Gainesville, Fla. (AP) — Florida and coach Jim McElwain have agreed to part ways a day after a third consecutive loss and nearly a week after he said his players and their families had received death threats.
Athletic director Scott Stricklin made the announcement Sunday and named defensive coordinator Randy Shannon the team’s interim coach for the final four games.
The parties are negotiating McElwain’s $12.5 million buyout.
Florida (3-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference), which is still paying former coach Will Muschamp, would like to significantly reduce McElwain’s sum and could use his actions over the last week as leverage.
Regardless of the outcome, McElwain’s tenure will be remembered for failing to fix a floundering offense. Three years ago, McElwain proclaimed he could win with his dog at quarterback. The Gators currently rank 113th in total offense, in triple digits nationally for the third time in McElwain’s three seasons.
“We want to thank Coach McElwain for his efforts in leading the Gator football program,” Stricklin said in a statement. “We are confident Coach Shannon will provide the proper guidance to the players and rest of staff during this time, and we will begin a national search for the next head coach.”
McElwain’s downfall was more about relationships than records.
His already-strained rapport with administrators reached a new low last Monday when he said Florida players and families had received death threats. The bombshell shocked Stricklin, who had not been previously notified about a potentially harmful situation. Stricklin met with McElwain later that day, and the coach rebuffed a request to provide more information about the threats. The athletic department responded with a statement that essentially criticized McElwain for being uncooperative.
McElwain made the situation even worse two days later when he said he would provide more details about the death threats “when it becomes unmanageable.”
McElwain seemed resigned to his fate Saturday night.
“I know what I was brought here to do. Look, we haven’t been good on offense, I get it,” he said. “We’ve won a few games, but we haven’t won enough. We haven’t won a championship. That’s real. That’s life. That is this business, and I take full responsibility for all of it.”
Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen seems like the obvious choice to be the next head coach at Florida.
Photo credit – John Raoux / Associated Press / Jacksonville, FL
