When it comes to offensive minds, there aren't many (if any) that Will Muschamp holds in higher regards than former Duke and Florida offensive coordinator Kurt Roper.
Roper, who joined Muschamp's staff at Florida as offensive coordinator in what turned out to be his final season in Gainesville, brought a different approach on offense than Muschamp had employed his first few years, including a more up tempo approach and more 10 and 11 personnel spread formations.
Without question, the changes that Roper brought along gave the Gators a much needed shot in the arm offensively, as the unit improved in many statistical categories offensively before Muschamp was eventually let go.
Today, on Sirius XM College Sports Nation, Muschamp noted that he believes he'd still be the head coach at Florida if he had hired Kurt Roper (who spent this past season as a senior offensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns) in his first year instead of later on down the road.
“I feel like, if I’d hired Kurt in my first year at Florida, I’d probably still be there. That’s the confidence I have in him moving forward. I think he’s just an outstanding football coach."
While a formal announcement hasn't been made, Muschamp noted that he's bringing Roper on board at South Carolina to finish what they had started in that final year with the Gators.
"He’s finishing the year out with the Cleveland Browns. That’s why we haven’t made a formal announcement. I’m real excited. He’s a really good football coach."
“Up-tempo, on the ball, he's got some new ideas from working in the NFL this year that I’m excited about as well. That was one of the things I took from my experience at Florida. When we came there, Urban had had great success with a spread offense, doing some of the things they did...and they recruited to that."
"I felt like, my first couple years, we were trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, as far as being more traditional and pro-style. We really struggled mightily with that transition."
Roper joining Muschamp's staff is no surprise, but it's refreshing to hear how much faith he has in the man that will be calling the shots on offense.