A little less than a month after he was first hired to lead the Florida Gators, new head coach Jim McElwain is finally read to hit the ground running.
McElwain spent the holiday season in Colorado celebrating and relaxing with his family, but once the clock strikes 2015 its going to be all-hands on deck for the new coach.
First McElwain travels to Alabama, to watch this year's Gators team compete against East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl. Sources told ESPN recently that the current roster is treating their bowl game like a "tryout" opportunity for their new coach.
Birmingham Bowl a "Tryout" for Gators Players
"There's a lot of outside distractions right now, but we just got to come together and focus on the task at hand, which is winning this ballgame," said senior O-lineman Chaz Green, per Fox Sports. "That's the mindset, and I feel we're ready to do that."
After the Birmingham Bowl, McElwain is ready to hit the recruiting trail hard. His first task will be winning the recruiting battle within the actual state of Florida, as UF has ceded much of that battle to Florida State in recent seasons.
McElwain's First Task? Win In-State Recruiting Battle
Lastly, McElwain needs to sure up his coaching staff. He's already taken a big step towards doing that, hiring Mississippi State's Geoff Collins and Michigan's Doug Nussmeier to be his defensive and offensive coordinator, respectively.
“I’m looking forward to working with this administration hand in hand getting the Gators back to where we belong,” McElwain said in a recent SEC Network interview, via GatorZone.com. “We’ve got a long ways to go. We’ve got to totally overhaul some areas just within the organization itself. The master plan takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight, but yet I do understand that we do live in the instant-gratification society today, so we’re going to have to make some progress in a hurry.
“But at the same time, you’ve got to make sure that we build the foundations right. That starts with recruiting, that starts with everybody involved in the organization understanding that we’ve all got to have a common goal and no separate agendas.”
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