120 million.
"I was a little taken aback by it," Muschamp told CBSSports.com in a telephone interview. "The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. I want to be at Texas."
Muschamp gets security -- he'll be more than doubling his salary, making $900,000 on Jan. 1. Before the age of 38, Muschamp has coached in the NFL, won a national championship and the hearts of the Orangebloods.
The repercussions elsewhere will be felt all over football. Like the prom queen in a wedding dress, Muschamp is off the market. That adversely affects about four active job searches around the country. Muschamp was so highly thought of in the game that it's not a stretch to suggest he could have had his pick of the Washington, Clemson, Syracuse or Tennessee jobs.
That this trumped even the wheeling and dealing of Muschamp's agent, Jimmy Sexton, is a shock too. Sexton basically controls the head coaching market as the agent for the likes of Butch Davis and several SEC coaches. Muschamp is among his handful of high-profile coordinator clients. This is a move that even the powerful Sexton couldn't have conceived.
That Muschamp is putting down roots suggests bad times ahead for the Big 12. Texas' defense is currently second in the league and 58th nationally in total defense. Not overly impressive but it was almost predictable.
The Big 12 is an offensive league. Defensive numbers in the conference are relative and Muschamp has had to work with a young secondary and scheme around injuries. Despite all that, defensive end Brian Orakpo has a chance to be the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American.
Previously, Muschamp's defense was regularly in the top 10 when he was in the SEC.
