The end of another college football regular season signaled the start of plenty of movement across the nation with a handful of teams moving quickly to find their head coach. Here is a look at the five most notable coaching moves from around the college football landscape from this past week.
Will Muschamp
South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina made their decision official on Sunday when they hired the former Florida head coach to a five-year, $16 million deal. There was plenty of talk about the reports Arizona Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez had been offered a long-term deal by the Gamecocks and turned it down. According to sources close to the situation, Muschamp was always at or near the top of the list for South Carolina but some will ask questions as to why. Rodriguez would have been an intriguing hire as his offense combined with SEC weapons would be interesting to watch. However, Muschamp seems to have a very low ceiling. Will they be respectable? Probably. Will they win the College Football Playoff or contend for an SEC championship? Unlikely.
The Gamecocks also interviewed Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley and South Florida head coach Willie Taggart last week but ultimately decided on Muschamp.
Kirby Smart
Georgia Bulldogs
There were plenty of candidates that Georgia was reportedly interested in including most notably Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher but it didn’t take long for them to realize that Smart was their man. The Bulldogs agreed to a six-year deal that will pay the former Alabama defensive coordinator at least $3.75 million per season. Smart, who had worked under Nick Saban since 2008, returns home to Georgia where he played his college football as a member of the Bulldogs.
Mark Richt
Miami Hurricanes
Even before South Carolina and Georgia made their announcements, the Hurricanes made Mark Richt’s return to Miami official. The former Gamecocks’ head coach agreed to a long-term deal with the program, which many former alumni applauded. The Hurricanes do not have to reveal the details of the contract and the numbers have not been disclosed, but Richt was seen as a strong hiring by Miami because of his strong pedigree and track record of success. Richt played quarterback for the Hurricanes back in college and Miami fans have welcomed him back with open arms this past week.
Justin Fuente
Virginia Tech Hokies
Fuente is regarded as one of the bright young minds in college football, so when Virginia Tech managed to land him as the successor for Frank Beamer, it was applauded by experts around the country. Fuente helped revive Memphis’ football program and now he gets the opportunity to take the torch from Beamer and reestablish the Hokies as a contender. One of the best parts to this deal might be the fact that Fuente agreed to keep Bud Foster – or more accurately, that Foster agreed to stay – as defensive coordinator. Foster has long been one of the best defensive minds in the country, so that will give Fuente’s staff a boost as well as preserve some familiarity for the players.
Fuente agreed to a six-year deal with an average salary that starts at $3.2 million and rises as high as $3.6 million and there is no doubt he is worth every penny paid.
[related_post_one]
Barry Odom
Missouri Tigers
The Tigers promoted from within when they decided to name defensive coordinator Barry Odom as their new head coach. Missouri had considered a number of coaches from outside of the organization but the decision was made to keep the majority of the coaching staff now in place together. That is a smart move as the talent is there for this team. A lot of players agree as many top recruits tweeting out their approval over the weekend. Odom is a solid defensive coach that was due for a promotion at some point and it only made sense that the Tigers gave him the opportunity he deserved.
