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Former Florida head coach Will Muschamp will become the new defensive coordinator at Auburn, the school announced Friday night.
''My family, Carol, Jackson, Whit, and I are excited about coming back to Auburn and I look forward to working with coach Malzahn to win championships,'' said Muschamp, who will be introduced at a news conference Saturday.
The 43-year-old Georgia native was a standout defensive coordinator at LSU, Auburn and Texas before he was hired at UF in 2011. With Muschamp's help running the LSU D, the Tigers won the 2003 BCS national title, while leading the nation in scoring and total defense. As the Auburn DC, Muschamp's defense led the SEC. At UT, his defense also led the conference. His defenses at Florida also were very tough — the Gators were ninth in total defense this season — but the Gators struggled offensively.
Muschamp replaces Ellis Johnson at Auburn, where the Tigers ranked No. 11 in the SEC in yards allowed per play (5.60). And in SEC play, the Tigers' average was much worse at 6.35 yards per play. Auburn also was No. 11 in the SEC in sacks, eighth in rushing defense in the conference and ranked second to last in big plays (20 yards or more) surrendered with 61.
Auburn gave up 388.7 yards and 26.1 points per game this past season and during Johnson's two years ranked 86th ('14) and 59th ('13) in total defense.
Despite averaging 489.2 yards on offense (17th) and 35.8 points per game (22nd), Auburn lost three of its last four games, giving up 41 (Texas A&M), 34 (Georgia) and 55 (Alabama) points.
Less than 24 hours after that outburst by the Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl, coach Gus Malzahn fired Johnson.
"I'm excited to welcome Will back to Auburn as our new defensive coordinator," Malzahn said in a statement. "Will is a one of the top defensive minds in college football who has great passion and energy for the game. He is a tremendous addition to our staff."
According to AL.com, the deal will be for more than $1.6 million annually, making Muschamp the highest-paid coordinator in FBS.
Despite trying three coordinators and five quarterbacks, Muschamp never figured out the offensive side of the ball in his four seasons at Florida. And it cost him his job.
The Gators parted ways with Muschamp last month, one day after a gut-wrenching loss to South Carolina that summed up his tenure as head coach.
Muschamp's close-to-the-vest style proved to be too conservative and too unsuccessful for a program with three national championships, eight Southeastern Conference titles and sky-high expectations.
Muschamp, who cleaned up a troubled program and made Florida one of the best defensive teams in the SEC, was respected by his peers and liked in Gainesville, but not successful enough to stick around any longer. He finished 28-21 at UF.
"Upon evaluation of our football program, we are not where the program needs to be and should be," athletic director Jeremy Foley said last month in a statement. "I've always said that our goal at the University of Florida is to compete for championships on a regular basis. ... I will be forever grateful to Will and his staff for their unwavering commitment to the University of Florida and the mission of our athletic program."
The 23-20, overtime loss to South Carolina was Florida's sixth defeat in its past eight games in Gainesville.
The last two were debacles that sealed Muschamp's fate, making the guy nicknamed "Coach Boom" a bust at Florida.
"I was given every opportunity to get it done here and I simply didn't win enough games — that is the bottom line," Muschamp said in a statement after being fired. "I have no bitter feelings, but this is a business and I wish we would have produced better results on the field. We have a great group of players and a staff that is committed to this university and this football program. They have handled themselves with class, and I expect them to continue to do so.
"As I've said many times, life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond."
The Gators didn't respond well enough, especially in their home games.
The Gamecocks blocked a field goal and a punt in the final four minutes of regulation, special teams gaffes that turned what should have been a 10-point lead into a third consecutive home defeat.
The previous loss was equally troubling for Foley. The Gators (6-5, 4-4 SEC) turned the ball over six times in a 42-13 drubbing by Missouri on homecoming. Chants of "Fire Muschamp" could be heard throughout an emptying Florida Field.
Foley stuck with Muschamp after that one, saying the coach and the season would be evaluated "as it plays out." The Gators regrouped, benched turnover-prone quarterback Jeff Driskel and won consecutive games in dominating fashion, including a stunner against rival Georgia. They even had an outside shot at winning the SEC's muddled Eastern Division.
But that ended against the Gamecocks, who entered the game with one of the country's worst defenses.
Florida fell to 17-8 under Muschamp at home, where former coaches Steve Spurrier (68-5) and Urban Meyer (36-5) dropped a combined 10 games in 18 seasons.
Florida fans expected and demanded better results.
The former head-coach-in-waiting at Texas, Muschamp was Foley's pick to replace Meyer after he stepped down at the end of the 2010 season.
Foley extended Muschamp's contract twice and gave him a raise. Because of those shows of good faith, Florida owes Muschamp more than $6 million for the final three years left on his deal.
Paying off the rest of the coaching staff could cost about another $2 million.
It's unclear how long it will take for Foley to find a replacement. But the hire likely will be someone with head-coaching experience who comes from an offensive background. After all, the past two defensive guys with no head-coaching experience Foley hired — Muschamp and former coach Ron Zook — didn't pan out.
Muschamp hired Charlie Weis, Brent Pease and Kurt Roper to run the offense, but all failed to impress a following that had grown accustomed to seeing points a-plenty under Spurrier and Meyer.
The Gators finished 105th, 103rd and 113th in total offense during Muschamp's first three seasons. They ranked 91st this year.
FOX Sports South and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
