Linebacker Channing Tindall could not refrain from chuckling out loud when asked to dish on what he’s learned from new defensive analyst Will Muschamp.
The former head coach at South Carolina and Florida joined longtime friend Kirby Smart in February, and already Tindall is noticing some similarities between the two.
“They definitely have the same tendencies. You see Coach Smart with the visor; Coach Muschamp does the same thing with the visor. You can definitely tell they were best friends,” Tindall said. “Even the advice they give is kind of similar. The way they said it: they’re like two peas in a pod.”
In the short time he’s been in Athens, the longtime SEC defensive coordinator is already playing a key role within the Bulldog football program.
“He’s probably the guy I lean on the most in terms of coaching the coaches and just drill selection. I ask him, like, ‘Hey how did you do this? Did you do this period first or this one?’” Smart said recently. “I’m always trying to find new things to make our program better, and I like having him out there a lot. I like having him in the meetings, because it’s not the skill set of coaching. He’s certainly a confident coach and very competent.”
Cornerback Ameer Speed said having Muschamp around has been well-received by the players.
Although he’s leaving the coaching up to the other fulltime assistants on the defensive staff, Muschamp’s ability to help develop the mental part of their respective game is already beginning to pay off.
“Coach Muschamp is a really good dude. He’s been helping all the young guys out a lot,” Speed said. “He’s been helping with the gelling and scheming to make sure we know what’s going on, not as far as football stuff, but just the little things that add up, to help you improve your game and get better.”
A native of Columbia, S.C., Tindall was recruited by Muschamp when he was the head coach at South Carolina.
The two know each other quite well.
Still, Tindall laughed that he was caught completely off guard when he learned that Muschamp was now a part of Smart’s staff.
“I didn’t even realize Coach Muschamp was here. I was watching some film with my coach (Glenn Schumann), who said there was a surprise upstairs,” Tindall said. “I look up and see Coach Muschamp, I’m like, what? What are you doing here? But we had a good conversation. It’s good to have someone from my hometown here. With Coach Smart and Coach Muschamp, I feel I have a piece of home here.”
Smart, meanwhile, has a sounding board he respects as much as anyone on the current Bulldog staff.
“It’s a lot more for me. I just know he’s done things a lot of different ways,” Smart said. “When you’re out there in between drills, and a drill is going on, and you can walk on and say, ‘How did y’all do this?’ or ask him what he thinks about something, it’s helpful. It certainly builds confidence and gives you more ways to do things.”
