After losing to rival Georgia 42-7, Florida met with head coach Jim McElwain on Sunday morning and have reportedly decided to part ways, according to Football Scoop. McElwain was 22-8 since taking over in 2015, but the offense — his area of expertise — never improved in his time as head coach. Brett McMurphy confirmed the news on Twitter.
Jim McElwain fired at Florida. 1st reported by @FootballScoop. Amount of buyout still TBA. DC Randy Shannon expected to be interim coach
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 29, 2017
The inability to find a quarterback has been the downfall of the last two Florida coaches, with Will Muschamp and McElwain both failing to recruit and develop a quarterback in Gainesville. That apparently reached a breaking point on Saturday in the midst of an embarrassing loss (on a neutral site) and word of McElwain’s departure comes on the heels of some rumors that the Florida brain trust could be looking to fire the head coach for cause to avoid paying his substantial buyout.
At this point in time, there is little in the way of finality concerning what the buyout figure will look like or, given the buzz, whether Florida will even have to pay one. Still, the overarching takeaway from a national standpoint is that an established program on the Gators’ level is moving on from its coach despite a 70-plus percent winning clip during his tenure. Just who takes his place, though, will be of great note, especially in the recruiting-rich state of Florida.
