TAMPA — It wasn’t the College Football Playoff, or even one of the New Year’s Six bowl games, but the Florida Gators win over Iowa on Monday sure felt like it carried that kind of importance for Jim McElwain’s Gators.
The Gators were SEC East Champions. They finished with nine wins, but presumably would have had back-to-back 10 win seasons if the Presbyterian game weren’t canceled, and yet, there was a black cloud of negativity surrounding the team. Florida is trailing South Carolina on the recruiting trail. Alabama and Georgia have more ESPN 300 commitments than Florida has total commitments and the Gators were blown out on the football field the last two times we saw them.
The Gators needed a win over Iowa in the Outback Bowl in the worst way and when McElwain accomplished that, he made sure to let everyone know.
“We had a heck of a year,” McElwain said. “Two straight SEC East championships, new facilities. We’ll look for the commitment that we get from the administration moving forward, see where that’s at, and I know this, we’ve got a lot of good young players that would have played a lot of football for us this year, and they’ll teach the guys that are coming in next year the same thing.”
McElwain has been playing poker without a full deck. The Gators had fallen woefully behind other schools in terms of facilities. It’s not that what Florida had was necessarily bad or run down, but they weren’t keeping up with the facilities arms race. McElwain mentioned the commitment that the administration is making to football. Florida has a new indoor practice facility and there are plans for a stand alone football facility. He’s also been able to add more support staff, similar to what he saw at Alabama where Nick Saban has an army of analysts and support staff.
“You know, this was, and still is, a heck of a building process,” he said. “We’re headed to building it, but we’re building it right.”
The Gators limped into the Outback Bowl. Florida was without 17 players for the bowl game, including nine starters. That meant the final game of the 2016 season would feature a lot of young players, and they shined.
Freshman Chauncey Gardner had two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, on his way to being named Outback Bowl MVP. Sophomore running back Jordan Scarlett carried the ball 14 times for 94 yards. Freshman Freddie Swain had a 24-yard reception. Freshman Vosean Joseph had six tackles, one fewer than his total from the rest of the season.
Florida may not be close to competing for a College Football playoff but signs of progression are there. Young players stepped up into bigger roles and the offense, which still won’t strike fear in the hearts of competent defenses, but it’s apparent that McElwain’s players love him, that there is young talent on the roster and that the players he has recruited have bought into the system.
Where does Austin Appleby see the Gators going under McElwain?
“To a national championship,” replied Appleby. “As he continues to get the pieces he needs, as he continues to get the resources and bring the guys he needs in, the more that this Gator fan base and media can support him in what he’s doing and not question what he’s doing, the more that he’s going to be able to bring this program to the top. We’re not far off. If you go back and look at the year, we’re a handful of plays away from playing next week, honestly. I truly believe that.”
College football is cyclical. Alabama was on probation and in the dumps before Nick Saban turned the program around. The Gators have been down for too long. The Gator football brand may have lost a little luster over the last six years but McElwain is determined to continue polishing until it shines bright again. For a month it looked as if the tarnish was not only not coming off, but getting thicker.
It may be just the Outback Bowl, but it’s a breath of fresh air into a program that badly needed oxygen.
Now, on to Michigan.
“It’s a really big thing,” running back Jordan Scarlett said of the Outback Bowl win. “We have Michigan coming up for our opener next year. I think this set us up really good for next year.”