Florida Football: Benching Feleipe Franks is a colossal mistake

3. McElwain needs to play the long game

McElwain’s seat isn’t all that hot yet. The aforementioned Butch Jones is in trouble and SEC West counterparts Bret Bielema and Kevin Sumlin are in infinitely more danger than McElwain. He has some wiggle room. The Gators aren’t at the point where it’s time to punt on 2016 altogether and look ahead, but they need to be smarter than this when it comes to their roster.

Feleipe Franks is a redshirt freshman. Del Rio is a redshirt junior. Zaire is a graduate transfer. None of those three are transcendent players right now, but take a second and do the math. Franks is going to be around for a lot longer than both of those upperclassmen. Unless one of them is a massive step up from the youngster why would you not develop Franks when you have the chance?

If Florida fails to win the SEC East this year, McElwain’s job might be in question in 2018. With Georgia absolutely crushing Mississippi State and edging a solid Notre Dame team on the road, it’s sure looking like the Bulldogs will be the favorite to represent the East in Atlanta.

This is the year for the Gators to work out the kinks and develop offensive consistency. Even Sumlin, who’s not coming back in 2018 barring a massive turnaround in College Station, has chosen to stick with freshman Kellen Mond over a serviceable veteran in Jake Hubenak. Talent is talent and McElwain can’t alter that. But he can give his younger players the best chance to succeed in the future.

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Benching Feleipe Franks isn’t just a bad decision that will hurt the Gators right now, it could cost McElwain his job down the line. He needs to come to his sense and reverse course before it’s too late.