University of South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner issued a statement in support of head football coach Will Muschamp, Friday. The statement was released after reports of discord among members of the University’s Board of Trustees as to the path forward regarding athletics.

Tanner’s statement reads, “Today, I want to make it clear that Will Muschamp is our football coach and will be our coach going forward. President Caslen and I are fully supportive of his leadership and his development of student-athletes on and off the field. Coach Muschamp and our staff are dedicated to the success of Gamecock football. They have built a program where our team plays for each other and for our University, and they deserve our support. While we wish the outcome of some of our games would have been different, we are excited about the future of our program.”

President Bob Caslen made headlines earlier this week when he said to Greenville News reporters, “Coach Muschamp is my coach. That’s the message. He will be my coach through the end of the season. And then, just like any other coach that’s out there, whether it’s a soccer coach, whether it’s the equestrian coach, whatever, they’re going to do an end-of-year assessment, the athletic director does. Then, we’ll see what’s up.”

Tanner’s statement was released a day after ABC Columbia’s Mike Gillespie reported an influential board member was courting George Mason athletics director and former Gamecocks safety Brad Edwards for a position in the athletic department. It is not yet clear how these statements and reported disharmony among board members will effect the future of Will Muschamp and the football program.