How Long Will Weis Be At Florida?

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Charlie Weis-to-Florida looks like the kind of big splash hire that excites ticket-buyers and recruits.  The man is a first-rate quarterbacks coach and a master at play-calling.

But is this a long-term fix for Will Muschamp and his Gator program?

There have been reports that Weis didn’t get along well with many of his players at Notre Dame.  There are some pundits who feel his offense is too complicated for college players.  Even Tony Barnhart of The AJC wonders if Weis is ready to take orders from a younger man.

Though Weis and Kansas City head coach Todd Haley have denied it, there are many rumors in NFL circles claiming that Weis and Haley (a younger man) did not see eye to eye.

If that’s true, then Florida might have been one of the few escape hatches open to Weis.  NFL coordinators who are under contract cannot be hired by rival teams unless the new team offers some sort of promotion.  Weis’ offensive coordinator options in the NFL, therefore, were likely the Chiefs… and the Chiefs.

If Florida — and the chance to be close to his son — helped him to jet freely from KC, more power to him.  And we believe it’s great for the Gators in the short term.

But moving forward, how long will Weis want to serve as an offensive coordinator at the college level?  The SEC is a top-tier conference and Weis will definitely be paid well, but it’s likely he still has eyes on either a) returning to the NFL or b) landing another shot as a college head coach.

Such is the soap opera of life in the SEC.


(Sidenote – The South Bend Tribune reports that Weis suggested Notre Dame hire Muschamp as its head coach in 2010 with Weis staying on for one year as ND’s offensive coordinator.  Notre Dame’s AD thought about it, but decided to chase Brian Kelly instead.)