Florida Football: 5 candidates to replace Jim McElwain as head coach

Florida football fired Jim McElwain as their head coach on Sunday. Who might the Gators land as McElwain’s replacement moving forward?

Despite going 19-8 and winning two SEC East titles in his first two seasons as the head coach of the Florida Gators, Jim McElwain never seemed to gain the trust of the program. Even before the turmoil surrounding the alleged death threats issued to McElwain’s staff, there were rumblings that this could be his last year in Gainesville.

On Sunday morning, the Gators made it official as they let the third-year coach go. After hitting and missing on Will Muschamp, Florida must now renew its coaching search yet again. As one of the premier programs in the country, the Gators could get a jump on the competition and take their time finding the right fit to move things forward.

In recent hires, Florida has tried several avenues. With McElwain, the Gators tried to reprise the home-run hire that they had landed from the mid-major ranks when Urban Meyer came to Gainesville from Utah. They have also tried to land hot commodities at coordinator with the selection of both Ron Zook and Will Muschamp.

The results have been mixed. Who, then, might they choose to target in their current coaching search? Keep reading for five candidates the Gators could target to take over the program.