So you’re saying there’s a chance.

Agent Muschamp has been approached about taking the DC job for the Falcons, but won’t pursue it because he has dreams, damn it.

“Will’s goal is to become a head coach at the college level again, specifically in the SEC,” the source said.

He, Kirby and Bobo could make for quite the scrum when Richt leaves Athens.

If he indeed gets another SEC gig one day, you think Boom knocks Florida to whatever school’s booster club he’s in front of, like he did Georgia?  Considering the severance check he walked away with, it would be kind of crass, but, what the hey, it’s the SEC, right?

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The Florida Way

I just read the official announcement about Florida’s IPF.  It saves the best for last.

The estimated $15 million project will be funded through private gifts and capital financing.

Capital financing?  Pffft.  Butts-Mehre should up the ante on them Gators when it comes to paying for things without touching the reserve fund.  I can see it now:  “Fan base, you really want this?  Fine.  You pay for it, then.”

Pro-style coordinators don’t grow on trees.

Arkansas has its new offensive coordinator, Dan Enos, who has the head coach at Central Michigan.  Check out Bert’s comment about the hire:

“Dan is a great fit for our program. He runs a pro-style offense and brings expertise at the quarterback position as both a player and coach. We played against each other in college and he was a very intelligent and talented quarterback who showed great toughness and leadership. He has an outstanding reputation and will be a tremendous asset for Razorback football.”

You can see the chart in the linked article as to CMU’s offensive performance under Enos, who called the plays there.  It’s nothing special.

I’m sure Enos won’t be getting a paycheck in Brian Schottenheimer’s neighborhood, but maybe this sheds some light on why Richt acted so decisively to get his man.  Good pro-style guys ain’t easy to find these days.

Getting on the same page

In the wake of the public messiness between the football staff and the athletic administration, I said this:

You’ve got a situation where there’s clearly friction between the AD and the football staff. Pruitt’s outburst should have been a warning to McGarity that there was real frustration over management of the program and that everyone needed to be on the same page, or at least keep differences in house. Instead, McGarity has chosen to take his position public, as evidenced by that interview with Mark Bradley.

What you’ve got now is a poisoned atmosphere. It’s easy to start rumors that people want to believe have credence and that’s what I saw last night.

Social media isn’t where you fix this. You fix this by nailing down contracts, crowing about them as proof that B-M backs Richt and doing what it takes to fill the open slots on the staff with home run hires.  [Emphasis added.]

Sounds like they’re starting to get the message.

2015: where we’re at.

I’d say Ed Aschoff has a pretty accurate depiction of Georgia’s fan base in the aftermath of the Richt contract extension.

For one of the SEC’s most accomplished coaches in the regular season, Wednesday’s announcement of a contract extension and a raise should have been considered a no-brainer. But when you haven’t won the SEC championship at a school like Georgia since 2005, you can’t blame fans for their uneasiness toward their head coach. Still, for all the negativity that Mark Richt has had to deal with from Georgia fans — some of it is justified — he’s had a heck of a coaching career with the Bulldogs. His .739 winning percentage (136-48 record) ranks fourth among active FBS coaches who have coached at least 100 games in FBS conferences, and he’s had nine seasons with 10 or more wins at Georgia in his 14 years in Athens. But with an extension going through 2019 and Richt now making $4 million a year, the time to win an SEC title is now. The Bulldogs are equipped with the talent to make a strong run through the SEC, and you know those same fans unhappy with the lack of championship swag in Georgia’s trophy cases won’t be pleased with anything less than a title run or two in 2015.

I know there’s a risk of reading too much into finishing top-ten with a nice bowl win, but really, there is plenty for Richt to work with in the coming season.  We may not have expected it in the last preseason, but the 2014 edition of Georgia was good enough to make a run through Atlanta.  It just broke down inexplicably at the worst times.

There’s an offense which will have to break in a new quarterback and offensive coordinator, but still has a strong enough foundation to build upon.  There’s a defense that improved steadily throughout the year, gets the usual bounce from second-year stability under the same staff and is likely to get a major talent infusion in key areas with the incoming class (assuming things hold up, of course).

Richt always says the goal for his teams is to get to Atlanta.  It’s not unrealistic this season.  If he expects it, why shouldn’t we?

Friday morning buffet

It’s a chilly, rainy morning… you got something better to do?

• Patrick Garbin looks at Georgia’s offensive line recruiting efforts.  As you can guess, he doesn’t paint a pretty picture.
• There’s so much rivalry in this lawsuit story, it’s hilarious.
• Bulldog Illustrated reports that mat drills are no more.
• The next lawsuit frontier is breached:  O’Bannon attorney sues NCAA and North Carolina over the academic scandal.
• “We’ll get all the information from him and decide what to do…” Looks like Nick Saban’s got a bookend for Jonathan Taylor.
• And Hugh Freeze has more forgivin’ to do, too.
• ESPN asks a bunch of recruits at the Under Armour All-American Game how much facilities matter in their choice of school, and gets a consensus that it’s not much, because all the big schools have good ones.  Sounds like a good argument for keeping up, and not running ahead of the pack.
• Butch Jones has issues with roster management.
• On the bright side for Tennessee, with offensive coordinator Tim Bajakian leaving for Tampa Bay, the Vols will actually get paid something for a coach’s departure from Knoxville.