GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida football coach Will Muschamp will not return next season.
Athletic director Jeremy Foley announced Sunday that Muschamp would be stepping down at the end of the regular season.
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"Upon evaluation of our football program, we are not where the program needs to be and should be," Foley said. "I've always said that our goal at the University of Florida is to compete for championships on a regular basis."
Muschamp will coach the team's final two games this season. He has a 27-20 record in four seasons, including a 17-15 record against Southeastern Conference opponents.
"I appreciate the opportunity that has been offered to me and my family by (President) Dr. (Bernie) Machen, Jeremy Foley and the University of Florida," Muschamp said. "I was given every opportunity to get it done here and I simply didn't win enough games. That is the bottom line. I'm disappointed that I didn't get it done and it is my responsibility to get it done."
Saturday's 23-20 overtime loss to South Carolina was the Gators' sixth in their last eight home games.
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Muschamp was hired to replace Urban Meyer after the 2010 season. He came to Florida from Texas, where he was defensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting under Mack Brown.
The Gators were 7-6 in his first season, beating Ohio State in the Gator Bowl to finish with a winning record.
Florida finished the 2012 season with an 11-2 record and ranked ninth in the country, defeating Florida State in Tallahassee before falling to Louisville in the Sugar Bowl.
Last season, Florida lost its last seven games to finish 4-8. It was the Gators' first losing season since 1979.
The Gators are 5-4 this season and 4-4 in the SEC. Their next two games are at home against Eastern Kentucky and at second-ranked Florida State, which has won 26 consecutive games.
Muschamp said he has "no bitter feelings" about how his tenure will end.
"As I've said many times, life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond," he said.
Foley said he appreciated Muschamp's commitment to the team.
"Will is as fine a man as you will ever meet, and I will always cherish our relationship with him and his family," Foley said.