The momentum has been building for days now, and the hatchet has finally reportedly fallen on Jim McElwain.
Sources told Doug Samuels of Football Scoop that the Gators fired McElwain as head football coach on Sunday morning, a day after the team’s 42-7 loss to Georgia dropped them to 3-4 on the season.
Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun confirmed the report, stating that Florida players had been notified of the coaching change.
I've been told by a source close to the program that the Florida players have been informed.
— Robbie Andreu (@RobbieAndreu) October 29, 2017
Though McElwain posted a 22-12 record over McElwain’s two and a half seasons at Florida — including a 16-8 mark in SEC play — the Gators have lost three consecutive games. McElwain’s unsubstantiated claims of receiving death threats appear to have worked against him as well, to the point that the school was reportedly investigating to see if it would be enough to fire him with cause. It is unclear if that is what has happened here.
McElwain seemed to have an inkling that his job status was tenuous at best after Saturday’s game. Given all the rumors of the past several days, the firing does not come as a big surprise.
