I sat in Muschamp's office during the weekend of the Final Four while he diagrammed plays on a dry erase board. His starkly furnished digs had all the tools he would need: a TV, a DVD player and a remote. During our talk, he said that he couldn't install his full scheme yet because the talent needed to catch up. At its best, Muschamp's defense is able to play man in the secondary and blitz the hell out of opponents.
Texas is getting there. The 'Horns are coming off their best defensive performance of the season against Kansas. When a squad full of backups at the end of the game stopped Kansas near the Texas goal line at the end of a 35-7 victory, it was as much about their confidence as Muschamp's schemes.
"It was the biggest stop of the day," said safety Chykie Brown, a sophomore who has bought into his coach and will grow in Austin with him.
In the end, Muschamp bowled over the only two folks who really counted when it came to it -- Brown and DeLoss Dodds.
Dodds is the venerable Texas athletic director who, near retirement age, still hasn't lost his fastball as an administrator and a visionary. Brown will eventually be ceding his job to Muschamp at some future point. In the interim, Muschamp can learn from the master recruiter.
The school was reluctant to use the term "coach-in-waiting," although that's exactly what Muschamp is -- a young wonder who has taken the game by storm. More than other schools in similar situations (Florida State and Purdue have coaches in waiting), Texas has youth on its side. Purdue's Danny Hope, taking over next season, is 49. Florida State's Jimbo Fisher is 43.
Texas may not have to worry about hiring a new head coach for the next 20 years.
It had been rumored that Brown wanted to chase another national championship before stepping down. The next title might be this year, it might not but how great for Texas that Muschamp gets to learn about the job while doing his job. The guess here is that Brown leaves in three to five years, his coaching urges sated with one or more Big 12 and/or national championships.
"Whatever time that is, I'm willing to wait," Muschamp said. "I'm glad to finally set some roots down. My wife is ecstatic. Austin is an awesome place to live. I'm excited to be on in one place. I hope this is my last job."
If Carol Muschamp and Texas have anything to do with it, it will be.
