Texas decided it didn’t want to go through that again when Brown, 57, retires, whenever that day comes. The Longhorns believe they already have the best guy for the job on the payroll.
Brown and Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds announced Tuesday that fiery first-year defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be signed to a new long-term deal that not only keeps him in his current role but also designates him as Brown’s successor.
Muschamp, 37, had been linked to openings at Clemson, Tennessee and Washington but decided instead to wait his turn at Texas, a place where he’s been on the job less than a full calendar year. Muschamp’s résumé includes jobs at Louisiana State and the Miami Dolphins under Nick Saban and a season as Auburn’s defensive coordinator before Brown hired him at Texas.
“This is a special place. I think it is ‘the’ elite job in the country,” Muschamp said.
Brown insisted several times during a news conference that he does not expect to retire anytime soon. He is in his 11th season at Texas and has eight years left on his contract.
“I don’t want someone to think this is the twilight for me,” Brown said. “It’s not.”
Texas has won at least 10 games the last eight seasons. The Longhorns were ranked No. 1 for most of October and still have a shot at playing for their second national championship in the last four seasons. The Longhorns (10-1) host Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night.
“I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had,” Brown said. “I’d sure like to win another one (national title) before I get out of the way.”
Brown has several assistant coaches who have been with team for several years and have decades of experience. He said the staff supported Muschamp being designated as head coach of the future, even though he was Texas’ fifth defensive coordinator in six years and had little time to establish roots in the Texas soil.
Naming a successor coach has become a hot trend in college football. Florida State named offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher to be Bobby Bowden’s replacement. Kentucky assistant Joker Phillips will take over for Rich Brooks and Purdue assistant Danny Hope will replace retiring Joe Tiller next season.
Brown said the Muschamp deal works because Muschamp is willing to be patient. He also sees in Muschamp a young version of himself.
“He’s passionate, he works really hard, he wants to do what’s right, he’s tough enough to make hard decisions,” Brown said. “We’ve got time. We will watch him through the years. If he wanted to do it today, we wouldn’t have done it because I’m not ready to quit.”
Muschamp said he wants to continue to learn how to be a head coach - not just game planning but also the entire package of being the public face of a program as big as Texas and the politician a major college coach sometimes has to be.
Muschamp is known for his fiery sideline enthusiasm that has led fans to post highlights of his antics on YouTube and gave him the nickname “Coach Blood” because of a self-inflicted scratch on his face.
“I think from the Xs and Os and managing the team, I’m very comfortable,” Muschamp said. “Coach Brown always seems to say the right thing at the right time in the right way. I need to learn how to do that.”
Brown said he initiated the idea of Muschamp being signed to a long-term deal and designated as his successor and sought approval from school president Bill Powers, Dodds and the university regents. All approved, Dodds said.
Muschamp said he immediately accepted the offer.
“There was no thought process,” he said. “I don’t think Coach Brown got it out of his mouth before I said yes.”
He insisted his role will not expand beyond defensive coordinator until the day he takes over. He will get a raise, more than doubling his salary from $425,000 to $900,000 in January. He has a verbal agreement for a five-year deal once he becomes head coach.
Dodds said Texas made the move to keep Muschamp and also to avoid a potentially disruptive coaching search that can impact recruiting and divide fan loyalties.
“The program is in great shape. It’s a family,” Dodds said. “(Muschamp) is a quality guy and a quality coach. We want to keep him.
“Why go through the trauma of bringing an outsider in? We’ve decided to build our future from the inside.”
Brown was an outsider when Texas hired him away from North Carolina in 1997. Brown was the third coach at Texas in a decade and the Longhorns got a perfect fit with the folksy Brown, who rekindled the passion at an underachieving program. His 113 wins at Texas rank second to Darrell Royal and the Longhorns have been ranked in The Top 25 for 137 consecutive weeks, tops in the nation.
Brown brushed off at least a dozen questions probing for hints of when he might retire from coaching. He insisted he plans to stay a while - while acknowledging that someday he will step aside.
“I’m not going to be Bobby Bowden and Coach (Joe) Paterno (at Penn State),” he said. “(But) I have absolutely no thought of quitting at all.”
