Will Muschamp to Auburn 'getting closer, according to my inside sources. Outside sources indicate this as well.
http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2014/12/will_muschamp_to_auburn_gettin.html#incart_m-rpt-2AUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn's efforts to land Will Muschamp are nearing an end. The former Florida coach is nearing a deal to lead the Tigers' defense, if the parties can clear one snag.
Muschamp's deal with Auburn is "getting closer," according to FOXSports.com's Bruce Feldman, who cited a source late Wednesday night. The apparent snag in the deal is a "staffing issue," which "needs to be smoothed out," Feldman reports.
Auburn and Muschamp starting showing mutual interest Monday, a source told AL.com at the time. Muschamp was weighing other possibilities, including a job at Texas A&M.
Messages left by AL.com on Muschamp's phone have not been returned this week.
Auburn remains staffed on defense as it eyes a bowl game, but Muschamp will likely want to build on his own staff. Florida defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson, a former Auburn star, is likely one staff member Muschamp wants to add to his staff if he should come to Auburn.
Florida has expressed interest in Robinson staying aboard when its new coach comes aboard.
Auburn also has mainstays on its staff, including defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who returned to his alma mater in 2013 to help Malzahn's rebuilding efforts. Malzahn's courtship of Garner was one of the most interesting hires of Malzahn's tenure as he wooed the Georgia assistant back to the Plains.
Muschamp, who coached Auburn's defense in 2006 and 2007, finished his Florida coaching career Saturday in a 24-19 loss at Florida State. He was 28-22 in four seasons leading the Gators, including a trip to the Sugar Bowl following the 2012 season.
Muschamp's coaching chops as a defensive coordinator at Auburn and Texas landed him the job with the Gators in 2011. His Auburn defense led the SEC in scoring in 2007 and ranked seventh in the NCAA in 2006.
If Muschamp does land a coordinator gig on the college level, the veteran is in position to possibly become the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the country, surpassing Alabama's Kirby Smart ($1.35 million) and LSU's John Chavis ($1.3 million) in the SEC.
Malzahn fired Ellis Johnson as his defensive coordinator Sunday. Auburn paid Johnson a salary of $850,000 per year and will owe him $2.2 million in buyout money through June 2017.
Auburn's future coordinator will take over a defense that allowed 31 points or more in its final six SEC games of the season, the worst stretch in school history. Auburn has not ranked in the top 30 in total defense since 2008, when the Tigers allowed only 317.8 yards per game.
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