Muschamp’s withdrawal from coaching search may be good for Clemson

By Marc Hudgens  |   Thursday, November 20, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

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Like a dagger to the heart, many Clemson fans were a bit despondent earlier this week over news that Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp signed a coach-in-waiting deal with the Longhorns. This effectively took him out of the head coaching prospect pool for not only Clemson but Tennessee and other schools that may have had him on their hit lists.

But there is a silver lining to this dark cloud.

It has been said that if Clemson were to let Tommy Bowden go, which it did on Oct. 13, the school would have to hone in on a top candidate with BCS head coaching experience and a title or two on his résumé. Realistic or not, that is the ideal.

But this year is different from the past two as many of the game’s top coaches have already been taken during that time. This isn’t like after the 2006 season, when you had the Dennis Ericksons, Nick Sabans and Butch Davises around. Nor is it like after the 2007 campaign, when Paul Johnson was available. This year's pickings are slim, which is why the popular candidates are either coordinators (Muschamp) or failed ex-NFLers (Lane Kiffin).

So the pool got a lot shallower with Muschamp’s withdrawal.

Then again, maybe this is good for Clemson. The fewer coordinators that are available, the more it forces the school to go after proven skippers. That pool is admittedly bare, too, because there are few available college head coaches out there, but this may lead to poaching another school for its coach.


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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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