Inside Jim McElwain's Florida Exit, a Split at Least a Year in the Making

Jim McElwain fought a losing battle against external expectations and internal tension for much of his time at the helm of Florida's football program. Getting blown out by Georgia at the end of a tumultuous week was just the final straw. Plus, the rest of Punt, Pass & Pork: Which coaches have made their way back onto the hot seat? And who's the last team in the playoff field?

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — They hadn’t even signed the buyout agreement yet, but Florida officials and Jim McElwain had gone far enough down a bad road by Sunday afternoon that they agreed McElwain wouldn’t spend another day as the Gators’ head coach. A day after a 42–7 loss to Georgia that probably came after the real final straw, the only coach in SEC history to win division titles in his first two seasons would not finish his third at Florida.

So how did this happen? It wasn’t only because the Gators lost their last three games. It wasn’t only because a coach hired to fix a struggling offense couldn’t develop a reliable starting quarterback by year three. It wasn’t only because of blowout losses to Florida State and Alabama to end McElwain’s first two seasons. It wasn’t only because of an odd press conference last week. It was an amalgam of factors that all swirled into one giant ball of mess in the past six days, and suddenly there was only one plausible move: Fire McElwain and make defensive coordinator Randy Shannon the interim coach for the remainder of the season.

On a day when everything should have been sunshine and lollipops, one of the first major cracks in the relationship between McElwain and Florida’s administration formed. McElwain’s Florida team had just whipped Iowa 30–3 in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2, and Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi served up an easy question about how much positivity the win might inject into the program. The answer started off fine…

“We’ve got a lot of really good recruits that are excited to be Gators, and that’s a good thing,” McElwain said. “We had a heck of a year. Two straight SEC East championships, new facilities.”

Then came the statement that, had it been uttered on a sitcom in the ’80s, would have been followed by a record scratch…

“We’ll look for the commitment that we get from the administration moving forward, see where that’s at,” McElwain said.

When McElwain said this, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin—who had been on the job about two months at the time—was already working on a contract extension for the coach that would be announced a few months later. This is how some people high in the Florida athletic department viewed McElwain’s sentiment. Here’s a guy who has heard the word “Yes” more than Steve Spurrier, Ron Zook, Urban Meyer and Will Muschamp combined, who is about to get more money despite a second year with an offense ranked in the 100s, and he’s questioning the administration’s commitment?

Do not be fooled into thinking that one bizarre week turned McElwain from two-time SEC East champion into fired two-time SEC East champion. The implosion at Florida was at least a year in the making. The above incident is one of several that erased the kind of benefit of the doubt the Gators exercised when retaining Will Muschamp after he went 4–8 in 2013. But make no mistake, last week hastened an exit that might not have happened until next year. “This was more than just wins and losses,” Stricklin said Sunday night, “and I'll leave it at that."

The timeline accelerated last Monday when McElwain claimed to have received death threats and then declined to elaborate when asked by Florida officials for more information. This caused Florida administrators to release a statement saying that McElwain refused to provide additional details. They did not have to release that nugget to the public, and they did not do it lightly. That put the beef out in the open. No longer could the sides hide behind coded quotes and words left unsaid. The statement also boxed in both parties. Once it went out into the ether, the relationship was basically unsalvageable. All that remained was a 42–7 loss to Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville to seal the deal. “At the end of the day, we were brought here to win. And we haven’t done it,” McElwain said at a postgame press conference that sounded more like a post-firing press conference. “My concern isn’t about my job. My concern is about these players and our staff.”

Ultimately, McElwain was let go for (mostly) football reasons. But he was let go this quickly because he failed to endear himself to the people he worked with and for. Florida coaches who win SEC and national titles don’t have to endear themselves to their co-workers. Coaches who claim their dog could run the offense and then fail to score an offensive touchdown in two tries against a hated rival (Florida State) do need to curry some favor. McElwain elected not to. “I know what I was brought here to do. We haven’t been good on offense. I get it. We’ve won a few games, but we haven’t won enough. We haven’t won a championship. That’s real. That’s life. That is this business. And I take full responsibility for all of it.”

The Georgia loss encapsulated McElwain’s issues on the football side and also offered another hint as to why the Gators accelerated this process. Feleipe Franks, the highest-rated quarterback McElwain recruited, completed 7 of 19 passes for 30 yards. That’s 1.6 yards per attempt. Unless Franks blossoms this offseason under a new coach, Gators still don’t have a quarterback of the future. Florida’s defense, which kept the Gators afloat for the bulk of 2015 and ’16 while still loaded with Muschamp recruits, got bulldozed by the Bulldogs. DBU is DB-useless when the opponent averages 8.3 yards a carry. Florida State and Alabama exposed Florida’s talent deficit in McElwain’s first year. In year three, the Gators looked just as far behind when playing a team with championship talent.

It looks even worse for Florida that Georgia coach Kirby Smart, hired a year later than McElwain and a defensive coach rather than an offensive guru, identified and landed his quarterback of the future immediately. Smart, like McElwain a former Alabama coordinator, flipped Jake Fromm, a Warner Robins, Ga., native who had been committed to Alabama, a few months after getting the job. Fromm took over after former five-star recruit Jacob Eason hurt his knee in Georgia’s season opener. Eason is back, but the job is Fromm’s. Georgia has at least two quarterbacks who could start at Florida now, and top-ranked recruit Justin Fields is on the way. McElwain and company were excited to welcome Californian Matt Corral for next year, but the timing of Corral’s commitment this summer was telling. It came just after Fields crossed Florida off his list.

Smart already was drinking McElwain’s milkshake on the recruiting trail. Now he’s also doing it on the field. And since Smart appears to be building a monster in Athens, Florida—and Tennessee, for that matter—must move to upgrade before they get left in the dust by the program that could take over as king of the SEC after Alabama’s Nick Saban retires.*

*Saban turns 66 on Tuesday. He looks like he’s in his 40s. It’s quite possible he coaches 15 more years and this predicted Georgia ascension never happens. But Saban might tire of beating everyone else in the league eventually.

McElwain was surprised when he got to Florida that the Gators lagged so far behind in facilities. They didn’t have an indoor practice facility. (They got one two years ago.) Unlike most of their peers, their day-to-day locker room facilities are under an end zone in the stadium rather than in a separate football operations building. Stricklin has created a master plan to build such a facility, but that will take time and money and the construction of a new baseball stadium—because the new football building will have to go where the reigning College World Series champs currently play.

This shouldn’t matter that much. Florida’s weight room and locker room are perfectly nice, but everyone else spent the money they weren’t allowed to give to the players and Florida saved it. The following jobs could be open by the end of next month:

• Florida
• Nebraska
• Tennessee
• Texas A&M

Of that group, Florida’s facilities would rank last. But Florida’s access to nearby talent is better than Nebraska and Tennessee and as good or better than Texas A&M. That’s the equalizer to the facilities issue. Despite not having the most palatial digs, the Gators should still be able to sign quality players because they’re closer to the homes of those players. Meyer complained about the facilities, but he also upgraded the roster and won two national titles.

McElwain might have coasted for another year based on the goodwill the two SEC East titles bought him. But Florida’s fan base realized even before Florida’s administration that those two titles were the result of a weak division. The end-of-season meetings with Florida State and Alabama showed exactly how far the Gators really were from competing with the kind of programs Florida fans believe should be the Gators’ peers. Florida State is down this year, and there will be no end-of-season meeting with Alabama, but the Georgia loss served the same purpose. The Gators aren’t good enough.

Had McElwain handled things differently, he might have gotten another year to try to make them better. Instead, someone else will try. The next coach will face the same expectations that so rankled McElwain. But that is life at a program less than 10 years removed from its last national title that sits in the middle of the state that has produced more current NFL players than any other. The next coach had better embrace those expectations, or they’ll also swallow him whole.

• FELDMAN: Breaking down the top 10 candidates for Florida’s open coaching job

A Random Ranking

In an online discussion of the alternate uniforms Ohio State wore for its thrilling comeback win against Penn State, I responded to the old trope that recruits love them by pointing out that most people deeply regret liking the fashion they thought was cool when they were 17. During the discussion, I was asked to provide my worst fashion mistakes. If you know where I went to college, you already know No. 1.

1. Jorts (1988–97)
2. Pleated khakis (1986–98)
3. Square-toed shoes (2000–02)
4. Fanny pack (HUUUUGE from ’87–89)
5. Birkenstocks (’97–99)
6. Owning 23 plaid shirts (’96–03)
7. Ugly Christmas Sweater worn unironically before it became a fad (’04–05)

Projected Playoff

1. Alabama

The Crimson Tide had Saturday off before facing LSU this week. The Tigers got a shot of confidence on defense with a win against Auburn on Oct. 14. They got a shot of confidence on offense with a win at Ole Miss on Oct. 21. This looks like a much better game than it did a few weeks ago, but it still may teach us more about LSU than it does about Alabama.

2. Georgia

The Bulldogs crushed Florida, which shouldn’t be a surprise given the way the two teams have played this season. But put into context of Georgia’s recent history against Florida, the win was much more impressive. Finally, the Bulldogs hammered the Gators when they had a vastly superior roster. That is a sign that Kirby Smart has changed the culture in Athens.

3. Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish had an easier time than expected with NC State, but the path remains tough. This week, they’ll face a 5–3 Wake Forest team that should be intimately familiar with Notre Dame coordinator Mike Elko’s defense. After all, Elko worked for the Demon Deacons the previous three seasons. Of course, that also means Elko should know Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson’s offense quite well.

4. Clemson

This is an incredibly tough call. Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State all can make a great case for this spot. Oklahoma, with its head-to-head win against Ohio State, probably will come in ahead of the Buckeyes. But if committee members use blind résumés to fill this spot, they probably will pick the Tigers even though they have the worst loss of the three. Wins against Auburn and Virginia Tech look quite good, but wins that seemed run-of-the-mill at the time (Wake Forest, Boston College) keep looking better than expected. Saturday’s visit to NC State could be Clemson’s biggest challenge in the ACC Atlantic Division.

Big Ugly of the Week

Of course it’s Wisconsin left tackle Michael Deiter, who caught a screen pass for a touchdown (it counts as a run) and now becomes the frontrunner for this year’s Piesman Trophy.

Or is it Utah right tackle Darrin Paolo, who caught a deflected pass for a touchdown against Oregon?

Pac-12 After Dark things happening in the daylight. (Yea, this was ruled a TD.) pic.twitter.com/wiqoSvhAKz

— Chantel Jennings (@ChantelJennings) October 28, 2017

Three and Out

1. Remember how I wrote a few weeks ago that Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin might coach his way off the hot seat? I may have been horribly wrong. The Aggies’ 35–14 loss to Mississippi State at Kyle Field might have sealed Sumlin’s fate already, but a similar loss at home to Auburn this week almost certainly will.

Meanwhile, Arizona State’s Todd Graham might also be coaching his way back onto the hot seat. The Sun Devils’ defensive renaissance lasted all of two weeks, and then USC averaged 7.5 yards a play in a 48–17 demolition of Arizona State. The Sun Devils play three very winnable games (Colorado, UCLA, Oregon State) before facing Arizona for the Territorial Cup. Arizona State should be 7–4 heading into that game. If not, Graham could be in trouble.

2. South Florida’s loss to Houston means UCF is the lone remaining undefeated team in the Group of Five. So while fan bases at various schools check in on the Knights to check out coveted coach Scott Frost, UCF will try to lock down a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl. But don’t assume the matchup with USF on Black Friday is UCF’s lone remaining challenge. The Knights face 6–2 SMU in Dallas on Saturday. This game is a chance to watch two of the best teams in the American face off, and it’s also a chance for fans of Power 5 schools with potential job openings to check out Frost and SMU coach Chad Morris in action.

3. Even though San Diego State dropped two games recently, it didn’t make Aztecs tailback Rashaad Penny any less awesome. In San Diego State’s 28–7 win against Hawaii, he carried for a career-high 253 yards. He also did this.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! pic.twitter.com/yWmvzyNp8N

— Cork Gaines, Ph.D. (@CorkGaines) October 29, 2017

For Your Ears

Producer Dustin Swedelson and I break down McElwain’s ouster at Florida and Ohio State’s thrilling comeback against Penn State. We also argue about gas station chains.

What’s Eating Andy?

Normally, this section includes a complaint. This week, it’s a big thank-you. Finally, DirecTV subscribers will be able to watch Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate, who has been making magic happen every week since taking over the starting job earlier this month. That magic has been confined to the Pac-12 Network, but ESPN heard my plea and decided to pick up Saturday’s Arizona-USC game—which will be a great test for Tate and could have huge Pac-12 South title implications.

What’s Andy Eating?

I wrote this review of Sheetz for the Pittsburgh dining guide for SI Eats, but I wanted to make sure everyone saw it as a thank-you to the Pennsylvania-based gas station chain for helping make my day easier last week when I covered Michigan–Penn State in State College earlier this month. This was a 24 1/2-hour day (Ieft the hotel at 3:15 a.m. Saturday and returned at 3:45 a.m. Sunday), and Sheetz provided the first and last meals when no one else was open. This review is about my experience at a different Sheetz after some airline mishaps on a flight headed to Pittsburgh in August.

The push messages kept delivering more bad news. I had a 10:30 p.m. reservation that would deliver me a steak in Pittsburgh, but a line of storms moving through Georgia had made that steak disappear. We sat on the runway for an hour before taking off for Atlanta, and the plane that would take me from Atlanta to Pittsburgh had been held for two and a half hours in Charlotte. Every time the phone buzzed, the hour of arrival grew later.

I had deliberately eaten a light lunch and skipped dinner to accommodate that steak, so I had to find something once I got to Pittsburgh. I found a place that served food until midnight, but as we sat on the runway 14th in line for takeoff from Atlanta, that option evaporated. Still, Pittsburgh institution Primanti Brothers had a location near the airport that stayed open until 2 a.m. Never before had fries on a sandwich sounded so wonderful.

But when I finally walked through the door at 1:25 a.m., I learned the kitchen closed at midnight. Desperate, I nearly resigned myself to a meal of beef jerky from the market at the hotel. Then I remembered where I was.

Though the concept has proliferated throughout the country in the past few years, people in western and central Pennsylvania have been lucky enough to have Sheetz service stations for decades. At any time of the day or night, Sheetz stores offer made-to-order food that surpasses most fast food restaurants and rivals plenty of fast casual and sit-down chains. The trick is keeping the touchscreen ordering system from taking you down a dark path in the wee hours.

As expected, I found a Sheetz within two minutes of pulling out of the Primanti Bros. parking lot. Within seconds, I was at the screen trying to decide just how much I wanted to pollute my body before bed. It helps to remember in these moments that the screen acts as a perpetual devil on the shoulder.

I pressed bratwurst. Then the questions began in the form of touchable squares offering me various options.

Q: Would you like a pretzel bun?

A: Yes, preceded by a word your favorite football coach uses frequently.

Q: Would you like chili?

A: I shouldn’t do this now. This is a bad idea. This will hurt when the sun rises.

Of course I want chili.

Q: Do you want jalapenos?

A: Oh, come on. Why would you ask me this at 1:30 a.m.? What kind of masochist would put chili and jalapenos on a brat in a pretzel bun at this hour?

Of course I want jalapenos.

Q: Would you like something else?

A: Did you see what I just ordered? What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to kill me?

Yes. I also would like a burger and fries.

Q: Would you like jalapenos on that burger?

A: You are trying to kill me. Don’t you want me to live so I can order more Sheetz food at a later date? This doesn’t seem like a healthy long-term business plan.

O.K. Give me the jalapenos.

Q: Do you want chili on that burger?

A: No. No. No. Even I have limits. I want to make it through the night.

(It’s true. Even I have limits.)

Andy Staples

Minutes later, I had a meal fit for a king—or at least ft for a highly inebriated king. Any frustration over the flight delays had been melted by the heat of those jalapenos. The pretzel bun was soft. The brat had a perfect snap. The burger was greasy and glorious.

I had planned to blow a small fortune on a steak. Instead, I had spent $11 and gone to sleep smiling. I may be no match for the order screen, but I still won that night.