Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has been a hot commodity on the coaching carousel this season.
After being linked to head-coaching openings at Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Southern Miss, Muschamp interviewed Thursday for a defensive coordinator vacancy at Texas.
Muschamp spent the day in Austin, Texas, meeting with UT head coach Mack Brown and the rest of the Longhorns’ coaching staff.
Texas is in the market for a coordinator after co-defensive coordinator Larry Mac Duff stepped down Wednesday, citing “philosophical differences.” Mac Duff shared the position with Duane Akina last season.
Late Thursday night, an Austin-based television station and Orangebloods.com, a Web site that covers Texas, both reported Muschamp had been hired. Neither report was confirmed at press time.
Orangebloods.com had previously reported Muschamp had 24 hours to make a decision.
Last week, Muschamp told reporters he was happy at Auburn, though he didn’t rule out a move.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Muschamp, whose agent, Jimmy Sexton, represents a host of head coaches including Tommy Tuberville, Nick Saban and Houston Nutt.
“I felt like I was going to be at Auburn all along. … I’m happy to be at Auburn, I love Auburn, it’s a great place to be.”
Muschamp is the second Auburn defensive coordinator in three years to draw interest from Brown and UT.
Former Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik left AU for the same post at Texas following the 2004 season. At the time, Chizik said working for Brown would improve his chances of becoming a head coach.
Chizik was named head coach at Iowa State after the 2006 season, after two years in Austin. At least eight former Brown assistants have moved on to head-coaching jobs.
Speaking to reporters after Monday’s Chick-fil-A Bowl win, Muschamp sounded excited about the future at Auburn.
“Anyone out there that wants to be a winner needs to become an Auburn Tiger,” he said.
The reasons for his optimism aren’t hard to spot: Eight starters and several key contributors return to a defense that ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense and eighth in total defense. Texas ranked 47th and 53rd, respectively, last season.
Muschamp, who was slated to make $350,000 in 2007, would likely receive a raise if he remains at Auburn.

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