Could Will Muschamp be waiting for Auburn football DC opening?

In a somewhat shocking turn of events, Will Muschamp turned down a chance to join the Texas Longhorns as the defensive coordinator. Could he be waiting for an Auburn football reunion?

Will Muschamp’s reputation has fallen hard since he was leading a great defense for Auburn football from 2006-2008.

In 2006, Muschamp’s defense finished 7th in the FBS in scoring defense, giving up just 21 touchdowns. That was across a full season, by the way, not what Ohio State just had to go through to reach the National Championship.

That said, let’s go Buckeyes on January 11th.

Anyway, his success continued in year two, with Auburn sporting an SEC-best scoring defense and finishing in the top 10 in four defensive categories–ranking 7th in pass efficiency and 6th in total defense, passing defense, and scoring defense among FBS teams.

Then, in 2008, he was gone. The University of Texas came calling with their wallets wide open. Everything is bigger in Texas, and the program showed that by offering him almost half a million dollars per season to take the reins of the defense (remember that salaries back then were not what they are now).

History did not repeat itself after Muschamp left the SEC in 2020. While Texas once again came calling, according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, the offer was not one the former University of South Carolina head coach could refuse:

"Will Muschamp has turned down an opportunity to return to Texas as its defensive coordinator, sources told CBS Sports. Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom is among new coach Steve Sarkisian’s top candidates now that Muschamp has passed on the position."

Could that mean Muschamp has learned his lesson about the grass not always being greener on the other side?

It depends. He could be an option for Marshall’s HC vacancy. In fact, Bryan Harsin has not been replaced yet at Boise State either. If a head coaching job is why he turned down Texas, then those are the current openings he could fill.

Otherwise, the only other high-profile reunion Muschamp could realistically have is with the very Tigers he once dominated while serving as defensive coordinator for.

Time will tell if that is the case.