COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner has put out a statement saying that coach Will Muschamp will be the coach for the remainder of the season.
The statement comes after Muschamp's received criticism and some speculation about his job status after the team's recent struggles on the field.
"Today, I want to make it clear that Will Muschamp is our football coach and will be our coach going forward," Tanner wrote. "President Caslen and I are fully supportive of his leadership and his development of student-athletes on and off the field. Coach Muschamp and our staff are dedicated to the success of Gamecock football. They have built a program where our team plays for each other and for our University, and they deserve our support. While we wish the outcome of some of our games would have been different, we are excited about the future of our program."
USC is currently 4-6 on the season with a 3-4 SEC conference record. The team has remaining games against Texas A&M and Clemson, and must win both to become bowl-eligible.
There's been angst in the Gamecock Nation, however, due to the team's recent stretch. After a major upset against Georgia on October 12, the team has lost three of its last four games, including last Saturday's loss to Appalachian State of the Sun Belt Conference.
Even if USC wanted to remove Muschamp, they'd have a large financial incentive not to: a buyout clause in his contract (standard for most programs in major conferences) would pay Muschamp about $19 million if he were let go at the end of the season.