Florida LB: Jim McElwain killed team's mood before last year's Georgia game

A year ago, uncertainty surrounded the Florida football program.

In his regular Monday game week press conference, Jim McElwain made comments about players and coaches receiving “death threats” related to UF’s poor play. When he failed to provide proof to his superiors in the athletic department, the wheels began to turn on negotiating McElwain’s buyout with the possibility of firing him for cause on the table.

As it turned out, McElwain would coach the Florida-Georgia game despite the uncertainty surrounding his future with the team. The Friday before the game, multiple reports suggested it would be his last game as coach of the Gators regardless of the outcome on the field.

Needless to say, the uncertainty on McElwain’s future was a massive distraction to the team which was somehow expected to practice as normal to face a Georgia squad that would go on to win the SEC and play for the College Football Playoff championship.

Monday, Florida LB Rayshad Jackson shared some insight into how the team handled everything that week. On the day of the Georgia game, McElwain managed to make things worse, according to Jackson, when he spoke to the team before the pre-game meal.

#Gators LB Rayshad Jackson said McElwain addressed the team before the pre-game meal, told team he thought he was being fired and that “made it worse…the way he was talking about it, it was like he was getting fired.”

— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall_) October 22, 2018

Georgia won the game 42-7.