The snarls and deeply flushed cheeks.

The powerfully popping veins and sweat-soaked swooped hair partially stuck to his forehead.

These many images of Will Muschamp have some South Carolina fans fearful of their new head coach. Truth be told, these scenes failed Muschamp at Florida, but with a year to recharge his head-coaching batteries and learn from his prior mistakes, Muschamp could be that coach most are overlooking.

Yes, some will be quick to point to his disappointing 28-21 (.571) record during his four years with the Gators. They'll likely crow about his offenses ranking no higher than 103rd nationally in three of his four seasons in Gainesville. He had myriad quarterback issues and failed to consistently recruit top-notch offensive playmakers. His one year back at Auburn resulted in the Tigers ranking 13th in the SEC in total defense (421.8 ypg).

In a world of second chances and evolution, Muschamp has a chance to shine in his new home with less pressure and a clearer mind. Just look at his introductory news conference. The ever-confident Muschamp looked happy and excited. It was as if the four years at Florida and detour through Auburn were mere afterthoughts.

Muschamp looked much more comfortable and at ease than he did during his first news conference as Florida's coach, and while he's yet to produce any results in the South Carolina, he looked and sounded ready for his next challenge.

Even though he hired his former offensive coordinator in Kurt Roper, it sounds like Muschamp has learned his lesson about offense. As a defensive guy, you'd expect him to want to put his defense in good positions as much as possible, but there also comes a time when you must expand your thinking, and Muschamp at least sounds like he's ready to do that with Roper.

Frankly, it says a lot that Roper, who ran Muschamp's most statistically successful offense at Florida in 2014, would come back to his side and work with him in the same capacity. This time, expect to see Roper's true offensive intentions more consistently come to fruition.

With a year to work next to Gus Malzahn's uptempo spread, Muschamp wants to speed things up and spread things out.

"That's really the identity we want to have," Muschamp said during his introductory news conference. "We want to be on the ball; we want to be fast; and we want to be physical. We want to spread the field; we want to make them defend 53-1/3 yards wide and 120 yards down the field. I think our guys are really excited about that."

Obviously, Muschamp will have his hands all over the defense, which needs a major face-lift after ranking last in the SEC in total defense (448.3 ypg) and scoring (30.4 ppg) in conference play. But like Auburn, Muschamp has a major developmental job on his hands. As many as eight starters could return, but while star junior linebacker Skai Moore hasn't officially announced his decision to go to the NFL early, all indications are that he'll make the jump, which would leave Muschamp with a vast hole at linebacker.

However, this is a rebuilding job for Muschamp so expect plenty of early bumps in the road. That doesn't mean Muschamp is doomed by any means. Despite his struggles at Auburn in 2015, Muschamp has proven to be a wonderful defensive mind, as his Florida defenses ranked inside the top 10 nationally three times.

As Muschamp so eloquently put it in his news conference, he can recruit -- which he certainly can defensively -- but he won't be pulling from the same elite talent pool in Columbia as he did in Gainesville. That's just not going to happen, but landing the occasional big fish will under his watch.

Muschamp already has made a couple of hires, including making trusty sidekick Travaris Robinson his defensive coordinator and retaining Shawn Elliott, who served as the interim head coach this season after Steve Spurrier's resignation, to coach the offensive line. Those hires will go a long way for Muschamp on and off the field, as he's getting smart, innovative people around him.

For all his past mistakes, Muschamp can change his image and ways at South Carolina, and he already has the blessing of one of South Carolina's most-beloved Gamecocks.

“I think Will Muschamp is going to do a very good job here," Spurrier told ESPN.com by phone on Thursday. "He’s already got started. It seems like he’s got several good commitments already and recruiting is the priority as we all know, so I think Will Muschamp and his staff are on the way to being successful.”