McElwain looking to score more points FSU coach’s son, Trey Fisher, has goals of his own
GAINESVILLE — When it comes to offense, UF coach Jim McElwain likes to keep people guessing.
Multiple formations, presnap shifts and personnel groupings that change week to week produce unpredictably at the heart of the 55-year-old’s scheme.
“I like the versatility,” transfer quarterback Malik Zaire said. “I mean, we’re doing everything. It’s gonna be a long day for the opponents to try to game plan for us.”
But after failing to keep opposing defenses off balance much of the past two seasons, McElwain enters Year 3 with a fan base wondering when his offense is going to click.
UF hired McElwain to breathe life and excitement into the Gators’ attack. Instead, it continues to rank among the SEC’s least successful.
“If I’m Jim McElwain looking at [offensive coordinator] Doug Nussmeier, it’s go time,” ESPN analyst Brock Huard said. “Going into Year 3 now and being together, this thing’s got to happen.”
Those, like Huard, familiar with McElwain’s past successes and long-standing philosophy believe it is only a matter of time.
“It’d be hard to believe that there’s not a step up,” said Huard, a star quarterback in Washington during McElwain’s formative years as a college coach in the state. “How significant? If you want to put it into numbers or stats, is it another touchdown or another 50 yards a game? That can be difficult to quantify.
“It’s going to take forward.”
The Gators’ first chance to show progress comes Saturday against Big Ten power Michigan, with a national step TV audience and a crowd of around 100,000 at AT&T Stadium looking on.
“Everybody wants to see what the Florida Gators are going to do,” sophomore receiver Freddie Swain said. “If we can push the ball against Michigan, we can push it against anyone.”
UF enters game week with some unknowns.
McElwain remains undecided on a quarterback, but he likes his options among Feleipe Franks, Luke Del Rio and Zaire. Meanwhile, the coach insists his offensive line can be a force and his skill players will be explosive.
If McElwain finally does have the pieces in place, his scheme and his playcalling are proven.
College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit notes the ingredients that were key to McElwain’s success at Alabama.
“I think of teams that are able to control the line of scrimmage. Teams that always had not only one but two tailbacks that could rotate in. I think those two things were always there,” Herbstreit said. “He had a quarterback that was literally an extension of him into the huddle. He had a quarterback that he trusted. They were very, very cerebral. They were very, very capable of being a high-percentage passers, avoided a disastrous play.
“But at the same time, if you gave them one-on-one, they were going to take advantage of it and make big plays.”
McElwain oversaw two national championshipwinning offenses during four seasons in Tuscaloosa. He then applied the same formula at Colorado State to develop an offense ranked No. 19 nationally during his third and final season in Fort Collins.
Del Rio senses a trend in Gainesville.
“I think it’s big that this is the third year in his offense,” he said. “Outside of the spread systems that don’t run a lot of plays, offenses take a while to get used to. And all the formations that we use personnel groupings that we use, shifts motions — it’s complex. And it can be overwhelming for a young player.
“But being that this is the third year for a lot of the wide receivers and a lot of the running backs, it’s helped a lot in camp. You see a lot less mental errors. And it helps you play faster.” similar
egthompson@orlando sentinel.com
TALLAHASSEE Quarterback Trey Fisher, son of Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, completed 10 of 19 passes for 169 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, leading Tallahassee North Florida Christian School to a 21-0 victory Friday night against Deerfield-Windsor High in Albany, Ga.
Trey Fisher also converted two extra-point kicks in his sophomore debut, filling in for an injured backup kicker, as he hopes to lead the Eagles this season to their eighth state title and first since 2011.
As Trey navigates his way through his first season as a starting quarterback, he wants to become a better teammate, improve his leadership and overall speed, among other aspects of his game.
“You can never be too good of a leader or too good of a teammate,” he said. “For me, I’m a little one dimensional. I got to open up my second dimension — I got to get my dual-threat status. Right now they have me as a pocket passer.”
Jimbo Fisher is entering his eighth season as Florida State’s head coach with a season opener against No. 1 Alabama on Sept. 2 in Atlanta.
His youngest son Ethan, 12, is popular among FSU followers who know he is living with Fanconi anemia, a rare blood disorder that affects bone marrow with high risks for leukemia and other cancers and other physical changes. The Fisher family started Kidz 1st Fund, to raise funds and awareness for a cure, in August 2011.
While Trey Fisher is often seen alongside his father on the sidelines during FSU games, he has not been one to gravitate to the spotlight.
Trey’s focus, since he started watching and breaking down film with his father as a youngster, has been set on learning and playing football.
He got his first taste of the position in fifth grade, and once asked for notebooks and binders as a Christmas gift so he could create his own playbook. He has played quarterback fulltime since the eighth grade after a quick stint at tight end as a sixth grader.
“I was fat,” Trey said with a smile. “I was short and fat.”
Trey has yet to earn a scholarship offer from a college football program, but there is still plenty of time for the sophomore, despite his skepticism.
“Nobody wants to offer a 5-9 quarterback,” he joked, adding his height is a chip on his shoulder.
Trey also says he would not have an issue with being a walk-on, saying he would accept his role and make the best of the opportunity.
“I’m not above anything,” he said. “I’m not too good for anything.”