GatorAuthor
Bringing Prestige Worldwide
- Feb 24, 2016
- 568
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Here's what Gator football was under Mac's predecessor:
2011 7-6 / 3d in SEC East / Not ranked at end of year
2012 11-2 / Tied for 1st in SEC East / Ranked #9
2013 4-8 / 5th in SEC East / Not ranked at end of year
2014 7-5 / 3d in SEC East / Not ranked at end of year
Mac inherited a bad program (not average; bad) with overwhelming holes in the roster on offense. It wasn't just bad; it was getting worse and had a lot of momentum that could've carried us to an even worse place.
So, it was never going to be easy or pretty. The HC needed to make a ton of improvement on all fronts, and there were going to be some lean years that wouldn't please the fan base. No way around that. Add in a first year where the only decent QB decides to be selfish and hurts the entire program by taking himself out.
At this point the ship has been righted and the program is headed in the right direction. Nobody in the entire GatorNation thinks we've arrived b/c we've won the SEC East a couple years in a row. However, stopping the slide and turning us around was a gargantuan task, and there's no comparing it to Urban stepping into the job after Zook. Back then the program still had juice.
Like it or not, there'll be more growing pains next year with the team led by a RFR playing college football for the first time. Whoever it is won't play like a Jr or Sr. He won't be as comfortable in the system as he will the following year or the one after that. It's a process, and I don't believe anyone could have come to UF and returned us to our prior glory in a year or two. Not possible. The whole program was just too far away from where we need to be. We're getting closer, but not there yet.
2011 7-6 / 3d in SEC East / Not ranked at end of year
2012 11-2 / Tied for 1st in SEC East / Ranked #9
2013 4-8 / 5th in SEC East / Not ranked at end of year
2014 7-5 / 3d in SEC East / Not ranked at end of year
Mac inherited a bad program (not average; bad) with overwhelming holes in the roster on offense. It wasn't just bad; it was getting worse and had a lot of momentum that could've carried us to an even worse place.
So, it was never going to be easy or pretty. The HC needed to make a ton of improvement on all fronts, and there were going to be some lean years that wouldn't please the fan base. No way around that. Add in a first year where the only decent QB decides to be selfish and hurts the entire program by taking himself out.
At this point the ship has been righted and the program is headed in the right direction. Nobody in the entire GatorNation thinks we've arrived b/c we've won the SEC East a couple years in a row. However, stopping the slide and turning us around was a gargantuan task, and there's no comparing it to Urban stepping into the job after Zook. Back then the program still had juice.
Like it or not, there'll be more growing pains next year with the team led by a RFR playing college football for the first time. Whoever it is won't play like a Jr or Sr. He won't be as comfortable in the system as he will the following year or the one after that. It's a process, and I don't believe anyone could have come to UF and returned us to our prior glory in a year or two. Not possible. The whole program was just too far away from where we need to be. We're getting closer, but not there yet.