By Jonathan Housand
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. – When asked how it felt to be a champion, Auburn senior tight end/H-back Robert Muschamp smiled big, chuckled, and said, "Pretty good." When asked about how the Tigers won the SEC West last season by beating No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama in the month of November, his smile got even bigger.
"That was definitely a special thing," Muschamp said. "Being a part of that was something that I will remember forever, especially beating Alabama last year. That was just awesome. The way it happened, it wasn't a fluke -- we handled them pretty good and beat them pretty good. That was definitely the best memory. With all the fans that swarmed the field after, it was just awesome to be a part of that."
Muschamp is from Rome, Ga., and earned all-state honors at Darlington High School before joining the Tigers as a walk-on in 2015. Why Auburn?
"Growing up my whole life, I've been a huge Auburn fan," he said. "I'm the 22nd person in my family to come to Auburn. Growing up, it was always ingrained in me so that played a huge part. It's something I always wanted to do as a kid, so being here and doing it is pretty surreal. This place means more to me than words can describe."
Muschamp's name likely rings a familiar tune to Auburn fans and college football fans in general. He's the nephew of Will Muschamp, the current head coach at South Carolina and the former defensive coordinator at Auburn (2006-07 and 2015). Robert was fortunate enough to play for his uncle when he was a freshman on the Plains.
"He was probably a little harder on me," Robert said with a laugh. "But it was definitely pretty cool being around him and being able to be coached by him."
Now, three years later, Robert is a senior and feels like his time at Auburn has flown by. He tells his teammates every day to live in the moment because it's over in the blink of an eye.
The hardest part was trying to balance school and football. And while being a student-athlete comes with its share of highs and lows, Robert says he's been able to handle it well because of the help Auburn has provided along the way.
"We have a lot of resources here, and it is good being able to use those as an athlete," he said. "But as a student, it is always on you to succeed. The support from Auburn is the best there is. You have the staff here to support you because they want you to excel."
Robert is currently studying in the College of Education and is on track to graduate in the spring with a degree in fitness, conditioning and performance. After that, he hopes to earn a graduate assistant position and follow in his uncle's footsteps by pursuing a job in coaching. From his uncle to head coach Gus Malzahn to the various assistant coaches he's encountered, he believes his time at Auburn has prepared him to be a coach one day.
"Being here four years, the coaches I've been around have been some of the best there are," Robert said. "So being able to learn from them and being around different styles has helped me figure out how I would want to do things and handle certain situations."
Coaching will have to wait for now, though. Robert still has one more season left at Auburn, and he and his teammates believe they can do something special this season because of the bond between them. There was a different feeling throughout the offseason, and it was evident over the weekend as the Tigers knocked off No. 6 Washington to open the year.
"Coach Malzahn talks to us about how we've been a really good team and we need to make that next step to be a great team," Robert said. "We've been really good getting right there – a game away, a quarter away, to come so close. So this year, we all want it to come together and come full circle to make that next step. Everybody is locked in. Everybody believes we can win a championship."
Regardless of what happens this season, Muschamp will forever be grateful to Auburn and its fans. He grew up one of them. Auburn has been a huge part of his family for years. But now he can say that he's a part of the Auburn family.
"This is the best university in the country," he said. "Auburn is a special place and will always be a special place to me."
Jonathan Housand is a student assistant in Auburn athletics communications.