You want me to read a Bianchi article?
Well it was
surprisingly optimistic for the Gators. Not his normal mode of operation...
But you're right...we don't like him around here so why give him the clicks. My bad...
Here's the pertinent information...
"
Jim McElwain can take the
Florida Gators back to Atlanta for the
SEC Championship Game in Year 1 of his coaching tenure, then what rarefied air and implausible altitude might he elevate them to in Year 2?
Could he conceivably and unbelievably take them back to the future, where the two greatest coaches in school history put their programs on the map in Year 2 of their tenures? Steve Spurrier won a school-first Southeastern Conference title in 1991 during his second year on the job. Urban Meyer won a national title in 2008 during Year 2 of his white-hot six-year run of dominance in Gainesville.
Even Will Muschamp, perhaps the most disappointing UF football coach of the modern era, won 11 games in the second season of his mundane four-year run in Gainesville. Come on now, if Muschamp can win 11 in Year 2 then McElwain should be able to win the Super Bowl.
The gaggle of giddy Gators who came to hear McElwain address the Central Florida Gator Club Wednesday Night at the Plaza Live Theater in downtown Orlando certainly didn't disagree with my theory that McElwain will follow the career paths of Spurrier and Meyer and really begin to put his imprint on UF's program in Year 2.
"Last year, Coach Mac laid the slab of concrete and put in a foundation," said long-time UF supporter Dave Cavanaugh of Ocoee. "This year is when he really starts building his empire."
McElwain acknowledges that getting the Gators back to Atlanta for the first time in six seasons was a notable accomplishment in his inaugural year, but you can also see how bummed out he remains by the way his team performed in the aftermath of clinching the SEC East.
"We did have an unbelievable year and I'm proud of our guys, but I'm very disappointed in how we finished," McElwain said. "When you haven't had a lot of success, one of the hardest things to do is not become satisfied when you reach a certain level. I feel that as an organization, we became too satisfied."
Of course, that euphoric feeling of satisfaction rapidly evaporated in the final three games of last season when Florida was pulverized by Florida State and
Alabamabefore Michigan methodically dismantled the Gators 41-7 – the second-worst bowl loss in UF history.
The meeting of the Central Florida Gator Club was the first time UF fans have gathered en masse in Orlando since that dismal New Year's Day at the Citrus Bowl. The message McElwain wanted to portray Wednesday came straight from his list of 1970s pop hits: Cue up the Carpenters and "We've Only Just Begun."
The reason I believe McElwain's program will take huge step in Year 2 is because, quite frankly, it takes a while for great coaches to install their systems, build their cultures, weed out the bad apples and plant the seeds of success. McElwain's mentor and perhaps the greatest coach in college football history — Alabama's
Nick Saban — went from mediocrity in Year 1 to a 12-0 regular season in Year 2 before losing to Meyer's Gators in the SEC Championship Game.
It's not just coincidence that McElwain joined Saban's staff as the offensive coordinator before that second season, became an integral part of Alabama's rebuild and helped lead the Crimson Tide to two national championships.
McElwain obviously knows how to coach offense and it seems unfathomable that he will ever again have an offense as inept as he had in his first season at UF. It really is remarkable the Gators won 10 games last season with an offense ranked 111th out of 128 FBS teams.
Starting quarterback Will Grier's season-ending suspension (and ultimate transfer) for PED use ruined last year's offense and left McElwain with a quarterback — Treon Harris — incapable of running his system. No matter who the Gators start this year — whether it's former Alabama and Oregon State QB Luke Del Rio, Purdue transfer Austin Appleby or one of the incoming freshman — the Gators will enjoy a significant upgrade at quarterback.
The big question remains — and McElwain still refuses to answer it– is whether explosive wide receiver Antonio Callaway will be back on the field this fall following a mysterious, months-long leave of absence from all team activities.
That is the singular dark cloud that still hangs over UF's program.
Otherwise, the Coach Mac Attack has the potential to give Gator Nation yet another ground-breaking, program-making Year 2 to remember."
