McElwain compliments Muschamp culture at UF, previous staff 'snakebit'
By Dan Lyons
Back in late-March, new Florida head coach Jim McElwain had somecomments about the Gator roster, which were considered by many to be a shot at previous head coach Will Muschamp.
“You’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt,” McElwain said. “And right now, quite honestly, the hand we were dealt is really insufficient at some of the areas.”
Muschamp responded with a quip about McElwain’s introductory press conference, where he said he felt he could win with his dog on the field, and since neither coach has spoken much about the other. That changed at this week’s SEC spring meetings. McElwain reiterated his point about the lack of depth at some positions, specifically the offensive line, but also praised Muschamp for building a healthy culture within the program.
“Obviously through attrition in some areas, we were short just from a numbers standpoint to be able to practice the way we wanted to practice,” McElwain said Tuesday at the SEC’s spring meetings in Destin, Florida. “But Will and his staff did an outstanding job building the culture. They left some really good players, but just the sheer numbers is where we’re short. But that’s OK. You don’t ever know sometimes. They got snakebit.”
Florida fans probably don’t want to hear excuses about the Muschamp era, but it is interesting to hear McElwain speaking more about his predecessor. Unfortunately, we won’t get to see McElwain’s offense face off against Muschamp’s Auburn defense, unless both are still in their current jobs when the programs meet in 2019.
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