Coach’s ouster no shock in SEC
GAINESVILLE — Jim McElwain’s sudden ouster at UF was met with sympathy by his SEC brethren.
Shock? Go somewhere else.
McElwain’s rapid demise was merely the latest example of the tenuous nature of coaching in the nation’s top football conference.
“It’s very sad to see that happen to Coach Mac,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “It’s a difficult situation, but I think we all know what you’re in for. … Anywhere in the SEC, things are very volatile.”
Life is the SEC can be as good as it gets.
Coaches make big money — the average salary is $4.2 million, the highest of any conference. Schools play in some of the nation’s largest stadiums, boast top facilities and every game appears on national TV. SEC schools signed nine of the top 25 recruiting classes in 2017.
The tradeoff is living in a cauldron of internal and external pressure that can become overwhelming during tough times.
“I think these are very prestigious jobs,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “When you’re at a place like LSU, I’ll only speak for myself, you’re expected to win and you’re expected to do well.
“When you don’t, the pressure is going to be on.”
Few current SEC coaches have felt the heat like Orgeron. He was fired at Ole Miss in 2007 and stepped in as interim coach last season at LSU after the school jettisoned Les Miles.
Hired full time at season’s end, Orgeron found himself under fire a month ago when the Tigers lost to Troy before rebounding to win three consecutive games.
“You have to block out the noise,” the 56-year-old said. “You can’t let it affect you and the way you coach every day.” Easier said than done. McElwain faced increasing criticism and pressure during his team’s 3-3 start. On Oct. 23, McElwain said the blowback reached the point where a fan or two threatened him and his family’s well-being — a claim he never backed up with evidence.
Arkansas said coach Bret Bielema, under fire himself during his sixth season in Fayetteville, said coaches are in a better position to insulate themselves from the negativity than their families.
“I’m sure our loved ones feel it,” he said.
Bielema joked that his wife, Jennifer, is too busy with the couple’s 4-month-old to pay attention to fan unrest. For his part, he unplugs.
“I very rarely watch TV, never read a newspaper, never listen to talk radio,” he said.
Winning is the best way to quiet the noise.
In the SEC, where powerhouse Alabama resides, the question can become how many wins are enough. At programs with past success, it becomes even trickier.
McElwain won 2015 SEC Coach of the Year honors and UF played in the past two league title games. But his offenses struggled and his teams rarely beat the nation’s top programs.
At Mississippi State, coach Dan Mullen led the Bulldogs to their first No. 1 ranking and to the 2014 Orange Bowl, winning SEC Coach of the Year honors himself.
Last season, fans were restless during a 2-5 start, but Mullen’s team won four of its final six games.
The 2017 Bulldogs are 6-2 and 16th in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. Mullen said fans seem unsatisfied.