GAINESVILLE — When Florida landed Will Muschamp as its new football coach, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was familiar with his reputation for wild antics and raucous enthusiasm, but he was unaware of Muschamp's nickname.
"Coach Boom?" Floyd asked. "I actually never knew that, but yeah, I've seen him going nuts on the sideline."
Muschamp was a defensive coordinator at Texas, Auburn and LSU before coming to Florida. Some of his friends and family believed he might tone down his demeanor as a head coach, but that does not seem to have happened.
Muschamp has been known to chest-bump players, and he once reacted so violently to a play that he cut the side of his face with his headset at Texas. Those antics made him a popular target for television cameras and microphones. The nickname stems from Muschamp celebrating a big play as an Auburn coach in 2007, when ESPN's mic recorded him yelling "BOOM" followed by several profanity-infused phrases.
Muschamp, 40, said the nickname does not bother him except, "It's a little hard to explain to your 6-year-old why people call you Coach Boom."
He also said "Boom" is not a regular piece of his coaching vernacular. Both of his older brothers vouched for that, saying the only time they ever heard it come out of his mouth was on the famous YouTube clip.
Either way, linebacker Jelani Jenkins knows that his coach is "real intense" but with a playful side.
"He jokes a lot, but he's also very serious," Jenkins said. "When it's time to play, it's time to play."
Quarterback John Brantley occasionally hears Muschamp's voice booming through the walls when he walks past the defense's meeting room at the Heavener Football Complex.
Chris Rainey, a senior running back, has seen his coach switch quickly from screaming at a player to talking to him in his normal voice.
The defensive backs know Muschamp's ire better than any others. Muschamp was a strong safety at Georgia in the early 1990s and worked his way up from walk-on to team captain. Florida has a secondary coach in Travaris Robinson, but Muschamp still is regularly involved with those players.
Starting strong safety Matt Elam, from Dwyer High, had a very close bond with former coach Urban Meyer, but has embraced Muschamp's approach. Elam, a sophomore, said his relationship with the new coach is "getting better every day" and he respects Muschamp's expertise.
"I like that he's more hands-on," Elam said. "He's active and he can show me what to do and things like that, so I like the energy."
The flip side is that Muschamp is especially hard on defensive backs, cornerback Moses Jenkins said. Any missed tackle, blown coverage or dropped interception ignites his wrath.
Muschamp said his style exhausts him to the point that coaching a practice reminds him of how tired he felt after a game when he was a player.
"I'm just myself," he said. "I think there's a key to every young man. You've got to find that key. Some guys handle that better than others as far as the in-the-face attitude. But I'm going to be who I am. I don't plan anything. I just kind of do what I do."
