William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co-defensive coordinator, and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida from 2011 to 2014 and at the University of South Carolina from 2016 to 2020.
In his second season as defensive coordinator at Auburn, Muschamp was a finalist for the 2007 Broyles Award for the most outstanding assistant coach in college football. Before he accepted the position of coach for Florida, the University of Texas announced that Muschamp would later succeed Mack Brown as head coach of the Longhorns designating him as the "head coach in waiting."
Early years
Muschamp was born in Rome, Georgia but grew up in Gainesville, Florida. He attended Martha Manson Academy elementary school and Oak Hall High School in Gainesville. His family returned to Rome when his father became the Lower School Principal at Darlington. Muschamp graduated from Darlington and during his tenure, played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track for the Darlington School Tigers.
College career
Muschamp attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. He walked on to the Georgia Bulldogs football team and played safety from 1991 to 1994. As an undergraduate, he was initiated into the Kappa Alpha Order (Gamma Chapter) and also earned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1993. He was a defensive team captain his senior season, and played in two bowl games with the Bulldogs. Bulldogs quarterback Mike Bobo, who was Muschamp's college teammate, described him as "a hard worker. Very physical. Very intense." Muschamp graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in 1994.
Coaching career
After graduating from Georgia, Muschamp became a graduate assistant coach at Auburn University, where he worked under defensive coordinators Wayne Hall and Bill Oliver in 1995 and 1996. He earned a master's degree in education from Auburn in 1996, then spent a season each at the University of West Georgia and Eastern Kentucky University as the defensive backs coach, before becoming the defensive coordinator at Valdosta State University in 2000.
LSU
Muschamp joined Nick Saban's staff at LSU as the linebackers coach in 2001, before becoming the LSU defensive coordinator in 2002. In 2003, LSU won the BCS Championship. That season Muschamp's defense led the nation in both scoring defense (11.0 points per game) and total defense (252.0 yards per game). The Tigers topped the SEC in every major defensive category and also ranked second nationally in defensive pass efficiency (89.8 rating) and third in rushing defense (67.0 yards per game). While at LSU, Muschamp coached four All-Americans including Bradie James, Chad Lavalais, Corey Webster and Marcus Spears. Muschamp left LSU with Saban after the 2004 season to join the Miami Dolphins staff as the assistant head coach.
Miami Dolphins
As assistant head coach/defense of the Miami Dolphins, Muschamp along with defensive coordinator Richard Smith supervised a defense that ranked fifteenth in total defense in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed 19.8 points per game and 317.4 total yards per game during the 2005 NFL season. The unit also ranked second in the NFL with 49 quarterback sacks.
Auburn
When the Auburn defensive coordinator position became available in January 2006, Muschamp took the opportunity to return to the college game. In 2006, Muschamp's first season at Auburn, the defense finished seventh among NCAA Division I-FBS teams in scoring defense, allowing only 21 touchdowns. In 2007, Auburn led the SEC in scoring defense and finished in the top 10 in four defensive categories, ranking 7th nationally in pass efficiency and 6th nationally in total defense, passing defense, and scoring defense among NCAA Division I-FBS teams.
Texas
On January 3, 2008, Muschamp interviewed for the vacant co-defensive coordinator job for the University of Texas. The next day, he resigned from Auburn to accept the position with Texas. Muschamp was slated to receive a raise to $425,000 per year with a two-year, no buyout, contract at Auburn for 2008, which would have made him the highest-paid assistant coach in the SEC. Muschamp received a contract with a $425,000 annual salary at Texas, making him the highest-paid assistant coach in the Big 12.