awebbf5
VIP Member
Really don't know how I feel about the hire, but I think it is better than what we had. Hope he can snag some recruits and get this thing turned around quick!
Gator powers-that-be are resigned to "taking a bath" vis-a-vis the salaries-under-contract that they are prepared to "eat"--but make no mistake: They WILL just pay 'em off at every position that the new Head Coach has a preferred replacement in mind for (Btw, one of the reasons they even discussed the possibility of offering Hugh Freeze--and that's all they did, "consider" it, put "feelers out" early, just in case, before settling on Foley's FIRST choice, the CSU Coach, and going after him in earnest--was with idea of offering Freeze an amount leaving more room to absorb the anticipated "doubling up" of contracts for his support staff and the guys already here and under contract that they assumed would be replaced but still owed multi-year salaries)...and from what I understand, only 3 (at MOST, from what I've been told) have much chance of being retained in active capacity. Durkin is the 3rd, and if he stays will be in the most precarious, "do-or-die" position: If the new Head Coach agrees to keep him as his DC (and this is NOT certain--how they "connect", and whether McElwain comes in with someone firmly in mind to replace him, and whether that individual is even available now), any perceived fall-off on that side of the ball will have him gone by the end of '15, "tenure" and "length-of-existing-contract" notwithstanding.Florida's assistants are all still under contract with the university. Durkin, Robinson, Lawing, and Summers have all been mentioned often as potential retention targets.
Durkin and Robinson have tenure at Florida, as both were on staff for the entirety of Will Muschamp's span as head coach, and Durkin, brought in prior to the 2010 season by Urban Meyer, is the longest-tenured UF defensive coach.
Roper, White and Leak are the least likely to be retained, but you never know.
Yep. There are only ten recruiting days until dead period. Prepare to be disappointed. We just lost a couple recruits today.
We have some time 'till signing day, so hopefully he can at least fill some holes (plenty to do there). In spite of the recent recruiting losses, I will remain optimistic about this new era of Gator football. New faces, fresh start....sounds good to me after the last 4 years of disappointment.
Sigh. How many of those "good ones" did you say you thought we had?I will not get optimistic until I see the new coaching staff. Coach Mac can only do so much by himself. Travaris Robinson is on the short list to go to USF. Muschamp will likely try to poach some coaches if Coach Mac does not secure the good ones on contract soon.
Sigh. How many of those "good ones" did you say you thought we had?
Across-the-board, imo, all but 3 are BOUND to be upgrades--and that's BEFORE any close examination of the guys McElwain actually brings in. And he WILL be bringing in a slew of 'em, most long since committed to "the right situation", from what I understand. You know how it is with younger coaches on their way up: These are guys he has come to see, and for the most part now see themselves, as Coach's "crew", or at least those whom he has envisioned as his "potential crew" when that "right situation" (ie.steppin' up to the big time, McElwain in charge) finally came along. It's not quite the "lone Coach coming in from the frontier, hoping there'll be some old hands that'll stick around and give him some experienced help". His plans, preparation and ideas in all of this played a part in Foley & co.'s choosing him in the first place. Main delay now has to do with timing, when best to announce/make move to their new jobs with us from different situations as the 2014 season comes to its end.
Bottom line: Looks like we'll be keeping just a few of the former staff, by CHOICE. As I say, there're a handful that'd throw things off-plan and schedule if they jumped ship after all, but Muschamp can HAVE the rest, if he wants 'em. I'd think twice in most cases if I were him: He of all people knows it wasn't just him and bad luck that had various squads throwing (and bobbling and booting) away what could have been key victories, more and more often turning them into embarrassing losses this past season.
(Don't care to go off too far down this tangent--what's done is done--but one could argue that that was one of Muschamp's problems, a major reason he WASN'T ready for this challenge at this time: He DIDN'T have his own well-developed personal network of "talented young coaches" ready for THEIR "step up" to Prime Time in the SEC...Don't know if it would have been different had he just stepped "over" from UT "Coach-in-Waiting" INTO the Head Coaching job there, been able to more "let it all come to HIM", an organic process already somewhat in-place. The problem was especially obvious on offense, but you could see it to some degree at every level, on every squad, as time went on.)
On defense, I would consider keeping most of the coaches. I do not think Coach Mac has a better defensive staff in mind than the current one at Florida. On offense, only the OL coach is worth a second look. Can everyone else. Can special teams. As a matter of fact, burn the special teams coaches alive with whatever crap playbook the used on special teams. Really? Missouri? I am still pissed about that game.
I guess I don't GREATLY disagree vis-a-vis the scheme(s) and over-all talent/performance formula on defense--but even THEY had some serious breakdowns, whole stretches mid-game of confusion and/or outright failure (at the very least, failure to adapt along the way--especially between halves), which in turn leaves me not too unhappy at what will likely turn out to be pretty deep changes in personnel there also. As for the offense, well, what do I need to say that we haven't all concluded ourselves already by the very evidence of our eyes? That goes INFINITE (as opposed to "double", or even "triple") for "special" teams. But if you really step back to analyze it, the extreme nature of the breakdowns (and the extreme of THAT "extreme", even worse than Mizzou, those last few minutes in the USC game) serve finally to sharply highlight the problems throughout this staff. Just as high-standard coaching is a "team effort", so does consistent, record-BAD coaching have a certain pattern and rhythm that is likewise so. Some of these guys will be good coaches with other staffs, in other programs at other times--but here and now, they have given a whole new slant to the old (often joking) cry, "Break 'em up!".On defense, I would consider keeping most of the coaches. I do not think Coach Mac has a better defensive staff in mind than the current one at Florida. On offense, only the OL coach is worth a second look. Can everyone else. Can special teams. As a matter of fact, burn the special teams coaches alive with whatever crap playbook the used on special teams. Really? Missouri? I am still pissed about that game.
At least they are blocking somebody. Summer's predecessor, Verducci, did have Gators blocking one another, but he did a better job coaching the OL to keep the QB upright better.So you would keep a guys whose players block each other?