Focusing on the task at hand
Gators prepare to face Georgia a year after McElwain’s surreal exit
GAINESVILLE — The week began with talk of death threats and ended with Jim McElwain’s exit.
The bizarre lead-up to last season’s Georgia debacle and McElwain’s downfall is a distant memory for a group of players thriving under a new head coach just 12 months later.
Dan Mullen’s No. 9 Gators (6-1, 4-1 SEC) are preparing to face No. 7 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) Saturday, with the long-standing rivals meeting as top-10 foes for the first time since 2008. The winner is sure to be in the thick of the College Football Playoff semifinals picture when the first rankings are released Oct. 30.
But with so much at stake Saturday in Jacksonville and the Gators’ future seemingly so bright under Mullen, Florida’s players candidly reflected on the chaos surrounding last year’s Georgia game before turning the page.
“Definitely a lot of weirdness leading up to it,” UF receiver Josh Hammond said. “I think that’s part of why a lot of guys kind of just forgot about it because of the mental confusion that went before the game and a lot of things that happened after the game. We’re just ready to move forward and put that behind us and getting ready to play ball this week.”
On the Monday prior to the 2017 game, McElwain told reporters he had received death threats amid his team’s disappointing 3-3 start. Later, McElwain refused to share details when asked for more information by his employers.
By the day of the game, rumors swirled McElwain soon would be fired, causing a major distraction