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

Dino Babers has worked his magic over the past few years at Syracuse, turning the Orange into a regular spoiler in the ACC ranks. He has followed the pattern established by Urban Meyer before he came to Florida, and would fit the bill of looking for a coach that can turn around the offensive fortunes of the Gators.

Syracuse is the third stop for Babers in his head coaching career. He worked for nearly a quarter-century as a position coach at schools all across the country before finally landing his chance to lead a program at FCS Eastern Illinois. In his two seasons with the Panthers, Babers led the Ohio Valley Conference powerhouse to the FCS playoffs in both 2012 and 2013.

That success landed him a chance in the FBS ranks with Bowling Green, where Meyer also first made his name, and the MAC has historically been a cradle of coaches. He won the MAC East both seasons with the Falcons, and claimed the conference title in 2015 in a 34-14 blowout of Northern Illinois. Babers parlayed that success into a Power Five gig with with Syracuse, and he continues to impress despite playing against better competition.

Last year, Syracuse went just 4-8, the first time Babers posted a losing record as a head coach. But the Orange pulled off a massive upset of Virginia Tech in 2016, and this year Syracuse is on path to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2013. They took down defending national champion Clemson, and his work playing up to the competition could get Babers a look from the Florida brass.