Muschamp learned fast
UF coach showed he had great talent at Valdosta State
The essence of Will Muschamp is simple. Just ask his former boss at Valdosta State.
“It’s not rocket science,” Murray State coach Chris Hatcher said. “The guy’s s mart , he’s passionate about what he does and he works extremely hard.”
Those qualities were enough to sell offensiveminded Hatcher. In his first season as a head coach, Hatcher was tasked with resurrecting his alma mater’s football program. Hatcher would take care of t he of f ense, and Muschamp would run the Blazers’ defense.
“Right from the get-go, I knew he was the guy I wanted,” Hatcher said. “He had great knowledge of what he wanted to do and great confidence that he could make it happen.”
Valdosta State has long been a lab for football coaching talent. Muschamp is part of a long list of elite college football coaches who spent their early years learning the tricks of the trade at the school near the FloridaGeorgia border.
During Hatcher’s first meeting with Muschamp, it did not take Hatcher long to identify the former Georgia safety’s knack for coaching. Muschamp’s confidence assured Hatcher that VSU’s defense would be in good hands.
“It was very evident the first time I met him that he just had what I call the ‘it factor,’ ” Hatcher said of Muschamp. “Sure enough, he’s proved me right.”
Hatcher and Muschamp led Valdosta State to a 10-2 record and only the second Gulf South Conference championship in program history. Following the season, LSU came calling, and Muschamp joined Nick Saban’s staff as the Tigers’ linebackers coach.
When Muschamp left VSU f or LSU, Hatcher tabbed Blazers secondary coach Kirby Smart to assume the role of defensive coordinator.
Smart is now the defensive coordinator at Alabama, which will face Notre Da me in the BCS Championship Game.
During Smart’s tenure, Valdosta State had the nation’s second-best scoring defense during the regular season, surrendering just 11.6 points per game. The Blazers finished 12-1 in 2001 and won a second straight GSC title.
Even with Muschamp gone to Baton Rouge, La., Hatcher could still see his fingerprints on the Blazers defense.
“He was a good teacher,” Hatcher said of Muschamp.
Employing both Muschamp and Smart on a coaching staff is a luxury only Hatcher and Saban have enjoyed.
Valdosta State has nurtured elite coaching talent, winning big for years.
The Blazers don’t have a big national following, but they do have an elite pipeline of coaches who have traversed the small-town Georgia sidelines.
Washington State coach Mike Leach was the offensive coordinator under head coach Hal Mumme at Valdosta State from 1992-96. West Virgi ni a coach Dana Holgorsen coached the quarterbacks, wide receivers and special teams on Mumme’s staff from 1993-95.
Their tutelage helped Hatcher win the 1994 Harlon Hill Trophy, which recognizes the NCAA Division II Player of the Year.
Current coach David Dean, Hatcher ’s handpicked successor, and VSU’s current staff led the Blazers to their third national championship in nine years earl i er t hi s month in Florence, Ala.
Despite a history of big names and championships at Valdosta State, Hatcher recognizes he had something special with Muschamp and Smart on his coaching staff.
“Winning’s always fun, so it was a good way to start,” Hatcher said of the boost Valdosta provided Muschamp and Smart. “You never know what path that this profession is going to lead you down, but both of those guys have really made a big name for themselves.”