In statements given to GatorZone's Scott Carter, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley gave Will Muschamp his biggest vote of confidence yet on Wednesday.
“As athletic director, I’m a thousand percent convinced that Will Muschamp is the guy to lead this football program,’’ Foley said inside his office at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. “Nothing has changed in what we feel about Will Muschamp from the day we hired him.
"Everyone around here wants the same thing,’’ Foley continued. “We want to do what is right for the University of Florida. We understand that this football season has not gone the way any of us wanted it to go, certainly not the way our fans wanted it to go, and most of all, not the way Will Muschamp wanted it to go.
“We have a history of being successful, we have a history of fixing things when they need to be fixed, and that is what is going to happen here, and Coach Muschamp is the one that will fix it.”
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“We will get better under Will Muschamp’s leadership,’’ Foley said. “This is not the quote-unquote dreaded ‘vote of confidence.’ This is just how we all feel around here. We have a strong faith and a strong belief in his capabilities, in his leadership skills, in his ability to evaluate what needs to be fixed.
“Go back to a year ago: we’re 11-1 and beat four teams in the Top 10 and he was SEC Coach of the Year. I don’t think that was a fluke. I think coaching had a lot to do with that. We’ll stay the course here. We’ll get it right. We’re not going to let Gator fans down. We want the same thing they want.”
There's more at the link, and even though Foley's explicitly demarcating this as a statement far different from the votes of confidence other athletic directors give other coaches, this won't quell speculation that Muschamp resides on a hot seat.
But the obvious read here is that Muschamp is not being fired after three years at Florida, and that he's got the most powerful athletic director in college sports at his back. Quibble with or despair at the prospect of Muschamp returning, but at least he won't be a lame duck in any sense in the near future.
Andy Hutchins is Alligator Army's managing editor. Follow Alligator Army on Twitter and Facebook.