SEC Coaching Rankings: No. 7 Jim McElwain

With the SEC football season just a few months away, here’s a look at how the conference’s coaches rank in 2016.

Bio: Jim McElwain began his head coaching career at Colorado State in 2012. During three seasons, McElwain led the Rams to a 22-16 (14-10 MWC) record including a 10-2 (6-2) overall record and a second place finish in the Mountain West Conference during his final season.

He joined Florida’s staff in 2015 and led the Gators to a 10-4 (7-1 SEC) record and a first place finish in the SEC East. McElwain’s prior SEC experience included a 4-year tenure as Alabama’s offensive coordinator/QB coach from 2008-11, which included two national championships (2009, 2011) and saw running back Mark Ingram win the Heisman Trophy in 2009.

Reason for ranking: McElwain made a huge leap after his first season. Like many first-year coaches in 2016, he was ranked in the bottom-tier of the conference based on having no prior experience with his team. Granted, McElwain was spectacular at Colorado State, but came into Florida with a clean slate and inherited a team many expected to finish fourth in the SEC East.

However, the Gators had a talented lineup in McElwain’s first season. For all the criticism former coach Will Muschamp gets — especially in these rankings — he did recruit a talented team to Gainesville, hence why he was fired for underachieving. Plus, Florida took advantage of a weak SEC East schedule to win its first 10 of its first 11 games, before finishing the season on a four-game losing streak.

The jury is still out on McElwain. I’m not ready to say he’s among the SEC’s best based on one season, especially given how disappointing the rest of the SEC East was aside from Tennessee, who should have beaten the Gators in their 28-27 loss on Sept. 26. But it’s difficult to rank him any lower than seventh after claiming a division title in his debut season.

2016 Schedule:

Date		Opponent
Saturday Sep. 3		UMass Minutemen  Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Saturday Sep. 10		Kentucky Wildcats  Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Saturday Sep. 17		North Texas Mean Green  Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Saturday Sep. 24		at Tennessee Volunteers  Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN
Saturday Oct. 1		at Vanderbilt Commodores  Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN
Saturday Oct. 8		LSU Tigers  Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Saturday Oct. 15		Missouri Tigers (HC) Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Saturday Oct. 22	—	OFF
Saturday Oct. 29		Georgia Bulldogs  EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Saturday Nov. 5		at Arkansas Razorbacks  D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR
Saturday Nov. 12		South Carolina Gamecocks  Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Saturday Nov. 19		Presbyterian Blue Hose Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Saturday Nov. 26		at Florida State Seminoles  Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL

2016 Outlook: Florida is expected to start Luke Del Rio, son of Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio, at quarterback in 2016. Del Rio is one of four quarterbacks who have never played a down at Florida, but took the majority of reps in the team’s spring game.

The Gators look to replace leading rusher Kelvin Taylor, who recorded 1,035 yards and 13 touchdowns on 259 attempts and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, as well as Jonathan Bullard, Vernon Hargreaves III, Alex McCalister, Antonio Morrison, Brian Poole and Keanu Neal on defense.

Florida has signed several talented recruiting classes, so it should have enough players to successfully replace its veterans. However, there’s no guarantee that the Gators will match their success of 2016, especially with Tennessee and Georgia favored to win the division.

McElwain’s second season will be a huge factor in his legacy at Florida. If he can prove that his debut was more than a fluke, he will rank among the conference’s best coaches in 2017.

The post SEC Coaching Rankings: No. 7 Jim McElwain appeared first on Today's "U".