Florida announces mutual parting with Jim McElwain
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* Four thoughts as McElwain heads out the door
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Florida announced Sunday that it has officially parted ways with third-year head coach Jim McElwain. The University Athletic Associate and McElwain are negotiating terms of the parting.
Defensive coordinator Randy Shannon will be interim coach for the remainder of the season. Athletic director Scott Stricklin will address the media at 7 p.m.
“We want to thank Coach McElwain for his efforts in leading the Gator football program,” Stricklin said in a statement. “We are confident Coach Shannon will provide the proper guidance to the players and rest of staff during this time and we will begin a national search for the next head coach.”
McElwain posted a 22-12 record at Florida. He entered his third season with a 19-8 record having won the SEC East twice, but going 0-4 against FSU and Alabama.
McElwain arrived at Florida with a solid resume. In three seasons at Colorado State (2012-14), the Rams went from a 4-8 team to a 10-2 squad under McElwain. Prior to becoming a head coach, McElwain had been a long-time offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, including four seasons at Alabama (2008-11). McElwain was on the Crimson Tide staff for two BCS championships (2009, 2011).
The coach’s background in developing quarterbacks and calling plays were cited as reasons he landed the Florida job, but in three seasons with the Gators, McElwain’s offenses struggled and quarterback play was often to blame.
The start of the McElwain era was promising. Florida opened the 2015 season 6-0 led by redshirt freshman quarterback Will Grier. The Monday following a 21-3 win over Missouri, it was announced that Grier would be suspended by the NCAA for one calendar year after testing positive for a banned substance. Under quarterback Treon Harris, UF limped to the finish line, going 4-4 in the next eight games. The Gators ended the 2015 season on a three-game losing skid to FSU, Alabama and Michigan, losing by a combined score of 97-24.
Harris left after a sexual assault allegation, his second at UF, prior to the start of the 2016 season. Much like the second half of 2015, Florida struggled on offense in 2016, but a strong defense carried the team to a second division title and conference championship game appearance. In the history of the SEC Championship Game, McElwain is the only coach to make it in each of his first two seasons.
Much of Florida’s defensive talent from the 2015 and ‘16 squads is now on NFL rosters. Entering the 2017 campaign, the expectation was for the offense to finally start carrying its weight. It was supposed to be the breakout season of redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks, the No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2016.
Franks has started six of seven games this season and has only completed three of those games. Florida is ranked No. 113 nationally in total offense and No. 111 in passing offense. In an attempt at humor, McElwain joked in his opening press conference that he was so confident in his offense he felt he could win with his dog at quarterback. During three seasons of offenses ranked in the 100s, the quip was often used as a punchline.
In McElwain’s third season, the cloud of scandal hung over the Gators. Nine players, including returning starters Antonio Callaway and Jordan Scarlett, were suspended indefinitely before the Michigan game for credit card fraud. On Monday of Georgia week, a second scandal hit.
In his weekly press conference, McElwain was asked an innocuous question about whether the coaching staff deserved credit for keeping the team together through distractions such as Hurricane Irma and the nine suspended players. The third-year coach surprised everyone when he mentioned threats against players and, specifically, “death threats to your families.”
He declined to offer details to the media and even the University Athletic Association. According to ESPN, the UAA found no evidence to substantiate which led to the athletic department looking into firing the coach for cause. Hours before kickoff Saturday, the UAA issued a statement denying reports that McElwain’s buyout was being discussed.
The Georgia game represented Florida’s last real chance to stay in the SEC East race. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 42-7 victory over the Gators, the worst regular-season loss of the McElwain era.
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