New Florida coach Jim McElwain confident he has tools to rebuild Gators
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- He stepped to the podium and before anyone in the room full of reporters could ask a question, new Florida head coach Jim McElwain asked his own.
“How we doing guys? Doing alright?”
The tone was set. Jim McElwain was in charge.
McElwain's introductory press conference Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium started routine, ebbed and flowed between serious and funny, and in the end, revealed a confident coach who believes the roar of the Gators will return under his watch.
"I believe I can win with my dog Claire-a-bell,” McElwain quipped. “There are good players here. It’s our responsibility to get that going."
McElwain's 5-pound Yorkiepoo might not be big, but she evidently has a big bite. So does her owner.
McElwain wakes up in the morning and hugs the pressure of running his own program at a place like Florida. He was reminded of the program's stature when the Gators' three national championship trophies greeted him in his new office.
When he sensed a real opportunity to become Florida's coach, he grabbed it and would not let go.
"When you look at the quality that is the University of Florida, that brand, what it brings with it, I can't tell you how excited myself, my wife, my kids are," he said. "For us to be a part of Gator Nation is something that means so much."
They were all there Saturday, wife Karen and kids JoHannah, Elizabeth and Jerret.
Karen decked in an orange dress, the girls in blue tops, and Jerret closely resembling a younger version of his 52-year-old father.
In this day and age they talk a lot about winning the press conference, and early in the week, some wondered if McElwain, who has spent the majority of his 30-year career far from the spotlight in places like Eastern Washington and Montana State, could pull it off.
He dropkicked it and then held it over his head.
McElwain was funny, bringing with him that laugh that was captured in a YouTube.com video during a recent Colorado State bye week.
He seemed the perfect fit that Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley called him.
"He respects this league and this institution," Foley said. "And there is no question that he's a funny guy, too."
In some ways McElwain's debut revealed a combination of qualities familiar to Gator fans in their head coaches -- Steve Spurrier (sharp one-liners), Urban Meyer (Mountain West offensive success) and Will Muschamp (down-to-earth approachability).
Still, he's clearly his own brand.
When someone asked McElwain to explain who he is as an offensive coach, he replied: "Well, here is who I am: I'm the dog they dropped off down at the Humane Society. He has a little bit of about every breed in him. Whatever the situation is, you try to bring that breed out that helps success."
It was a different answer than most expected but a good one. He got his point across. McElwain will adjust to the players he has and chase success with whatever offensive style he needs to make it work.
That's what he did at Alabama and what he did at Colorado State. The formulas were different but both led to success.
"There’s not been one that I’ve invented. All right? A lot of the guys in this business think they’ve invented it. Right? It’s been done," he said of offenses.
The best quote McElwain delivered about his offense was to a question about whether Florida fans might see some elements of Spurrier's old Fun N' Gun.
"I don’t know what you call it, but it will be a blast," he said.
That will work. If the Gators can score enough to keep those fireworks blasting from the scoreboard, McElwain might get his own statue outside The Swamp one day.
For now he is focused on getting started.
He made no announcements Saturday regarding the future of the current coaches on staff. He complimented Muschamp on the staff he left behind.
As for the players, McElwain will meet with them for the first time next week. They were off this weekend and most were out of town.
His message to them is simple and direct.
"Embrace what they're doing," he said. "You're Gators. Let's go win a bowl game."
While the Gators prepare for their yet-to-be determined bowl game, McElwain will be busy building the foundation of his program.
He's not even sure what exactly it will look like yet. Shortly after arriving in town late Friday afternoon, he immediately went to his new office and met with the current coaching staff. He also had talks about Florida's current recruiting board.
On Monday he plans to hit the road recruiting and rekindle those old recruiting relationships he built during stops at Michigan State, Louisville and most recently, as offensive coordinator at Alabama and head coach at Colorado State.
"The job he has done at Colorado State is nothing short of a miracle,’’ Foley said. "We’re excited to have him as a Gator, and his family as Gators. I promise we’re going to have a lot of fun together.”
Everyone in Gator Nation hopes for the same. Based on Saturday's introduction, McElwain is off to a good start in making that happen.
