ESPN Big 12 Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

The hiring of Will Muschamp as the head coaching designate for Texas was a wise and proactive decision by Texas officials.

But I wouldn't have expected anything less from DeLoss Dodds, who, for my money, is one of the most astute athletic directors in the business.

	Brian Bahr/Getty Images
	Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has been named coach-in-waiting at Texas.

Tuesday's announcement, which came down with little warning, ensures that Muschamp won't be leaving for another job. The way the Texas defense has played this season, that was the most immediate concern.

With good jobs in play like Clemson, Washington and Tennessee, Tuesday's announcement keeps Muschamp in Austin. And that's the big thing for a young team that should be even better with more experience next season.

The announcement provides Mack Brown with a smooth way to ride off into the sunset. At 57, Brown looks healthy and seems to be enjoying this team. He could remain at Texas for the life of his eight-season contract.

But I bet he won't -- particularly if Dodds should decided to leave before then.

The future for the Longhorns played out at the end of their 35-7 victory over Kansas. Starting strong safety Blake Gideon was out with an injury as well as other starters like Brian Orakpo.

The result? Players like safety Christian Scott, defensive tackle Kheeston Randall and defensive ends Sam Acho and Eddie Jones all came up with big plays.

"This team, right now, is getting better because the young guys who didn't play a lot early are stepping up now," Brown said. "That was one of the major differences in the ball game against Kansas."

So keeping Muschamp there to work with them was of paramount importance.

I'm thinking that Brown still has one more championship run in him. If Colt McCoy returns next season, the Longhorns could be better prepared for a national title run in 2009 than in any previous season. So Brown will be there to enjoy that.

Expect him to stay as long as he's having fun -- or until he wins a national championship.

One potentially divisive element to watch will be how long running backs coach Major Applewhite stays on the staff. Applewhite, a former Texas quarterback and one of the most beloved players in the history of the program, likely took the job on Brown's staff this season with a plan to one day serve as the head coach the Longhorns.

Now, will he stay with the 37-year-old Muschamp effectively tying that up for the next few years? It will be interesting to watch if he stays and how many other members of Brown's staff remain over the next few seasons with the coaching transition in place.