SEC Football Q&A: Will Florida Win an SEC Championship Under Jim McElwain?
The offseason is upon us, and with national signing day around the corner and coaching changes abound, there's still plenty to talk about in the SEC.
Jim McElwain welcomed a brand-new staff after he got tabbed as Florida's new head coach. The domino effect of Florida's coaching change was felt in Auburn, as former head coach Will Muschamp signed on to be the new defensive coordinator of the Tigers, as well as Mississippi State, where defensive coordinator Geoff Collins left to join McElwain's staff.
Will McElwain's new-look Florida program have success?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
That question and more are answered in this week's SEC Q&A.
"@BarrettSallee Question: Do you believe Jim McElwain will win Florida another SEC Championship?
— Brody (@IAKOW_Brody) January 27, 2015"
Yes, but it won't happen in 2015.
Defensively, the talent is there for McElwain and Collins to keep things going in the right direction on that side of the ball. Vernon Hargreaves III is one of the best cornerbacks in the country, the front seven is loaded and Collins proved at Mississippi State that he can lead defenses that are stifling in the red zone.
The offensive line and quarterback position are problems, and I'm not sure either is a one-year fix.
Three starters are gone off a Florida offensive line that didn't exactly impose its will on the opposition on a consistent basis last season. Martez Ivey, a 5-star offensive tackle prospect who's considering the Gators, is being counted on to be an early contributor, which is one of the key selling points for the Sunshine State product.
Is Treon Harris the man at quarterback? Will redshirt freshman pro-style quarterback Will Grier be the man for McElwain? Will Florida hit the quarterback free-agent market?
Those are all major questions that I'm not sure can be answered in the immediate future.
Long-term, yes, McElwain will win at least one SEC title.
He's a talented offensive mind who has surrounded himself with coaches who know what it takes to win inside the living rooms of prospects and, as long as he maintains some control of the offense, should be able to right the ship.
Besides, it's not like there's a juggernaut within the division that is standing in the way.
Tennessee is building fast, but two-time division champ Missouri doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of opponents. Georgia's annual inexplicable loss routinely prevents it from becoming a power, and South Carolina is regressing.
In 2016, Florida will be in the mix for the SEC East and will have at least one conference title by 2018.
It's rising sophomore Brice Ramsey's to lose, and I don't think he will lose it.
He completed 24 of his 39 passes for 333 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions last year. He looked great in mop-up duty against Kentucky, going 5-of-5 for 80 yards and a touchdown in the 63-31 win, and wasn't bad in a pinch for injured starter Hutson Mason in the 37-14 Belk Bowl win over Louisville.
Ramsey has the arm strength to be successful in Athens, and as long as he progresses with the starters this offseason, I imagine he'll be the guy for new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Rising junior Faton Bauta is more of a dual threat than Ramsey, which doesn't really fit what Schottenheiemer will want to do, and rising redshirt freshman Jacob Park has no game experience.
With the top two receivers gone, Ramsey's experience will be too much for Schottenheimer to pass up.
I wasn't a fan of the Schottenheimer hire when it was announced. After all, he really hasn't had much success as a coordinator at the NFL level. Yes, some of his quarterbacks have been less than stellar, but it's not like he has a known commodity at Georgia, either.
Ramsey is his best bet, and I think he'll be Georgia's starting quarterback when toe meets leather vs. Louisiana-Monroe.
Trying to figure out where 5-star defensive tackle prospect Daylon Mack will be attending college is like trying to spot a unicorn—I'm not sure it's possible.
The former Texas A&M commit backed out of his pledge to the Aggies in December, only to name TCU and LSU finalists. When former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis moved to College Station, Texas A&M appeared to be back in the sweepstakes. After a visit to Austin last weekend, it appears that Texas has now joined the party as a finalist, along with Texas A&M and TCU.
If I had to place a bet on Mack, I'd stick with Texas A&M, not Texas—despite this rather cryptic tweet on Tuesday from Mack himself.
The 6'0", 320-pound monster would likely contribute from day one with the Aggies and get the benefit of playing for Chavis, who has made a name for himself by producing top-tier defensive line talent on a regular basis.
Is he playing games? No. I think Mack is actively looking around and trying to figure out where he's going, but in the end, it will be with the program he gave his pledge to in October of 2013.
But I guess more importantly, if I could find a place to take a bet on where where Mack goes, I'd probably just put that money back in my pocket and go play craps.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
