Muschamp discusses Weis at Gator Bowl presser
In Jacksonville, FL to promote the 2012 Gator Bowl alongside Ohio State Buckeyes interim coach Luke Fickell, Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp spoke less about the game and more about the breaking news that offensive coordinator Charlie Weis decided to accept the head coaching job with the Kansas Jayhawks.
“Charlie took the University of Kansas head football job today. He informed me about a couple of hours ago. I’m very happy for him and his wife Maura. I’m really excited for them,” he said after making an opening statement. “Getting an opportunity to be a head coach, it’s a great compliment to our staff. We’ve had numerous schools contact me about prospective coaches on our staff. For him to have the opportunity to be a head coach again, I know he’s really excited about it, and we certainly wish him all the best.”
Though the news comes as a shock to Florida fans, Muschamp said he was aware that Weis was interested in the position and does not have any problem whatsoever with him taking it even after he promised to be in Gainesville, FL long term.
“I asked him and said, ‘Is this something you’re really interested in?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I want to talk to them. If I wasn’t interested, I would not talk.’ So I said, ‘I support you 100 percent if that’s what you want to do. I think that’s great.’ Now when guys make parallel moves, I don’t think that’s great. If guys can further their careers, I think that’s great.”
“There aren’t many opportunities you get to be a head coach,” Muschamp added. “I know with Charlie, the last one didn’t end the way he wanted it to. He’s an outstanding football coach. He’s a family man, and I’m extremely happy for him and his wife, Hannah and Charlie, Jr.”
He also noted that Weis’s supersized contract doesn’t hurt the decision-making process.
“When you talk about a five-year contract and the amount of money that people are willing to pay you nowadays, quite frankly I don’t blame him. That’s what happens. That’s the reality of coaching and business,” he said.
Muschamp was also asked to evaluate how Weis did in a Gators polo and said he appreciated how much effort put in even if things started faltering after redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley got injured on Oct. 1.
“I think Charlie did a good job,” he said. “Obviously we had an awful lot of confidence offensively going into the fifth ballgame of the year. We lost our starting quarterback and we played with two freshman quarterbacks – who are going to be outstanding, who are very good players, and I’m very excited about their future.
“At the end of the day we had the injury, we lost some confidence offensively, we got out of kilter, we started searching for answers and things we can do against good people. When you lose that confidence, it’s tough to regain that confidence. Considering the situations and the circumstances, I’m very pleased with the job he did.”
Weis’s Florida offense finished 102nd nationally in yards per game (334.17) and 72nd in scoring offense (25.58 points per game). He will take over a Kansas program sorely in need of a boost after a multi-year downturn.
