Ray Tanner’s latest endorsement of Muschamp is strongest yet for USC coach
South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner has a simple goal for his football coach: Build a team that can contend and challenge for SEC East titles, SEC titles and all else that comes with it.
And despite that program being mired in a 4-7 season, he still strongly feels coach Will Muschamp is the man to get that done.
“I believe strongly that our fan base and our biggest supporters are going to be very happy, at some point. It’s not today, because nobody wants to have four wins as we sit here,” Tanner said on his monthly radio appearance on 107.5 FM. “But I believe strongly in what we’re doing. And he is our football coach, and I expect him to be our football coach for a long, long time.”
Tanner issued a statement between the Appalachian State and Texas A&M games backing his coach, saying Muschamp would be the head coach “going forward.”
Asked Wednesday about what he liked about the job Muschamp has done, the AD pointed to his work ethic and energy in the building.
The term Tanner came back to several times was “investment,” treating football as a long-term process.
“We’re certainly not happy with where we are today record-wise,” Tanner said, “but I personally believe in the investment that is being made.”
Tanner in the interview was asked what getting it done looked like when it came to the Gamecocks football program. It’s a team with one conference title (ACC) and one SEC division title in its history.
He fell back on his time coaching baseball, saying he never went into a season talking to players about end-of-year goals such as SEC titles or the College World Series.
“I always said, we’ve got to do the things we need to do to be in position to be successful at a high level,” Tanner said.
He laid out how he and his department prefer to wait to year’s end and follow a formal process to review the season and how things are headed.
His statement a few weeks ago was a break from that. Tanner also took a little offense to SEC Network commentator Tom Hart saying the statement didn’t go far enough and could hurt USC on the recruiting side.
“I meet with our coaches, at the end of their seasons,” Tanner said. “Do I meet with them the day after two days after? Sometimes, but not necessarily that quick. It could be two weeks based on what the schedule is, but there is a formal review that we go through with coaches.”
He spoke about the investment made in facilities and how that impacts recruiting. He also asked if Muschamp was a worse coach than two years ago when he won nine games. But he also said he’s not OK with the state of a four-win squad.
He joked that if it comes to replacing a coordinator, the school will support a change the coaches want, but he might have to go “count some beans” if USC tries to reach for some of the priciest assistants in the sport.
“He’s going to get what he needs,” Tanner said.
Muschamp has changed offensive coordinators once at USC, going from Kurt Roper to Bryan McClendon, who now earns seven figures annually. The Gamecocks offense has struggled and ranks outside the top 100 nationally in a slew of key categories.
But in the end, Tanner says he will see Muschamp through whatever changes might come this offseason and going forward.
“It’s hard for me to go find the negative with Will Muschamp, his staff, his players, his team, the things they do, the preparation, the recruiting investment they make,” Muschamp said. “It’s a tireless work ethic.
“I believe in him.”
Notes
▪ Tanner said several times he speaks often with Gamecocks volleyball coach Tom Mendoza, whose team is on the NCAA tournament bubble.
▪ The AD also said recruiting budgets were not the best way to judge investment on that front, owing to different approaches with things like airplanes, between ones the school owns and donors help out with.
▪ There was some hinting at a scheduling announcement coming in the next few days. Tanner reiterated his point the program might be moving away from neutral site games and more toward home-and-homes.
▪ He didn’t say much when it came to the question of fans throwing things on the field during the Clemson game, beyond saying it shouldn’t be done and the game should be in good fun. After team broadcaster Todd Ellis mentioned the Tigers’ walk with locked arms might get the student section riled up, Tanner said, ”They’re not doing anything new,” about the Clemson tradition.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 2:59 PM.
