Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Will Muschamp‘s decision to leave the Texas Longhorns and vacate his position of defensive coordinator and “head coach in waiting” is paying huge dividends for the Florida Gators. Muschamp has Florida undefeated. Florida is 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the Southeastern Conference heading into a road game at SEC East rival Vanderbilt. In his second season as a head coach in the ultra-competitive SEC, Muschamp has made major strides after guiding Florida to a 7-6 overall record and a 17-14 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Gator Bowl.

Muschamp, who played football for the Georgia Bulldogs, served as the defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers and Auburn Tigers before landing at Texas. He also worked as assistant head coach/defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins prior to arriving in Austin, where he quickly made a positive impact and solid impression on the Texas coaching staff. Muschamp became the highest paid assistant coach in the Big 12 Conference and less than one year after being hired as co-defensive coordinator for the Longhorns, earned the “head coach in waiting” title as the individual to succeed Mack Brown, who is under contract through 2016. But just over two years after being named Brown’s successor, Florida’s offer to guide the Gators proved to be too much for Muschamp to pass up. He’s in his second season in Gainesville and excelling.

Muschamp’s Florida Gators have held five opponents to a total of 57 points. Florida has also shown the ability to convert offensively and pull out wins. The Gators have had to battle back from second-half deficits en route to three of their five wins.