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Will Muschamp moves into bigger role with defense, Nolan Smith excited to see impact

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•07/28/22•

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Tony Walsh/UGA Sports Comm

It’s been a little bit over a year and a half since Georgia Football decided to bring in Will Muschamp as a defensive analyst. He helped the Bulldogs in their preparation for the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Cincinnati before coming on full time that offseason. Then, when Scott Cochran had to step away from the program, Muschamp moved into an on-field role, playing a part on a defensive staff that guided Georgia to a National Championship in January. Now, with Dan Lanning off to Oregon, Muschamp is listed as a co-defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs entering the 2022 season and should have an even bigger say in how things are done.

“Will has been a tremendous asset for me as a head coach because you value people who have been in your seat. So Todd Monken has been a head coach. Matt Luke was that way for us as well, he’d been a head coach. Mel Tucker had been in a lot of roles before he left us. So I value that experience he’s had and understanding the dos and don’ts, ways to do things, how to practice, how you run your organization,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said on Muschamp last week at SEC Media Days. “Also, it gives you the ability to delegate, too, take some things off your hand. I can focus my attention in other areas if he’s in charge of something because he’s done it. He’s been unbelievable. A great staff guy. Super positive with our players. Players enjoy and love being around Coach Muschamp. I’m thankful he and his family are on our staff and with our program.”

Speaking of the players, they have had a lot to say on his impact too during his time at Georgia. Last season, Lewis Cine called the grouping of Smart, Muschamp, Lanning and Muschamp’s new fellow co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann ‘The Masterminds.’ Cine may be gone, but current Georgia defensive star Nolan Smith praised Muschamp’s impact too. According to him, it means more coming from a coach that’s done it in the same program as Smith.

“I think Coach Muschamp means a lot,” Smith said. “He brings a lot of diversity and also a lot of age and a lot of wisdom. Because I used to watch him, honestly, on TV when I was 7 and 8 years old when he was coaching at LSU in 2009 [Sic]. And I let him know that every day, and he also let me know that he used to play for Georgia Football once upon a time. So, I think that they invested into the program — like, they went here and they care more about the program and they don’t want to see us, you know fail.”

“He’s a four-year starter at Georgia. You talk to him, he started more years than Coach Smart, and he’s the older brother,” Smith continued when asked whether Muschamp ever reminds the players of his glory days at Georgia. “It’s funny, you know, just talking to them, seeing them go at it. I think they’re like old best friends.”

Smart and Muschamp, along with Schumann, will take that old friendship onto the field this season when they are on opposite sidelines from another one of those Georgia masterminds, Dan Lanning, in the opener. The Bulldogs kickoff the season on September 3rd against Lanning’s Oregon Ducks as a part of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.

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