Florida Gators coach Jim McElwain revitalized the university’s football program and has thus received a $750,000 raise that will up his salary to $4.25 million a year. Per Matt Baker of The Tampa Bay Times, the raise makes McElwain the highest-paid coach in the SEC East.
#Gators give @CoachMcElwain a $750K raise, up to $4.25 million/year. Largest salary in SEC East. https://t.co/lGZ8pYhjV4
— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) March 25, 2016
McElwain led Florida to a 10-4 (7-1 SEC) finish, but the latter half of the season was not without bumps in the road. Quarterback Will Grier was suddenly suspended for testing positive for PEDs in October, meaning that the Gators would have to roll with the less-talented Treon Harris for the remainder of the season. As a result, though the Gators did win the SEC East, they got destroyed by Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, 29-15, and by Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, 41-7.
Still, there’s no denying that McElwain earned the raise and is now the highest-paid among significant company. Keep in mind that Florida’s SEC East rival South Carolina just hired McElwain’s predecessor, Will Muschamp, not too long ago, and Muschamp is only earning $3 million a year despite having far more SEC experience.
Either way, with great change expected in Gainesville next season from a player standpoint, it’s going to be interesting to see how Florida performs under Jim McElwain in 2016.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports