ORLANDO — Following No. 14 Michigan’s 41-7 thrashing of No. 19 Florida in the Citrus Bowl on Friday, Gators coach Jim McElwain walked into his postgame press conference with a smile.
The Missoula, Montana, native was upbeat and ready to answer questions as to why his team performed so poorly on both sides of the ball against the Wolverines.
There would be no lashing out on his team like he did following Florida’s 31-24 win over East Carolina.
Instead, McElwain was his usual self with the media: laid back with a smile on his face and cracking jokes.
"You know, I guess, maybe that’s my fault by being upbeat," McElwain said after the game. "Yeah, I’m disappointed. We’re all disappointed. But you also got to learn from disappointment, and we will."
But maybe McElwain realized just how good of a job he did in his first season at Florida. McElwain re-established the Gators as the dominant program in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division, leading them to 10 wins and a spot in the SEC title game against Alabama.
There were obstacles thrown at him left and right — whether it was berating Kelvin Taylor for making his throat slash gesture or the entire Will Grier saga — but he was able to handle each one fairly well.
Even after all of that, he was still able to lead the program to its first SEC East title since 2009.
But then the complacency kicked in.
McElwain admitted that he worried the team felt content after clinching the division, a sentiment several players echoed.
"Coming off the season we had, 7-5, we got the SEC East, we felt like, ‘We’re good,’" sophomore cornerback Jalen Tabor said. "Just like we learned from that 7-5 team to get to the SEC championship, we’re going to learn from this team and how we got there but fell off late in the end."
Now, with the 2015 season done and dusted, McElwain is already preparing for the 2016 season.
One of the first major points of the offseason for McElwain and his staff is recruiting. National Signing Day is less than a month away — Feb. 3 — and the Gators currently have the No. 8 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. The class has 25 commitments with 10 already on campus as early enrollees, including Mark Thompson — the No. 1 JUCO running back in the country — and the No. 1 JUCO kicker in Eddy Pineiro. Two other commits — four-star quarterback Feleipe Franks and four-star athlete McArthur Burnett — are expected to arrive on campus later this week.
In addition, former Purdue quarterback Austin Appleby announed via his Twitter account on Monday that he would be transferring to Florida. Because Appleby is a graduate transfer, he is eligible for the 2016 season.
McElwain talked about restoring the foundation of the program on numerous occasions this season. But now the challenge that he faces is continuing to build upon a season in which the Gators were surprise contenders in the SEC East.
Florida won’t be a surprise team next season.
It will have a target on its back, and the pressure surrounding McElwain will be immense.
The question is, will he be ready for it?
"We’ve got a ways to go," McElwain said. "We’re on our way to building something special."
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII
UF football coach Jim McElwain walks off the field following Florida's 41-7 loss to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2016, in Orlando.
