Muschamp to take over Texas when Brown retires

Muschamp said he wants to continue to learn how to be a head coach - not just game planning, but the entire package of being the public face of a program as big as Texas and the politician a major college coach sometimes has to be.

Muschamp is known for his fiery sideline enthusiasm that has led some fans to post highlights of his antics on YouTube and earned him the nickname of "Coach Blood" because of a self-inflicted scratch on his face.

"I think from the Xs and Os and managing the team, I'm very comfortable. Coach Brown always seems to say the right thing at the right time in the right way. I need to learn how to do that," Muschamp said.

Brown said he initiated the idea of Muschamp being signed to a long-term deal and designated as his successor, and sought approval from school president William Powers Jr., Dodds and the university regents. All approved, Dodds said.

Muschamp said he immediately accepted the offer.

"There was no thought process. I don't think coach Brown got it out of his mouth before I said yes," Muschamp said.

He insisted his role will not expand beyond defensive coordinator until the day comes that he takes over. He will get a raise, more than doubling his salary from $425,000 to $900,000 in January. He has a verbal agreement for a five-year deal once he becomes head coach.

Dodds said Texas made the move not only to keep Muschamp, but to avoid a potentially disruptive coaching search that can impact recruiting and divide fan loyalties.

"The program is in great shape. It's a family," Dodds said. "(Muschamp) is a quality guy and a quality coach. We want to keep him. The last few years I've watched coaches hire from the outside and there's a bunch of trauma ... there are all kinds of problems with lawsuits, buyouts, and it's not a pretty picture.

"Why go through the trauma of bringing an outsider in?" Dodds said. "We've decided to build our future from the inside."

Brown was an outsider when Texas hired him away from North Carolina in 1997. Brown was the third head coach at Texas in a decade and the Longhorns got a perfect fit with the folksy Brown, who rekindled the passion at an underachieving program. His 113 wins at Texas rank second to Darrell Royal and the Longhorns have been ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 for 137 consecutive weeks, tops in the nation.

Brown brushed off at least a dozen questions probing for hints of when he might retire from coaching. He insisted he plans to stay a while, while acknowledging that someday he will step aside.

"I'm not going to be Bobby Bowden and coach (Joe) Paterno (at Penn State)," Brown said. "I have absolutely no thought of quitting at all."