After announcing that current head coach Will Muschamp will step down from his position at the end of the regular season, University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said this week that he hopes to have a replacement named by Christmas.

Florida Gators Top Coaching Candidates?

However, the search is only technically a few days off the ground, and already a host of appetizing coaching candidates have removed themselves from the running, Would-be contenders like Arizona's Rich Rodriguez, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, and Texas' Charlie Strong all dismissed speculation that they'd pursue the Gators job.

Coaches with ties to the program like Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, and former Redskins' coach Mike Shanahan have also been ruled out.

Foley for his part is stressing a methodical and meticulous demeanor when conducting the search. "We'll proceed as quickly as we can," he said this week, per ESPN.com. "There's a lot of work to do, a lot of research to do. We understand how important this hire is to this university."

Foley also stressed that it was important that the search not "disrupt people's seasons," which means the Gators will have to wait until December 7th to reach out to any currently FBS coaches on their radar.