Former USC football coach Muschamp promoted at UGA after Oregon’s Dan Lanning hire
Former South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp is set to move up at Georgia.
With Bulldogs defensive coordinator Dan Lanning accepting the job to become the next head coach of the Oregon Ducks on Saturday, UGA head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement he plans to “move forward” with Muschamp as a co-defensive coordinator alongside Glenn Schumann. It’s Muschamp’s third role since joining Smart’s staff.
The exact timetable for Muschamp’s move to co-defensive coordinator is not certain, though Lanning will remain on the Bulldogs’ staff for Georgia’s College Football Playoff appearance.
“While (Lanning) will coach with us for the upcoming College Football Playoff, we will move forward with Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp as co-defensive coordinators,” Smart said in a statement. “Dan and I are both looking forward to preparing for the CFP.”
Muschamp was the head football coach at South Carolina from 2016-20. He was fired in November 2020 after a 2-5 start to the season, finishing his tenure with the Gamecocks at 28-30.
Muschamp was brought to Georgia by Smart in February to work as a senior defensive analyst — with a $300,000 salary — following his time coaching USC. Smart told reporters on Feb. 3 that Muschamp would be “coaching the coaches” in his role at UGA.
The former Gamecocks coach then moved into an on-field role in August when Georgia assistant Scott Cochran had to step away from the program for personal reasons. Muschamp kept that position when Cochran returned to the team in October.
Muschamp played safety at Georgia from 1991-94 and has worked at various stops throughout the country in his coaching career. Along with his time at South Carolina, Muschamp was Florida’s head coach from 2011-14 as well as defensive coordinator at Valdosta State (2000), LSU (2002-04), Auburn (2006-07, 2015) and Texas (2008-10).
Muschamp was defensive coordinator for Nick Saban’s 2003 National Championship team at LSU, though he was fired from both of his head coaching positions at Florida and South Carolina after failing to find consistent success with either program.
South Carolina paid Muschamp a lump sum buyout of $12.9 million at the end of 2020, according to settlement documents obtained by The State in January. Prior to the settlement, South Carolina owed Muschamp $15.3 million spread out through 2024.
This story was originally published December 11, 2021 at 7:48 PM.
