Florida Gators

Florida coach Will Muschamp received a one-year extension back in August, meaning he will now be under contract through the 2017 season.

The Gainesville Sun originally reported Muschamp's extension, which is the second one-year extension Muschamp has received this year. He originally signed a five-year deal through 2015 back in 2011.

It says a lot about the faith that athletic director Jeremy Foley and president Bernie Machen had in Muschamp following his 7-6 debut as the Gators' coach in 2011.

"Dr. Machen and I believed in the leadership and direction of the football program this summer and we made a decision to extend Coach Muschamp's contract an additional year this past August, prior to the start of the season," Foley said.

"The financial terms are unchanged but he is now under contract for the University of Florida through the 2017 season."

That confidence certainly paid off, as Muschamp helped guide the Gators to an 11-1 season in his second year and has Florida poised to play in a BCS bowl game in January.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler has gotten a two-year contract extension through the 2016-17 season, the school announced Wednesday.

Butler’s contract was set to expire after the 2014-15 season.

"I like the direction our program is headed," UF athletics director Jeremy Foley said in a statement. "We know Amanda will be our coach for a long time. We’re excited about the future of the Gator women’s basketball program."

Butler -- who played at UF from 1990-94 -- is the only coach in program history to lead the Gators to the postseason in each of her first five seasons. That includes two trips to the NCAA Tournament in which the Gators lost in the second round to the eventual NCAA champion (Baylor in 2012 and UConn in 2009).

Butler’s record in her five seasons at UF is 98-67. She went 40-22 in two seasons at Charlotte before being hired at Florida on April 13, 2007.

"To have the confidence that Jeremy has in my staff and me feels fantastic," Butler said in a statement. "It makes us even more excited about the future of the program and where it's headed. We're at the best university in the country under the best leadership in the country and to have their vote of confidence means everything."

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida women's golf coach Jan Dowling has resigned, the school announced Saturday. She had just completed her third season with the Gators and led UF to a 12th-place finish in the NCAA championships.

Dowling spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Kent State and one season as an assistant at Duke before being hired at Florida. According to UF, Dowling told athletics director Jeremy Foley of her decision on Friday but did not tell her team until after the completion of Saturday's NCAA championships.

"My decision was extremely difficult," Dowling said in a statement. "However, I have to make the right choices for my personal life, too. I will cherish my time at Florida and wish nothing but the very best for the future of the program and the entire athletic association."

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It was another sweep for Florida in the Halifax Media Group’s Southeastern Conference All-Sports standings.

The Gators won the overall and men’s and women’s titles for the 12^th time. The overall title was the 22^nd for Florida, which remains the only school in the 12-team league to win all three titles in a single season.

"Claiming the SEC All-Sports title is something we take a lot of pride in," UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said. "The level of competition in the Southeastern Conference is so challenging, as so many league teams are among the top contenders for national titles. To win the trophy is a credit to the efforts of our coaches and their athletes."

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Will Muschamp is a tell-it-like-it-is guy. Always has been and always will be.

So when he says he feels “leaps and bounds” better about the Florida football program than he did this time a year ago in the immediate aftermath of his first signing day as Head Gator, you know he means it.

“The number one thing is that I have a better feel for our football team,” Muschamp said. “We were a disconnected group this time last year. We were not on the same page. We were pulling in a lot of different directions. We lacked trust in the program. We lacked discipline in the program, and we were careful to make decisions for the long term.

“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: We’re building a program and not a team. We’re building this for the long haul. We’re building this into something that’s going to withstand, and that’s what I’m excited about. We’re doing it the right way, and with this recruiting class, we certainly helped ourselves.”

Even with the Gators’ ho-hum 7-6 finish last year in Muschamp’s first season, a sturdy foundation was laid.

In fact, one of Muschamp’s best decisions might have come off the field, and it’s a decision that sent a very pointed message to his players.

The Florida Way isn’t just another catchy phrase.

Muschamp kicked his best player, All-SEC cornerback Janoris Jenkins, off the team prior to the season following Jenkins’ second marijuana-related arrest.

Everybody sat up and took notice -- the Gators’ current players, prospective recruits and certainly the parents of those prospective recruits.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Here is Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley's statement regarding Ohio State's hire of former Florida coach Urban Meyer:

“We will always be indebted to Urban Meyer and his contributions to the University of Florida. He elevated our program, winning multiple national championships and made a strong impact in this community. Over the past 11 months, he has clearly had an opportunity to determine that now is the right time to return to coaching.

“He is good for college football and we knew he would return to the sidelines to coach again. We wish nothing but the best for him and his family as he embarks on a new chapter in his career.”