Florida offensive coordinator Kurt Roper is used to not staying in one place for too long.
For Roper and his two brothers, they knew it was time to move whenever their dad — former college coach Bobby Roper — said he needed to have "a talk" with them.
Just like his father, Roper has done his fair share of moving since entering the coaching business in 1996. He’s worked at five different universities, with his longest stint lasting six years at Ole Miss from 1998-2004.
But this time, it might be his turn to initiate the talk when Florida’s season comes to an end.
Roper said that since news broke Sunday about head coach Will Muschamp not returning next season, he has yet to tell his two children — six-year-old Reese and two-year-old Luke — about the matter and what it could possibly mean for them.
"They don’t even know yet, so nobody tell my daughter," Roper said, followed by a quick chuckle. "But, you know, my wife, it’s not her first rodeo either. We got fired at Ole Miss in 2004 and then at Kentucky and Tennessee and other places."
Roper was hired with the intention of bringing life to an otherwise dying Florida offense. And through nine games, the unit’s heartbeat has been sporadic at best.
The Gators have the 91st-ranked offense in the country averaging 373.3 yards per game and are 93rd nationally in yards per play (5.22).
There have been glimpses of explosive plays — such as Treon Harris’ 60-yard pass to Quinton Dunbar in Florida’s 34-10 win against Vanderbilt on Nov. 8 — but those plays have usually been followed by the conservative, run-the-ball-down-their-throat approach Gator fans have been used to seeing.
"I think everybody takes responsibility when it doesn’t go well, I think the right people do," Roper said. "That’s what I tell the players all the time. One thing that I never wanted to be is a finger pointer in anything, that I ever do. There’s plays in the game that are not called very good they’re bad calls at a bad time I want to take ownership for that. There’s plays that a player doesn’t make and they need to take ownership for that. I think as a football team if everybody accepts their own responsibility then now you’ve got a team."
Rumors have swirled about Muschamp dipping his hand in the offensive playcalling. Roper trumped that notion instantly.
"Not true. Not true," Roper said. "In my experience, absolutely none of it’s true. You know when we got here it was completely, ‘Hey do it how you best see fit.’ And he doesn’t call plays."
Roper probably didn’t anticipate that his tenure at Florida could end after one season.
But if that situation arises, he said he doesn’t have any regrets.
"Working for Will Muschamp is unbelievable," Roper said. "Everything you’re hearing about him is not just people blowing smoke. That’s a good person No. 1. and I learned a lot of football from him. I really did."
After arriving in Gainesville just 10 months ago, Roper may be on the move again. But that talk will come later. For now, he’s worried about the present.
"Shoot, we love it here," Roper said. "Everybody’s been great to us. It’s a great place. It’s a great place to live, great place to coach, great place to be around. Everyone’s been great, so we’ll miss it. But you look back at that later on. Two more weeks of grind. The grind hasn’t stopped."
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Florida offensive coordinator Kurt Roper celebrates with players near the end of UF's 38-20 win against UGA on Nov. 1 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
