- Sep 8, 2014
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How good is Florida Gators' Jim McElwain? We're about to find out
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/coll...s-jim-mcelwain-were-about-to-find-out/2328490
With Florida finally, formally announcing the addition of quarterback Malik Zaire on Monday, the attention turns from the Notre Dame grad transfer to the man who will be coaching him.
We're about to find out just how good Jim McElwain is.
With UF losing seven defensive players to the NFL draft plus coordinator Geoff Collins to Temple, McElwain probably won't be able to keep grinding out 16-10 wins. That means a third consecutive trip to Atlanta hinges on the Gators' offense. And their offense comes down to how McElwain handles the quarterback battle between Zaire and redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks.
Since McElwain first became a Division I-A offensive coordinator at Fresno State in 2007, almost all of his quarterbacks have resembled Franks. He's tall (6-foot-6) and can move, but he's a more traditional drop-back passer.
Zaire is 6 inches shorter with a completely different skillset. He can throw, but he's a more dynamic runner. He rushed for 96 yards against LSU, ripped off a 56-yarder against Rice and averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2015 before injuring his ankle.
McElwain occasionally lets his quarterbacks run. Austin Appleby's opened up the field early against South Carolina with a 33-yard keeper. But McElwain's hasn't yet let his quarterbacks rush consistently — not even dual-threat Treon Harris.
Appleby and Luke Del Rio combined for 29 runs last season (excluding sacks). Zaire had 22 against LSU alone. In 10 seasons as a I-A offensive coordinator or head coach, only once has a McElwain quarterback had double-digit carries in a game (again, excluding sacks): Will Grier had 10 at Kentucky in 2015.
That doesn't mean McElwain can't use a running quarterback. But it means he must spend fall camp trying to figure out how best to do it, either by expanding the change-of-pace package designed for early enrollee Kadarius Toney or by implementing something new.
Once McElwain decides answer, he can move on to the next issue: His top two quarterbacks throw with opposite hands.
Lefties like Zaire throw with different spin than righties like Franks. How much time is McElwain willing to give receivers to adjust to Zaire's passes, when those playmakers also need to keep developing chemistry with Franks, a potential first-time starter?
In 2007, the Gators planned to flip tackle Phil Trautwein from the left side to the right to protect the blind side of their new lefty starter, Tim Tebow. Trautwein's ankle injury changed those plans. Will McElwain want to make a similar switch for former five-star recruit Martez Ivey, who has been set to slide from left guard to left tackle?
As McElwain solves the two major schematic challenges between now and the Sept. 2 season opener against Michigan, he must do so without adding to the transfer epidemic of blue-chip quarterbacks.
To be clear, Franks has given no indication that he might want out, but Franks wouldn't be the first highly touted passer to transfer over playing time, if he loses the starting job. The two other four-star quarterbacks state schools signed in Franks' 2016 class (Florida State's Malik Henry and Miami's Jack Allison) have already bolted. If McElwain doesn't handle this situation well, it's not a stretch to think that focusing on the present could cost him UF's quarterback of the future.
All three issues McElwain faces are good problems to have, and they're not insurmountable. Alabama's Nick Saban has won three consecutive SEC titles with three diverse starters. Quarterback attrition hasn't stopped Jimbo Fisher from piling up 10-win seasons at FSU.
Good coaches know how to adapt to different personnel and personalities.
Does that include McElwain? We're about to find out.
Contact Matt Baker at [email protected]. Follow @MBakerTBTimes.
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/coll...s-jim-mcelwain-were-about-to-find-out/2328490
With Florida finally, formally announcing the addition of quarterback Malik Zaire on Monday, the attention turns from the Notre Dame grad transfer to the man who will be coaching him.
We're about to find out just how good Jim McElwain is.
With UF losing seven defensive players to the NFL draft plus coordinator Geoff Collins to Temple, McElwain probably won't be able to keep grinding out 16-10 wins. That means a third consecutive trip to Atlanta hinges on the Gators' offense. And their offense comes down to how McElwain handles the quarterback battle between Zaire and redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks.
Since McElwain first became a Division I-A offensive coordinator at Fresno State in 2007, almost all of his quarterbacks have resembled Franks. He's tall (6-foot-6) and can move, but he's a more traditional drop-back passer.
Zaire is 6 inches shorter with a completely different skillset. He can throw, but he's a more dynamic runner. He rushed for 96 yards against LSU, ripped off a 56-yarder against Rice and averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2015 before injuring his ankle.
McElwain occasionally lets his quarterbacks run. Austin Appleby's opened up the field early against South Carolina with a 33-yard keeper. But McElwain's hasn't yet let his quarterbacks rush consistently — not even dual-threat Treon Harris.
Appleby and Luke Del Rio combined for 29 runs last season (excluding sacks). Zaire had 22 against LSU alone. In 10 seasons as a I-A offensive coordinator or head coach, only once has a McElwain quarterback had double-digit carries in a game (again, excluding sacks): Will Grier had 10 at Kentucky in 2015.
That doesn't mean McElwain can't use a running quarterback. But it means he must spend fall camp trying to figure out how best to do it, either by expanding the change-of-pace package designed for early enrollee Kadarius Toney or by implementing something new.
Once McElwain decides answer, he can move on to the next issue: His top two quarterbacks throw with opposite hands.
Lefties like Zaire throw with different spin than righties like Franks. How much time is McElwain willing to give receivers to adjust to Zaire's passes, when those playmakers also need to keep developing chemistry with Franks, a potential first-time starter?
In 2007, the Gators planned to flip tackle Phil Trautwein from the left side to the right to protect the blind side of their new lefty starter, Tim Tebow. Trautwein's ankle injury changed those plans. Will McElwain want to make a similar switch for former five-star recruit Martez Ivey, who has been set to slide from left guard to left tackle?
As McElwain solves the two major schematic challenges between now and the Sept. 2 season opener against Michigan, he must do so without adding to the transfer epidemic of blue-chip quarterbacks.
To be clear, Franks has given no indication that he might want out, but Franks wouldn't be the first highly touted passer to transfer over playing time, if he loses the starting job. The two other four-star quarterbacks state schools signed in Franks' 2016 class (Florida State's Malik Henry and Miami's Jack Allison) have already bolted. If McElwain doesn't handle this situation well, it's not a stretch to think that focusing on the present could cost him UF's quarterback of the future.
All three issues McElwain faces are good problems to have, and they're not insurmountable. Alabama's Nick Saban has won three consecutive SEC titles with three diverse starters. Quarterback attrition hasn't stopped Jimbo Fisher from piling up 10-win seasons at FSU.
Good coaches know how to adapt to different personnel and personalities.
Does that include McElwain? We're about to find out.
Contact Matt Baker at [email protected]. Follow @MBakerTBTimes.
