Scott Stricklin takes shot at Jim McElwain while revealing his biggest regret as Florida's AD
Florida AD Scott Stricklin took over for longtime AD Jeremy Foley last year and one of his first big decisions involving the football program came this year, when he and the university parted ways with coach Jim McElwain.
Now, after hiring former Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, things seem to be trending up in Gainesville, but Mullen has his work cut out for him to turn the football team around.
At a panel with other ADs on Wednesday in New York, though, Stricklin was asked about his biggest regret from his first 100 days on the job, and in a not-so-veiled jab at McElwain, Stricklin mentioned that he shouldn’t have extended the coach’s contract:
Asked for biggest regrets of first 100 days at their current schools, Florida AD Scott Stricklin says extending a coach’s contract as a show of stability when he shouldn’t have.
Alabama AD Greg Byrne cracks he did the same but doesn’t regret it.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) December 6, 2017
Alabama AD Greg Byrne, obviously, doesn’t have that same regret, as signing Nick Saban to extensions is always a good idea.
Now that Mullen is leading the Gators, though, Stricklin probably hopes he doesn’t have to make another coaching change for a long time.