Jim McElwain Got a Needless $750K Raise, But College Athletics Can't Afford To Pay Players
By Ty Duffy
Florida announced Jim McElwain was receiving a $750,000 raise. He’s now the highest paid head coach in the SEC East. This development begs a simple question. Why?
The Gators did go 10-4, surpassing expectations. They won the SEC East. But, that tally included one score wins against East Carolina (5-7), Kentucky (5-7), Vanderbilt (4-8), and Florida Atlantic (2-9) in overtime. After that last win McElwain likened his team to dead fish.
Florida closed with three-straight losses to Florida State, Alabama, and Michigan. Their offense (14 pts) nearly got outscored by the defense/special teams (9 pts) in those games. The great Gator defense was inherited for Will Muschamp.
We’re not saying McElwain isn’t a good coach or that Florida fans should not be encouraged. But, why exactly is McElwain getting a 20 percent raise after one year? Were NFL teams circling? Was there another school looking to poach McElwain from Florida? It’s not clear the market value for McElwain rose significantly.
Did Florida just have money lying around? This is one year after the Gators paid $15 million just to fire Will Muschamp and to bring in McElwain. Was McElwain’s paltry $3.5 million salary hurting Florida in recruiting?
Remember this the next time major athletic departments cry poverty. McElwain’s needless pat on the back from the Florida AD would have been enough to pay Florida’s scholarship football players $8,800 per person.