Florida AD Jeremy Foley on Will Muschamp: We will ‘evaluate the season as it plays out’

By Adam Silverstein
October 20, 2014

Florida Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley on Monday cautioned fans that he does not plan to make any substantial decisions about the team’s head coach until following the 2014 season, as he initially stated before the campaign began.

“At the beginning of the season we said we would evaluate the season as it plays out,” he said in a statement released by the school. “We will continue to do so. Our sole focus right now is supporting our coaching staff as they prepare for Georgia.”

Facing similar questions about head coach Will Muschamp last season as the Gators first slid out of the top 25 and then bowl contention, Foley issued what he refused to refer to as a “vote of confidence,” claiming he and the administration were “a thousand percent convinced” Muschamp was the right man for the job.

Certainly this season’s statement is not nearly as supportive.

“We will get better under Will Muschamp’s leadership,” Foley proclaimed last November. “This is not the quote-unquote dreaded ‘vote of confidence.’ This is just how we all feel around here. We have a strong faith and a strong belief in his capabilities, his leadership skills, in his ability to evaluate what needs to be fixed.”

RELATED: Foley puts legacy on the line by sticking his neck out for Muschamp

The Gators have fallen to 3-3 (2-3 SEC) after losing consecutive home games to unranked league foes. Late miscues saw Florida drop a 30-27 contest to LSU on Oct. 11, but UF was completely outmatched by an offensively-hapless Missouri team, which scored four touchdowns en route to a 42-13 rout of its hosts on homecoming.

Florida is currently on its second off week of the season. It will begin preparation for its annual rivalry game against the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs, which is slated for Nov. 1 at 3:30 p.m. The Gators have lost six-straight games to ranked opponents.

78 Comments

  1. G8trATL says:

    Hey Adam with the off-week when is the next Muschamp press conf.?

  2. Steven says:

    Fire Foley.

    With the bye week coming up this would have been the perfect week to hit the reset button

  3. senuod says:

    Foley….I understand sticking to your word, but you’ve officially lost me on this one. I’ve been a huge supporter of Muschamp, but it’s time.

    Sigh…will just have to resign myself to the fact that Foley has a lot more information to make the correct decision than we do.

  4. AJ says:

    I’m done. All I can do is stop watching.

  5. Kaput says:

    I’ve been a HUGE Foley supporter, but this is a ridiculous decision.

    Just awful.

  6. Chris says:

    Time to do strike now! Fire Will and kick Jeff outta gainsville!

  7. apprentice says:

    We’ve been asked to have patience for almost two years now. Almost two years of failed promises, of pie-in-the-sky dreams that never materialize: Will Muschamp does not have what it takes to win at Florida. Last year the excuses were the injuries. I never bought that because I’m pretty sure Nick Saban or Urban Meyer would’ve never had a 4-8 season even with the second and third stringers. Nonetheless, we were asked to wait until the team was healthy. And what do we have to show for it? A 65-0 drubbing of a scrub team, a 3 OT win over the superpower of Kentucky, and a 1 point, come from behind win, over the hapless Vols (oh, by the way, being a Vol does suck more…). Will Muschamp IS NOT the man for Florida.

    At this point, we could try to get bowl eligible by canning Muschamp and seeing what Roper can do. What can it hurt? Worse possible scenario? We lose out. It’s not like our immediate future looks that much better with Muschamp anyway. But at least, the team frees itself from the stench of this administration and starts looking towards the future. Also, who knows, maybe Roper ups his stock.

  8. Dave Massey says:

    The truth of the matter is that Florida really doesn’t have anything to gain by firing Muschamp now. Everybody knows that short of winning all the rest of their games the guy is done. What do you think the odds are that he beats Georgia and FSU?

    No coach that is currently employed, NFL or NCAA, is going to talk to the Gators about the job until after the season. If you think any coach is going to put up with that distraction right now, you are crazy.

    The people who keep calling for Foley to be fired are just plain ignorant. Last year the women’s program finished first in the cup standings, the men finished third, and we were first overall. What more do you people want than to be the best athletic program in the country? You don’t fire AD’s who produce those kind of results. Quit acting like the world revolves around the Gator football program. Give him time to do a proper, thorough search for a new coach and expect a new coach to be named in January.

    • Steven says:

      Jeremy might not say it publicly, but the world does revolve around the Gator football program.
      The reason is simple $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    • senuod says:

      I’m with you on Foley. Anyone asking for his head is being incredibly short-sighted.

      I disagree on Muschamp though. Fire him and let one of the coordinators be the interim coach. MAYBE Roper or Durkin can pull the team together without Muschamp at the helm. Maybe not, but it wouldn’t be any worse.

      We’ll see what happens against UGA in a couple weeks. If somehow we miraculously win that game, then Foley can say he was right about not firing Muschamp until after the season, but that’s a big “IF” the way we’ve been playing on offense lately.

      • Dave Massey says:

        No matter what happens, even with an interim coach, they will all be gone at the end of the year. A new coach and a new staff will be brought in. I just don’t think it will make any significant difference this week, next week, or next month. Anybody who has a brain can see it’s going to happen. People are not going to turn down the Florida job based on how this staff is dismissed either.

    • 305Gator says:

      You are correct about Foley and the overall Florida athletic program. The only black eye for Foley is the football program and that is a big problem.
      So while I agree that it is ludicrous to call for Foley to be fired I disagree there is no gain by firing Muschamp right now. The upside will be that we will be ready when those coaches you mention become available and that it will be clear we will be moving forward and improving the program with Muschamp out of the way.
      The only other game we will win will be E. Kentucky and it will be a struggle to beat Vandy but we should also get that one. 5 – 6 is what we have to look forward to this year.

    • MOD8 says:

      Finally someone makes some sense. When you say “fire Foley” thats just plain insane. I think you hit it on the head Dave.

      Another thing that makes me uncomfortable is earning a reputation as a organization with a throw away mentality in regards to coaches and staff. I cringe when I hear fans chant for Muschamps firing. Do I want him gone? Yes. But it needs to be done the right way and I’m with Dave and Foley’s logic. If you think the handling of this situation by both fans and admin won’t be in the back of possible coaching prospects’ minds you are mistaken.

      Zook talks about “noise in the system” and how its a poison. People who chant “fire Muschamp” do not want things to get better, they want things to get worse.

    • tst says:

      Oh Yes , Coaches will talk to UF . They know all to well just how bad a coach Muschamp is . Georgia Southern . enough said .

    • Ken (CA) says:

      You are right about Foley and I am tired of hearing about “Foley’s ego”.

      As far as WM, though, he needs to be fired now, or at least announced he will not be returning. Active coaches wont talk now? Not formally, but informal inquiries can be made knowing the position is open. How do you think we got the jump on ND for Meyer? As long as WM is currently head coach with no decision announced, no one will even discuss informally the possibility, there is no “if we fire him, would you be interested..” type scenarios from what I have read, it is all based on fact as to whether anyone will even consider talking so they don’t get in trouble should the miracle happen and WM wins out and other teams lose and next thing you know we win the SEC East and maybe even upset a west team to get to sugar bowl, and then it leaks somewhere along the way about this coach or that coach that was talking…

      • Michael Jones says:

        Why do you think that we don’t have Spurrier? On Meyer’s BEST day, he can’t hold Spurrier’s clipboard.

        I’m not calling for Foley’s head, just for him to have a little humility and do what’s right for the program and not let petty grievances or personality disputes stop us from getting the right guy.

        • Dave Massey says:

          I would agree that Meyer can’t hold Spurrier’s clipboard when it comes to integrity. As much as it pains me to say this, if you look at the two coaching records for the last 10-12 years, Meyer has the far superior record. Meyer being hired over Spurrier was the right decision at the time. It had nothing to do with personality disputes or petty differences. Spurrier left the program of his own accord, Foley didn’t run him off and he shouldn’t have felt any expectation to return whenever he wanted. Spurrier got insulted because he was told to submit his resume and be considered for the job. He was mad Foley didn’t just give it to him no questions asked.

            • Dave Massey says:

              My opinion, I’m not claiming it’s facts written in stone.

              • Daniel M. says:

                Dan Snider had Spurrier in his sights. I don’t care who you are , a million dollar pay increase will give almost anyone reason to leave. Only Foley and Spurrier know exactly what happened but I do remember Spurriers departure seeming abrupt.

              • Michael Jones says:

                I’ve heard that story too, from various sources. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but if it is, then shame on Foley.

              • Dave Massey says:

                I don’t remember the exact numbers but I think it was well more than a million dollar increase to go to Washington. If I was Spurrier I would have jumped at that kind of money. I have never had a problem with Spurrier leaving and I personally have never had any hard feelings for him. Being a Gator fan when Graves was here and then through Dickey, Pell, Hall I have nothing but admiration for what he did for Florida. One of the things we have kicked around in the past is that Foley was upset Spurrier didn’t give him more notice about leaving, that he didn’t let him know for a while after he had made the decision. And that is conjecture on me and my friends part.

          • Michael Jones says:

            I think we all have a tendency to use statistics out of context. Meyer hasn’t had sustained excellence in the SEC for all of the years and with two different programs like Spurrier has. I don’t really care what Meyer did at Utah.

            At UF, in the SEC, Meyer was 65-14 (winning % of .822) and Spurrier was 122-27 (winning % of .818). Spurrier did it longer and was the one who turned around the football culture at UF. Spurrier turned around a Duke and a USC program that were both bottom feeders. I still haven’t seen Meyer do much in the big boy conferences without Tebow quarterbacking his team.

            I’ll take Spurrier over Meyer any day of the week. Plus you won’t hear Spurrier cry “burn out” after 5 seasons and then turn up at another institution a year later. I disagree that hiring Meyer over Spurrier was the right move.

            • Ken (CA) says:

              No, he cried burnout after 11 seasons, and that isn’t hearsay. He stated that was long enough time at one program when he left.

              Not disputing anything said here, just saying, there is a comparison there, just took him a bit longer

            • Dave Massey says:

              Michael, talk about a tendency to use statistics out of context. What I said was that for the last 10-12 years Meyer’s record is far superior to Spurrier’s and I stand by that.

              My dislike of Meyer has been repeatedly stated on here for a long time. I don’t like the guy at all, I don’t think he has any integrity and is dishonest. I personally wouldn’t hire him to potty train my dog, he would be a bad influence. But I can’t say that he doesn’t win football games, same as Winston.

              What Spurrier did at Florida and Duke is not in the last 10-12 years. In that period Meyer went undefeated at Utah whether you care or not. He won two national championships and three SEC championships and another BCS bowl at Florida. His first year for the bucknuts he went undefeated and would have taken them to the BCS championship it they hadn’t been on probation, which was none of his doing. Last year he went 12-0 during the regular season and won his division in the big10. The worst year he had during that stretch was his last year at Florida when he went 8-5. He is currently 5-1.

              In the last 10-12 years, Spurrier coached the Redskins, an abysmal failure any way you cut it. He has won one SEC east. He is currently 3-3. They have finished ranked high the last three years but didn’t won a BCS bowl. They did win two Citrus Bowls and you can’t spell Citrus without USC. I do miss his quips. So what statistics am I taking out of context?

              I don’t know for certain what actually happened between Foley and Spurrier but one thing I will say is that I’m pretty sure both of them are at fault for whatever did happen. We will just have to agree to disagree that hiring Meyer ‘at the time’ was the best decision. You are not going to change my opinion on that one.

              I personally like Spurrier a lot and would have no problem with him coming back, I just don’t think it is likely. But who knows. I will always be grateful for what Spurrier did when he was here at Florida. No doubt he brought Florida up from a mediocre program to one of national prominence.

    • Gatorgrad79 says:

      Dave,
      Do you not think that hanging on until January will further damage recruiting? We are now projected to have the next to worse class in the SEC and probably not even in the top 50 in the country! All while ou SEC opponents are loading up! Remember what Urban Liar did for osu – while their interim coaches were preparing for the Bowl game for 6 weeks, he was on a recruiting whirlwind! While I think he is a sleazebag, we need a similar concerted effort by a new hire that can convince kids we are not a sinking ship, and they should commit to us. Frankly his year is not salvageable but we have to stop the bleeding in recruiting NOW!

      • Dave Massey says:

        Gatorgrad79,
        The situation with Meyer the liar and the bucknuts was unique in that Meyer was not currently employed as a coach at the time. Unless Florida hires somebody who is not currently coaching it is not going to happen until January or late December. No coach is going to leave the program he is at until then much less get into serious discussions. The most you will get is a coach that will leave before their bowl game as Mullen did with MSU.

        I think that there are a lot of recruits out there who were interested in Florida and with the right hire in a short period of time might be convinced to come to Florida or perhaps flip their commitment from another school IF the right guy is hired. I think that the important thing is to hire the right guy and worry about recruiting after that. It is just the way it is going to happen. If we go after a guy from the NFL ranks it probably won’t be until January. A college guy might be late December at best.

        You gotta remember he is going to have to hire an entire staff also. Those guys will all be doing recruiting. The plain fact of the matter is that when a new coach comes in you are probably not going to have a good recruiting year. Recruiting is a lot about established long term relationships. We are probably going to have transfers and will probably lose some commits that we already have. It is going to take time to get things back to where we are a top notch program again. Don’t expect that to happen next year, let’s all have realistic expectations. Freshmen are not going to turn a program around overnight.

        • Michael Jones says:

          I agree that righting this ship is going to take time. Muschamp inherited a much better program than anyone seems willing to admit, mainly because it’s so fashionable to trash and blame Meyer for everything, but the guy who replaces Muschamp won’t be so lucky.

          Plus recruiting almost always takes a hit in a HC transition year.

          • Dave Massey says:

            I don’t know if I would agree that Muschamp inherited a much better program. We were coming off an 8-5 year. There was a lot of dissension and problems on the team, remember the players complaining about that last incoming class. There was a lot of transfers’ Jenkins had to be dismissed, and we didn’t have a quarterback. Muschamp didn’t walk into a good situation. But he has had enough time to correct it and can’t get it done. The program is in worse shape than when he got here and we still don’t have a quarterback.

            The thing that concerns me most is that the good coaches who are available out there are aware of gator fans unrealistic expectations and might be unwilling to accept the position because of that. We might not get as good of a candidate because of that. Just look at all the comments on this one post alone much less for the last year or two. If you were a top coaching candidate would you want to walk into this? That’s a real shame because this should be one of the top five programs and guys should be jumping at the opportunity to come here, top guys.

            I read one article saying Florida should bring Spurrier back for a few years until he retires just so that he can get the program back to a position where a good coach would be interested in coming here, sad.

            • Ken (CA) says:

              maybe not “better”, but certainly more talented. Gator fans are no more spoiled than any other fans of elite schools if you go look at a Michigan website or ND for many years, etc. etc. A coach that doesn’t come in with a high level of winning expectation wouldn’t be the kind of coach that would be a good fit anyway. We can hire a dozen Muschamps…

    • mjGator says:

      He’s lost the team, he’s lost the fans, he’s lost respect of the players, and I think he’s a beaten man. He’s a lame-duck and can’t recruit. An interim coach may spark the team, but at a minimum, it will give everyone some hope going forward. Why keep him in the current station? That has no upside at all.

      • Dave Massey says:

        I don’t disagree with any of what you say. I just think that in the long run it won’t have any effect on what happens with the next coach and next years team. Hopefully that explains what I meant better. This year is not salvageable. But I would like to see the players at least play for pride and the orange and blue.

  9. AlberT says:

    Dave Massey what are you smoking? Tell me how much $ volleyball or swimming produced last year. So that answers what revolves. Now secondly do you want our million dollar+ AD to do another “proper and thorough search”. How is that workin out for him??? It is time to dô a TOTAL flush. Let’s replace Foley and Nochamp. Perhaps the new President Fuchs will take the rims on this and as his new presidency start anew and fresh with non obsolete players. As a 50 year Gator I am hanging my head. Let’s go forward with a PROPER staff.

    • apprentice says:

      I think these two are contradictory:

      – Integrity
      – Win at all costs attitude

      “at all costs” includes a lot of things

  10. BIGGATOR says:

    Paul Finebaum on his show,said he was convinced that what Foley said should be and i quote,”taken with a grain of salt” he believes Foley had to put something out there and break the silence. Paul believes it will probably happen after the Georgia game. he said”i don’t think Muschamp will make it to the end of the season”. time will certainly tell. GO GATORS!

  11. tst says:

    FWIW: Schools have been robbing coaches since the beginning of time when football was played with a rock . Time for Foley to own-up be a man and get my beloved Florida Gators right.
    Muschamp has been a total failure and this year like second half of last year the players don’t even want to play for him . He’s scared ,he not personable . Ever heard him talk to a side line reporter ? He’s as crass as a rattlesnake cornered . Time to go , Now ! Get Florida rolling Foley or you can go with him .
    I don’t care one bit for all the sports that pull off football money . None of them can carry their own weight and ‘Most’ are boring as can be . Girls softball i do love and even they with a National trophy are in debt to football .
    Look Foley made that God-awful extension with the ridiculous ‘Buyout.’ His problem and a huge one , but he owns it not the Football team !!

  12. Rakkasan says:

    If anyone thinks that Baghdad Foley hasn’t been talking to agents, and looking for an experienced head coach by now, is pretty naive. He’s just saying what he needs to say about supporting the coaches and players so he doesn’t scare off any potential coaches.

  13. JimmyJam says:

    Does Foley realize that Muschamp has lost the team and the players are not going to play hard for him anymore ? I mean c’mon, this is not rocket science Foley. There must be a change now! The last 2 years at UF, if a team scores a touchdown on us first, the players usually quit. What is comforting about that for Foley ?

  14. Ken (CA) says:

    DAY 2: GATORNATION HELD HOSTAGE!

  15. Harry Lamb says:

    Let’s just hope Foley is smart enough not to repeat his two big football mistakes, hiring two D coaches with no head-coaching experience! Let’s hope for an offense eve coach with head-coaching experience who is not afraid to let his D coordinator call the shots on defense. Obviously, Will is not willing to let the O coordinator call the shots as we have had three of them and the offense is the same dumb vanilla as it always has been under Will. Wake up Jeremy! Florida should not be a training ground for head coaches.

  16. AJ says:

    To me the right time to get rid of WM is yesterday. He knows it’s coming, the players know it’s coming, everyone knows it’s coming. Get it over with and see if a new philosophy can at least provide some excitement.

    There is a lot to gain from doing it now. Until the inevitable happens WM’s presence will only serve as a distraction. Is that because of us fans, absolutely. But just as inserting Treon in the Tennessee game energized the team, a new man at the helm (Durkin or Roper) may be enough to inspire the team to finish with some life.

    Maybe I’m irrational but when a program reaches new lows every week something has to be done. Immediately.

  17. Mike The Red says:

    This may actually make sense. It gives him more options if he hasn’t shown his hand.

  18. Rick Ellis says:

    Foley can simply correct this by releasing Muschamp asap. Allow one of the Assistant Coaches to complete the season and free this Program of this cancer Muschamp has given it. Florida just as the majority of SEC SCHOOLS is a FOOTBALL FIRST PROGRAM IN ATHLETICS so let’s not PRETEND and push Volleyball and Women Softball as OUR identity in the PREMIER CONFERENCE IN AMERICA.

  19. Razzlegator says:

    Are you going to allow this name calling to continue Adam? What happened to honest debate? It’s obvious that Champ needs to go. I’m sure he didn’t mean to, but he’s divided the nation almost beyond repair.
    Whom to hire you might ask. Beats the hell out of me, but I’m sure the head ticket taker is gonna be the one to do it.

    • What name-calling? I’ve approved hundreds of comments today.

      • Razzlegator says:

        People calling people ignorant doesn’t rise to the level of name calling. Have I lived too long?

        • Razzle,

          I have to write every bit of content for the website. At the same time, I have to approve every comment. And you guys are commenting at a record pace, so much that 10-20 build up before I can even get to them to approve them all.

          So perhaps I missed a comment, which you still have not pointed out to me, where someone was insulted. If you point it out, I can address it. But I’m not combing through the hundreds of comments I approved today to find one word…not while I’m working to post more content for you.

  20. Mike The Red says:

    Only prayer will save this season. Tebow as interim HC. Really, honestly… he has always found a way to win in the past….

  21. Fatback says:

    Dave Massey is correct and Foley is playing it exactly as he should. He sees the inevitable. He knows big-name coaches do not want to play for an AD prone to knee-jerk reactions. Zook was cut short. Meyer was successful however after Tebow and Mullen left he realized the inmates were running the asylum and had a nervous breakdown. Muschamp deserved a chance this year and he was given it. Fans may not see it but coaching prospects will appreciate the steadfast support in the face of popular scrutiny. Any coach wants to know he will not be run out on a rail if his success is not immediate. Also if you’ve ever run a business you know that you don’t fire a key position until you have a pretty good idea who his replacement is. I suspect Foley has spent a lot of time on the phone recently. As far as recruiting… the incessant bashing of the program by its own “fans” does more damage than any coaching change.

  22. G8tr1966 says:

    We have to remember WHO made the Florida Gators Team both as a player AND Coach-Steve Spurrier. He left to try coaching the NFL for a few years-realized that pipedream wasn’t reality and was told by UF AD that he’d ALWAYS have a job if he ever wanted to come back. Well he did and was told by Foley to fill out an application for submittal-all because Foley had already made a deal with Urban “Myth” Meyer who inherited Ron Zook’s draft class. Zook was a great recruiter-Urban was not and left when he realized his dream job would be open soon-Ohio state-Spurrier got pissed for being dissed and told Foley- I’ll stay in the SEC and come back and kick your reptilian asses-I made this team and named the stadium THE SWAMP!
    Sorry, but Foley has to go right along with Muschamp!

  23. Kaput says:

    Coaches speak to universities every year during the season, thinking they wait until the season is over is plain wrong.

    I’m a recruiter and I know how these things work. It will be done through agents and back channels, but it will certainly be done. It always is and it always will be. There is WAY too much at stake for it not to. Listen to the wording of ‘hot’ coaches when they get asked about speaking to other job opportunities. It’s almost never a flat no.

    The trick this season is identifying who the next guy is going to be, and that’s what happening right now. Succession planning happens all of the time and most every large business, and it’s no different for Foley. He’s sure to have a short list of guys he’s considering, and is now in the process of narrowing it down to two or three prime candidates.

    As far as keeping Muschamp, it probably has everything to do with Foley wanting to give the players their best shot at having an engaged coaching staff. Remember when Zook got fired? A lot of the coaches were shopping their services in the Gator offices instead if actually coaching. Some we’re wearing Illinois gear while coming to work!

    Eve still, Muschamp needs to go now. The alums and fans are done, and they want blood.

    • Ken (CA) says:

      Good points. ADs always have a short list of candidates in their top drawer to start with just in case. As far as the Zook example though, I would disagree. The players really loosened up once the inevitable occured and had a pretty decent season upsetting UGA and FSU after the firing

  24. Michael J. says:

    Does it matter if Muschamp is fired now or at the end of the season? Does anyone actually think that UF is going to be better on the field this year? UF can’t trade for players. The receivers are still going to be bad. The quarterback will still suck. The offensive line will still not be able to block. Speaking of that, can anyone tell me why D.J. Humphries is still starting? The teams Florida plays know they don’t have to actually do anything. Just be patient, UF will find a way to lose without much prodding. So, no, it makes little difference if Muschamp is fired now or later. It’s not a question of if, just when. The season is over anyway, UF just doesn’t have good players.

    • Dave Massey says:

      I don’t think it matters when he goes for this year. Ido think it continues to be an unwanted distraction. My point is that I don’t think the timing of his dismissal is going to have any benefit or effect on whoever the replacement is going to be.

  25. SW FL Joe says:

    Can’t fire Muschamp now if both Roper and Durkin have said “Thanks but no thanks, Mr Foley”

  26. sue be says:

    This is to f****** hard to stomach get rid of the AD …HEAD COACH …..AND THE QB WILL FOLLOW ….CLEAN HOUSE IT’S A YEARS OVER DO nothing personal it’s the F*****g SEC…

  27. jrkjj says:

    Foley u have lost touch with reality!!!!1 WM is to ignorant to run a team, can u not c that!! Fire the idiot now not later any other coach can run the team better than wm. What does he have on u, you act like you are afraid of him.

  28. Rick Ellis says:

    Sitting at home watching SEC NETWORK and it’s just sickening listening to commentators naming SEC Defensive and Offensive Players of the week and I never thought I would be hearing THE FLORIDA GATORS being the Team that the Players are receiving their Awards for. Record Setting Performances. WOW !!!

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