With Florida's 2016 season officially in the books, Inside the Gators' Blake Alderman, Landon Watnick and Mark Wheeler take a closer look at how each member of its coaching staff fared this past year and hand out grades.
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* Looking at the likely replacements for the early entry players
* Early Entry Profile: Kyree Campbell
* Early Entry Profile: Shawn Davis
* Evaluating Florida's 2017 early enrollees on offense
* Evaluating Florida's 2017 early enrollees on defense
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HEAD COACH JIM MCELWAIN
Alderman: (B-) I think this could have been a higher grade if Florida had more consistency at the quarterback position. Coming in as an offensive minded guy, the play at position falls on Jim McElwain's shoulders just as much as Doug Nussmeier's, which is why I tacked on the minus to his B grade. Still the Gators won 10 games last season and 9 in 2016 (would have been 10 if not for Presbyterian game canceled) so the overall success is still hard to ignore. McElwain has gotten Florida to Atlanta in back-to-back years, but down the road, to satisfy the Gator Nation, he's going to have to start winning the SEC, instead of just the SEC East.
Watnick: (B) No other coach in SEC history has made the conference title game in his first two seasons. Sure, the East has been considerably weak the past two years, but that's still a heck of an accomplishment. If the Presbyterian game weren't cancelled, you're looking at a second consecutive 10-win season for McElwain at Florida - the group went 9-4 (6-2 SEC) in 2016. Obviously, the lack of progress on offense is a considerable negative, but overall McElwain pieced together a decent coaching job in 2016 considering the number of injuries that wreaked havoc on his team.
Wheeler: (B+) Though his record against top tier competition (3-7 against ranked opponents) and the output of his offense leaves much to be desired, it wouldn't feel right to be too 'down' on a coach who has led Florida to back-to-back SEC East crowns. To me 2017 will be his defining season. In his first two seasons, a holdover dominant defense has carried the load while the offense - his purported specialty - has floundered. Now that many of those top flight defensive players have moved on - the offense is going to have to do more, much more. If they can carry the load, McElwain could be setting himself up for a long, successful stay in Gainesville. If, once again, they finish in the bottom 20 in total offense, look for Florida to lose five or more games - which would put Mac firmly in the hot seat.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/QUARTERBACKS COACH DOUG NUSSMEIER
Alderman: (D) The quarterback position hindered the Gators offensive unit at times with both Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby supplying their fair share of mistakes. Florida's offense took a step back this season, which falls on the shoulders of Doug Nussmeier. Nussmeier played a big part in the commitment of Jake Allen. Now the task at hand for Nussmeier is getting a signal caller for the Class of 2018.
Watnick: (D+) Florida couldn't find a long-term answer at quarterback in the second year of the McElwain era, and Nussmeier's group finished 116th nationally in total offense and 107th in scoring offense. Nussmeier's play-calling was questionable at times in 2016 - and later on in the year, Florida found itself generally more successful on scripted plays at the start of games as compared to those that followed. Young and inexperience are fair excuses for the offensive struggles in 2016, but 2017 may end up being a defining year for Nussmeier.
Wheeler: (F) As Bill Parcells once said, 'You are what your record says you are.' Well Nussmeier's record is 0-3 in that he has been at the helm of a bottom 20 offense for three straight seasons (his last at Michigan and his first two at Florida). Like any other coach new to a program, he gets somewhat of a pass for an ineffective offense during the 2015 season. However, that shouldn't still be the case for this past year. If the excuse is inexperience at key positions, fine, but that means the offense should have gotten better as the season progressed and the players gained experience. That didn't happen. Florida was held to 337 yards of offense, eight below their season average, in the Outback Bowl.
