Why fire Muschamp midseason? The answer seems to center around a common theme
As South Carolina’s football players and coaches were told Sunday about the firing of head coach Will Muschamp, they were still processing the Gamecocks’ 59-42 loss to Ole Miss.
Now, with a few days to prepare for their next game against Missouri, they’ll have to process the loss of a friend and mentor.
“It was a tough Saturday night in Oxford, all tough situations that they’re dealing with ... and then you lose your leader and your head coach,” interim head coach Mike Bobo acknowledged Monday. “You know, morale’s a little bit down.”
That’s the harsh reality of a midseason coaching change.
USC still has three games to play in 2020, not to mention a potential bowl game (the six-win requirement has been waived this year). Players and coaches will have to perform amid a sea of uncertainty. On Monday night, star defender Jaycee Horn announced he was opting out of the remainder of the season to prepare for the NFL Draft..
Meanwhile, fans will likely be more preoccupied with the future than the games immediately in front of them.
Such impacts, especially in football, have historically made decision-makers reluctant to make midseason changes. Muschamp actually faced a similar situation at his previous job at Florida, with AD Jeremy Foley announcing Muschamp would step down in November 2014 but allowing him to coach out the season.
In explaining his decision to end Muschamp’s South Carolina tenure midway through the 2020 campaign, USC athletic director Ray Tanner suggested that waiting until the end of the year wasn’t much of an option.
“You mentioned waiting til the end of the year — is there ever a great time?” Tanner said in response to a reporter’s question Monday. “I don’t know that any time is more perfect than others. I know that as we move forward, there’s a December 16 signing day.”
There are no guarantees the season is over before that signing day. The Gamecocks currently wrap up the regular season Dec. 5, with Dec. 12 and 19 available for makeup games if needed.
The early signing period for college football — which takes most of the emphasis off the February National Signing Day — first began in December 2017. Since then, the Gamecocks have used the December date to fill up most of their recruiting class, with a few additions each February.
Getting a coach in place before the early signing period would theoretically give a new staff time to shore up the Gamecocks’ recruiting class and minimize decommitments.
“The sooner we move forward in the program, the better that we will be. And if we do have a new coach, the desire would be to have one before the signing date occurs so that our commitments have an opportunity to exactly know their path going forward,” Tanner said.
In addition, Tanner mentioned his expectation that the NCAA will pass legislation in January allowing for players to transfer and be immediately eligible once in their careers. Such a move could lead to a surge in transfers that a new coach might want to take advantage of.
The speed of the process is something Tanner mentioned several times Monday, indicating that his staff has already put together a list of candidates that he’ll now look to narrow down. In making a move during the middle of the season, the Gamecocks are likely hoping to get a head start on that process so that they can wrap it up before Dec. 16. Such a situation would be “ideal,” Tanner said.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
