When Jim McElwain was hired to coach the University of Florida in 2014, it was thought that he would return the program to prominence after it continued to stumble under Will Muschamp. The decision to hire McElwain was widely lauded at the time, even though Florida had to pay a hefty buyout to Colorado State, but he was fired into his third season in Gainesville. McElwain was seen as an offensive guru, but the Gators never cracked the top 100 in total offense with him at the helm. The Gators continue to pay for this mistake, as they are still paying McElwain’s buyout and he is set to receiver his second installment on Bobby Bonilla Day today.
Gators paying ex-coach Jim McElwain the second of three $1M installments today, part of his $7.5M buyout. UF still owes Mac $1.5M after today — another $1M due July 1, 2020 and then a final $500K payment on July 1, 2021
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) July 1, 2019
Another school is looking at its budget through gritted teeth today. The University of Colorado reported that its athletic department ended the 2019 fiscal year slightly in the red despite receiving a record number of donations. The loss was due to Mike MacIntyre’s sizable buyout that was split into two installments. MacIntyre had just agreed to an extension the previous year, and the school’s decision to fire him after one season under his new contract meant they needed to pay more than $7.2 million dollars. If only we could all get that type of buyout after being fired.
Thanks to Mike MacIntyre buyout, Colorado athletic department in the red for 2019 https://t.co/HEv7HLxPXF
— ClevelandFootballTalk (@CFTalk) June 30, 2019
We’re only a couple weeks away from conference media days, and with schools set to start practicing again it’s time to gear up for the season. This guide from SI includes the major storylines from the offseason if you took a break from college football and are looking for a quick primer before things get underway. This is a year where the elite teams seem certain to dominate, as Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia look to be on a different tier than the rest of the country. I’d take those three teams against the field all day, as the odds on every other team to win it all are 10-1 or higher.
Stopped paying attention to college football lately? Here’s everything you need to know before fall camps open https://t.co/62pXwTwEuv
— SI College Football (@si_ncaafb) July 1, 2019
