HOOVER, Ala. — Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain arrived in Hoover, Alabama on Monday nearly three hours before he was scheduled to talk to the SEC media.
McElwain did this so that not only himself but also Jonathan Bullard, Brandon Powell and Vernon Hargreaves could all go down radio row (a hallway packed with dozens of radio stations from across the southeast) and do interviews with different radio stations.
That may sound like something that is smart, but it was something that in my four years of covering the Florida Gators at SEC Media Days I haven’t seen happen under Will Muschamp.
In the past, Florida’s contingent has chosen to sit in a room and simply waited around on time for their turn to talk to the media. Instead, this year, McElwain and company chose to try and drum up some excitement, while also spreading his message about his football program.
The Gators new head coach, in my opinion, realizes that the Florida brand is not as hyped or as popular as it once was and he knows that the more he gets in front of a camera or microphone the better chance he has of fixing this problem.
That message of selling the program carried over throughout the day on Monday while McElwain spoke to hundreds of media members duringhis five hour long journey through the circus they call media days.
That circus that started off with radio row was quickly followed by a stop in a third floor banquet room where Coach McElwain met with the local media and a select few national media members for close to 20 minutes.
That was the second time that I had been in a small group setting with McElwain and I can say that both times he has impressed me because of his personal charm and his caring personality.
McElwain may not come out and give a lot of details about his program, which can be frustrating to some, but the Gators head coach was very personable during his 20 minutes with the local media.
Following that stop with the local media, McElwain and his escort for the day moved downstairs to the main room (the room that you see on TV) where he gave an opening statement followed by 20 minutes of questions and answers about the state of program.
McElwain’s biggest thing out of those 20 minutes was that he was very appreciative of the opportunity he has at Florida and that he knows what the brand of Florida should look like and that he’s in the process of rebuilding it.
That message carried over throughout the day when McElwain visited with each individual room and the popular opinion of the Gators head coach was that he’s very personable.
I’ve now had two days to digest the day with McElwain and I’m still feeling very encouraged about where the Gators program is heading under McElwain and I believe that he represents the University of Florida very well.
Andrew: You are not alone with your impression of McElwain. Simply stated, he is confident, he has a presence that can be ‘felt’ by others. The test, of course, will come on the field but I am sure he will pass that test also. I recall the hope and confidence I had in the last guy who was head coach here. That feeling disappeared early in the first game of the season when Tavaris Robinson had to walk our head coach off the field so that he would quit making a fool of himself. Most, with the obvious exception of Jeremy Foley, sensed that this was not going to end well for Gator Nation. Not surprisingly it did not.
Thank you and I agree that Muschamp had some of the confidence last year but McElwain is confident and has a plan for a change.
I am really surprised the media hasn’t jumped on the fact that the previous coach had no loyalty to the Gators. During each game he coached (you noticed I didn’t say once in awhile) and something went wrong (something always went wrong) or not his way, he facial expressions where that of a rich kid not getting his way. It was really embarrassing. Here’s a guy who was just paid $6 million dollars to leave town and he had to get a job coaching, because that’s where his heart is.?? Where was his heart during the past three or fours years?? So he goes to Auburn (he must pay the bills), takes a couple of our recruits and all of a sudden he’s a great coach again. I first met Jeremy in 1975, when I competed for the Gators, he was a great guy then and he’s a great guy now. Probably the best AD in the country. If being politically correct was important can you imagine what he would say about this event. It would be like Friday nights at the Red Lion all over again. Go Gators
I disagree. I’m no fan of Muschamp, but I never questioned his heart or his effort. He was just simply not ready for a HC job of this caliber.. The guy worked his arse off . A couple of years at a Duke or a Bowling Green he may have developed into a good sec coaching candidate by now