Perhaps. Actually, probably not.
Both the Gators and the Cornhuskers are programs that should be able to hand pick their coaches. And that's if the very best candidate doesn't just fall right into their lap. Foley made a play for Hugh Freeze and then moved quickly on a guy that went 22-16 at Colorado State. That's in the Mountain West. His conference record was 14-10.
However, McElwain had shown improvement in each of his seasons; 2014 ended with a 10-2, 6-2 record. And ultimately that was enough to make Florida pay a ton of money to rid themselves of Will Muschamp, buyout McElwain's CSU contract, and then pay him an average of $3.5 million for six seasons.
So, are Florida fans excited to have McElwain, or are they still laying in an afterglow of not having to call Muschamp their head coach? That jury will be out for several months. But Muschamp leaves behind a talented team capable of competing for the 2015 SEC East championship. If McElwain can find an SEC-ready quarterback that is.
Nebraska's search was eerily similar to Florida's in that they too went after an up and coming SEC coach first, then quickly moved on option #2. When I asked the one Nebraska fan I know about the search, his response was "Who's Mike Riley?"
He wasn't joking. But in all fairness, Riley is a good coach. He's just not a great coach. Most amazing, he's not a great coach who is also 61 years old!!
So, back to my original question. Both Florida and Nebraska are comparable programs to Georgia. Do you think McGarity would've out-played Foley and Eichorst this week? Would the leadership in such a search to replace Mark Richt have opened up the coffers to reveal the mountains of fat stacks in the basement of Butts-Mehre? Although I understand the restlessness and the frustration, I have serious doubts UGA would've done better.
