The Coaches That Could Save Florida Football

The Will Muschamp era is over in Gainesville. Will Muschamp was a faulty product that should’ve been recalled a while ago. But never the less he is now gone. Will Muschamp was never the right fit for this program. He is not a complete coach; he’s a great defensive mind, a great motivator at times, but overall not Florida Gator material. The issue is who will replace him. Here we will take a look at a few possibilities to get the Florida Gators back to the glory days.

Dan Mullen – Mississippi State Head Coach

Dan Mullen is probably the best option for the coaching vacancy. Mullen is rolling right now with Mississippi State and most people expect him to stay put, assuming he completes the season in winning fashion. But a return to Gainesville could be more likely than Mississippi State fans would like to think. Mullen was the offense coordinator in the days of Tebow. In order to develop the raw offensive players the Gators have, they’re going to need to hire a guy with a specialty in development. Mullen is that guy. He has a knack for developing young players into all-star level players, as he’s shown with the development of Dak Prescott.

When Mullen left Gainesville for Starkville, he knew he was going to have to develop a program from the ground up. And he has successfully done that; bringing the Bulldogs into national prominence and knocking on the door of a National Championship. The development at the quaterback position is also a skill of Mullen’s. First he had a Tebow and then Prescott. If he goes to Gainesville, he’ll have either Treon Harris or Will Grier to work his magic on and make into a star. Aside from helping immediate development of the players, his recent success will be great in the eyes of recruits and will help recruiting as well. The Gators can give him a major payday to come back to Gainesville, and don’t be surprised if he’s enticed by the offer. This scenario probably won’t happen, but I know all Gator fans are crossing their fingers.

Bob Stoops – Oklahoma Head Coach

Stoops is the most accomplished coach on this list with a national championship and multiple BCS bowls to his name. The question is, would he leave Oklahoma for Florida? I believe he would. Once again the Gators would be willing to pay him top money to make the move to Gainesville. He’s a great recruiter and would be even better in the state of Florida where prospects are a plenty.

Chip Kelly – Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach

Don’t write this one off so quickly. Chip Kelly has expressed at least relative interest in the job. The Gators would be willing to pay top dollar to bring in as successful of a coach as Kelly was at Oregon. Kelly would have a recruiting hotbed in the state of Florida to get the speed players he needs to run his system. If Kelly wanted to return to college football, Florida would certainly be an enticing offer.

Kurt Roper – Offensive coordinator / Quarterbacks coach of Gators

Roper, the current offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida, is not the best option, but why not keep a coach that knows the players? I do not believe that Roper will be fired along with Muschamp because he’s only been around for a year. So if all big names go down the toilet, Roper is a good option.

If Florida is to return to the championship team they used to be, they’re going to need to make a home run hire. I think Athletic Director, Jeremy Foley, will get it right this time around and within a few seasons the Florida Gators will be back.