Since Will Muschamp was officially dismissed as Florida’s head coach -- even though he’ll continue to coach the Gators for the rest of this season -- multiple high-profile head coaches already denied any interest in the opening.
It started with Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops. Stoops, who is the favorite in Las Vegas to eventually claim the job, quickly squashed any rumors a day after Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley made his decision.
“All I want to be is a candidate at Oklahoma,” Stoops said during a conference call Monday. “I’m not a candidate anywhere else. I’m finished with that question.”
A 69-year-old Steve Spurrier isn’t making a triumphant return to Gainesville either.Steve Spurrier: “I have already had my run at Florida. They need to hire a coach that hopefully will be there 10 years.”
— Josh Kendall (@JoshatTheState) November 16, 2014
Auburn’s Gus Malzahn followed suit Tuesday by saying he was “totally committed” to the Tigers program, per Al.com.
Two more denials came Friday.
Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly joked about the possibility of leaving South Bend for sunny Florida.
“I’m going to Florida -- in about two weeks to get some sun,” Kelly told WNDU.com. “I’m getting out of here with this weather. What are you, kidding me? So you can write that down. I’m going to Florida. Write it down now, get it out there get it on the news waves.”
When reporters followed Kelly’s sarcastic response with a direct question about the coach’s interest in Florida, the Notre Dame coach continued to lay it on thick.
“Oh yeah. I’ve been interested in the Florida job,” Kelly said. “What else am I up for anything else? Can I be up for the Notre Dame job? Because we are 7-3 right now, [and] I’m hoping to hold on to this job.”
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney was more direct with his answer regarding any interest in the opening.
“The more you sit around and talk about that kind of stuff, the more of a distraction it is,” Swinney said. “I love my job. I just signed a long-term contract because of that. And this is a place that’s special to me. And I’ve invested a lot here. My focus is 100 percent on winning here.”
Two reasons prompt these blanket denials.
First, no coach is going to express interest in the middle of the season. It’s detrimental to his team’s progress on the field and recruiting off of it.
Second, Florida is no longer considered one of the elite jobs. It’s close, but it doesn’t fall in the same category as Alabama, Ohio State or Texas anymore.
“If those elite jobs are a 10, Florida is a 9.5,” a source told USA TODAY.
Despite being in a talent-rich state as one of the highest-profile programs in the nation, Florida has fallen behind in regards to facilities. It’s still a desirable job, but it’s not quite as enticing for these top coaches as it used to be.