Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive analyst Will Muschamp is earning a lot of coin to be the Texas Longhorns‘ defensive coordinator. According to a report from the Austin-American Statesman, Muschamp will be making $2.8 million a year to coach the defense for Texas.
That figure is the second-highest salary of any defensive coordinator, behind former Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Knowles was making $3.1 million at Penn State, but after head coach James Franklin’s departure, Knowles was hired by Tennessee as their defensive coordinator, and now he’s making $2.2 million per year.
Advertisement
Stacking Muschamp’s salary to college football head coaches gets interesting. If Muschamp was making that much as a head coach, he would’ve be the 63rd highest-paid head coach in the nation last year, according to a list by USA TODAY. Muschamp’s salary would be higher than about half of the nation’s head coaches. UNLV head coach Dan Mullen ($3.1 million) is the only Group of Five head coach making more than Will Muschamp.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns looks on prior to the 2024 SEC Championship against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 07, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
It makes perfect sense for Muschamp to get his payday. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian wants him to be “head coach of the defense”, according to the same report by the Austin-American Statesman.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart even acknowledged Muschamp’s importance to the Georgia defense. “He helped us replace him with the guys we got, and he helped us tremendously in that role,” said Smart. “He helped us tremendously this year throughout the year. And he’s been really good to me personally, and he’s been great to Georgia, and he’s been really good to a lot of players that he’s recruited.”
Advertisement
Muschamp joined the Georgia coaching staff in 2021 and helped the Bulldogs win a pair of national championships. He was even co-defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023, but he stepped down to a defensive analyst role in 2024 to spend more time with his family. He had an even smaller role with Georgia in 2025. Now he inherits an incredibly talented Texas Longhorns defense and will look to get the Longhorns atop the SEC.
Follow UGA Wire on Instagram or Threads for more college football coverage!
This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: How much Texas Longhorns paid to get Will Muschamp to leave Georgia
