http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/19/archie-manning-gives-florida-thumbs-up-on-will-muschamp-hire/ Archie Manning Gives Florida Thumbs Up on Will Muschamp Hire By Tom LorenzoShare on Twitter
NEW YORK -- It's not often that you get a chance to speak with Archie Manning and have the conversation sway more toward college football and away from the performance of his sons Eli Manning and Peyton Manning. That's exactly what happened recently when FanHouse had a chance to connect with the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback. Manning, now 61, currently acts as the chairman of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, a partner in the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year campaign. As part of this campaign, Manning has worked with Liberty Mutual in honoring the 25 finalists for the 2010 Coach of the Year Award, the leading college football coaching honor. Among the finalists are Gene Chizik (Auburn<http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/team/auburn/> University), Mark Dantonio (Michigan State<http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/team/michigan-state/>University), Rich Ellerson (Army <http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/team/army/>), Chip Kelly (University of Oregon <http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/team/oregon/>), Nick Saban (University ofAlabama<http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/team/alabama/>) and Mike Sherman (Texas A&M University). The winner will be announced during the BCS national championship game between Auburn and Oregon on Jan. 10. Before asking Manning about the individual coaching credentials of the 25 finalists, we wanted to get his take on the recent decision the University of Florida <http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/team/florida/> made in replacing Urban Meyer as its football coach. "Number one, I think everyone was trying to predict what (athletic director) Jeremy Foley is going to do." Manning said. "You're not going to predict what Jeremy is going to do. He's an outstanding athletic director. I didn't know who they were going to hire, but i knew they were going to hire someone good." That someone, of course, was Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who was slated to succeed Mack Brown as the Longhorns' coach once Brown decided to retire. "I happen to know Will Muschmp," Manning said. "I know his background and he's ready to be an SEC coach. He belongs in the Southeastern Conference where he played (University of Georgia) and where he was part of a national championship coaching staff under Nick Saban at LSU." "He's just a really impressive young guy. I think it's a great hire by Jeremy Foley and the Florida Gators." Speaking to the coaches who proved their worth on and off the field throughout the 2010 season, Manning praised the job Michigan State's Dantonio did while having to deal with some serious health issues just weeks into the season. Dantonio suffered a heart attack hours after a gutsy fake field goal call led to a victory over Notre Dame. "Michigan State had a great year, but for him to deal with this," Manning said, "that's some pretty big stuff, having a heart attack. You could just sense the feeling that his players have for him, the admiration his staff had for him and how they rallied around him and the way that football team kept going. They really had a good football team. [Going] 11-1 in that conference, that's strong." Another coach Manning spoke highly of was Oregon's Kelly, who has led the Ducks to the title-game matchup with Auburn. Kelly, in just his second season as the head coach at Oregon, has had to deal with player personnel issues in back-to-back seasons, including the suspension and dismissal of highly-touted quarterback Jeremiah Masoli<http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/players/jeremiah-masoli/168409> before the 2010 season. "I remember when [Oregon] hired him out of New Hampshire and a lot of people were saying, 'How do you hire someone out of New Hampshire to come and run an offensive program in Oregon?" said Manning of Oregon's decision to hire Kelly as its offensive coordinator back in 2007. "I'd say that Chip is one of the most impressive offensive minds in college football, and they've done something this year that probably has never been seen before in college football, to have this type of season with a truly fast-break offense. "They do things a little differently than everyone else. He's a heck of an offensive mind." Whether it's Kelly, Dantonio or any one of the other 23 candidates across the full spectrum of college football, Manning is advocating for the fans to get involved and have their say in who they think should be the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year by casting their own vote<http://www.coachoftheyear.com/#fbid=22LoohDF4FC> . "College football is a great institution," said Manning. "People take it really serious. I think coaches are such a big part of our society, but I don't think everyone always appreciates how hard they work, (and) also what coaches do for our youth." Manning believes that the fan aspect of the award will be deemed quite popular due to the passion and knowledge that college football fans embody, and realizes that this is their chance to show how greatly they in fact do appreciate what these coaches add to the college game. -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
