HOOVER, Ala. – A Georgia graduate who wasn't in the building still managed to loom over the start of SEC media days.
Will Muschamp was effusively praised by his new players and boss, who called Auburn’s defensive coordinator “the best defensive mind in all of football, not just college football.”
That might have been a compliment, or it could have been a tweak at Alabama’s Nick Saban, who is a rival, but also Muschamp’s mentor at LSU. Either way, it would be curious to get a reaction from Bill Belichick, or many other defensive minds in the NFL.
Auburn defensive players also gushed over the energy that Muschamp has injected into their defense, which ranked 66th in the nation last year in yards allowed.
“He’s intense. He has a standard and he’s not gonna waver from it,” senior defensive back Jonathan Jones said.
But the only reason Muschamp was available to be hired by Auburn was his dismissal from Florida last year, thanks mostly to his inability to fix the Gators’ offense.
Florida, it so happened, was also up on Monday. There is still respect, even reverence, for its former head coach. Senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard, who said he still speaks to Muschamp, guaranteed that Auburn’s defense will turn around.
“I wish him the best, but everything didn’t work out how it planned,” Bullard said. “He was fun to be around, a cool dude.”
And what of Malzahn’s opinion that Muschamp is the best defensive mind in all of football?
The past six seasons, going back to his final two years as Texas’ defensive coordinator, Muschamp’s defense have ranked in the top 10 five times. Last year was the exception, when the Gators were 15th.
The only other defensive coordinator who’s been in the top 10 five of the past six seasons is Alabama’s Kirby Smart - who was Muschamp’s teammate at Georgia.
About the Author
