GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On Monday at SEC Football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., first-year Gators coach Jim McElwain will see some familiar faces from his four years as Alabama's offensive coordinator under Nick Saban.
And he'll see a lot more faces than he did a year ago in Las Vegas at the Mountain West Conference Media Days. No offense MWC, but the SEC knows how to pack 'em in for its annual summer showcase a 20-minute drive from league headquarters in downtown Birmingham.
While the Wynfrey Hotel doesn't have slot machines and blackjack tables like The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, McElwain has the type of personality that can win big in a packed ballroom of columnists, beat reporters and bloggers trying to get a better grasp of Florida's new head coach.
McElwain was hired in December to replace Will Muschamp, leaving Colorado State after three seasons to return to the SEC and take on the task or reviving the Gators, who are 11-13 the past two seasons and 3-6 in their last nine home games.
McElwain got the job done at Colorado State, going from 4-8 to 8-6 to 10-2 during his time in Fort Collins.
Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley and Gator Nation are hoping for a similar turnaround at The Swamp.
GatorZone.com colleague Chris Harry recently offered the 10 team moments that struck him most during the Gators' 2014-15 athletic season. Now it's my turn.
You probably have a good idea by now of what's No. 1 on my list:
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1 – FOOTBALL TURNOVER
You knew it was coming after Florida's disheartening 23-20 loss to South Carolina on Nov. 15 in front of a deflated home crowd.
The Gators had multiple chances to put the Gamecocks away for a third consecutive victory, but instead, several miscues and a costly blocked punt in the final minute led to a stunning loss.
It was only a matter of time before Muschamp, well-liked and respected for the way he ran the program, was relieved of his coaching duties at the end of the regular season.
The Gators rallied to win the Birmingham Bowl under interim head coach D.J. Durkin, but soon after, McElwain took control of the program and started to implement changes.
He hired an impressive coaching staff, highlighted by former University of Miami head coach Randy Shannon, a longtime recruiter of the Sunshine State. He hired additional staff members to build depth and knowledge behind the scenes.
A lot of unknowns remain about what kind of football team the Gators will have in McElwain's first season, but he's now calling the shots with a plan in place that produced results in his first stop as a head coach.
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2 – BILLY D GRADUATES
Nineteen seasons.
That's how long Billy Donovan was Florida's basketball coach. Donovan led the Gators to heights few believed possible during his stay in Gainesville, including back-to-back national titles in 2006 and '07.
He resigned April 30 to become head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, only a few weeks after becoming the second-youngest college coach behind Bobby Knight to win 500 career games.
Foley hired former Louisiana Tech coach Michael White to replace Donovan, and based on first impressions, White has all the tools to win.
The Gators appear in good hands.
Still, sure is going to be strange to not see Billy D at the O'Connell Center next season. Undoubtedly, there is already a place reserved for Donovan in the UF Athletics Hall of Fame.
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3 – FLORIDA SOFTBALL REPEATS
Coming off the most memorable season in school history thanks to one of the most unforgettable clutch performances in school history from pitcher Hannah Rogers, it was easy to imagine a Florida's softball team falling short of a second consecutive national title.
And then the postseason started and Lauren Haeger turned into the Babe Ruth of women's college softball.
Haeger, named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year on Thursday, hit and pitched the Gators to back-to-back national titles. She had plenty of help from her teammates, but Haeger was the dominant force.
How good was Haeger? She is up for an ESPY against LeBron James.
Yeah, that's pretty good.
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4 – DONOVAN WINS No. 500
The “Billy D” chants still ring fresh in the ears. The Rowdy Reptiles, after the Gators defeated Tennessee on Feb. 28 for Donovan's 500th career win, serenaded the Mayor of the O'Dome as he walked off the court.
No one knew at the time that it would be the next-to-last home game for Donovan as Florida's head coach. In hindsight, a perfect sendoff.
Dorian Finney-Smith scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the Gators played with passion and precision, never trailing in making sure Donovan reached the milestone in front of the home fans.
The Gators suffered through their first losing season in 17 years, but the most significant game of the season was a historic W.
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5 – GYMNASTICS THREE-PEATS, FAEHN SAYS GOODBYE
Rhonda Faehn knows how to make an exit.
In her 13th season as UF's gymnastics coach, Faehn built the Gators into the dominant program in the country by the time she decided to become Senior Vice President of USA Gymnastics.
Six days after the Gators won their third consecutive national title, Faehn announced she was resigning for a new career challenge.
She left following a job well done.
Behind the dynamic duo of Kytra Hunter and Bridget Sloan, the cornerstones of Florida's recent stretch of success, the Gators maintained their grip on the national title with another thrilling nail-bitter at the Super Six.
Auburn assistant Jenny Rowland was hired to replace Faehn.
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6 – MUSCHAMP GETS GAME BALL
Coming off a 42-13 home loss to Missouri that gave the boo birds plenty of ammunition, the Gators pulled into EverBank Field in Jacksonville as heavy underdogs against No. 9-ranked Georgia.
The game plan was simple: hand the ball off to running backs Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor, throw an occasional pass, and play bone-rattling defense.
A most unexpected mission accomplished: Florida 38, Georgia 20.
The Gators rushed for 445 yards as Taylor (197 yards) and Jones (192) exploded into the open time and time again. Even walk-on holder Michael McNeely ran 21 yards for a score on a fake field goal that really turned momentum Florida's way.
Afterward, in a crowded and joyous Gators locker room, an embattled Muschamp was presented a game ball for his first victory in the Florida-Georgia rivalry.
A rare Kodak moment in Muschamp's final two seasons.
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7 – GATORS KNOCK OUT NOLES
The UF-FSU rivalry took center stage in June at McKethan Stadium during the Gainesville Super Regional.
In the first meeting between the schools for a berth in the College World Series in a decade, the Gators swept the Seminoles by a combined score of 24-9.
In the series-clinching win, the Gators hit four home runs – two by freshman JJ Schwarz and one each from Harrison Bader and Richie Martin – to end FSU's season.
The Gators then did the same to Miami in the CWS, defeating the Hurricanes 15-3 and 10-2 in Omaha.
Florida was eliminated by eventual national champion Virginia, but for the fourth time in eight seasons under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, the Gators' season ended in the city you want it to.
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8 – UF MEN MAKE SEC SPLASH
The Florida men's swimming team ended Auburn's 16-year streak of conference titles in 2013.
The Gators now have a streak of their own.
The UF men's team won its third consecutive SEC title in February behind championship performances from freshman Caeleb Dressel (100-yard butterfly), sophomore Mitch D'Arrigo (500 free) and the 800 free relay team of Dan Wallace, Pawel Werner, Nicholas Alexiou and D'Arrigo.
The Gators celebrated with their favorite tradition – everyone jumping into the pool. Head coach Gregg Troy included.
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9 – TRACKING TITLES
The Florida track program has become a title-winning machine under head coach Mike Holloway.
SEC championships. National championships. Indoor titles. Outdoor titles.
The UF men's team won the SEC Indoor title and then finished the season off with the SEC Outdoor title in 2015, running away from runners-up Texas A&M and Arkansas to claim its first outdoor league title in five years.
The Gators won their fifth SEC Outdoor championship in school history by winning six titles, including triple-jump and long-jump crowns for senior Marquis Dendy.
Eddie Garcia (10,000 meters), Dedric Dukes (200 meters), Stipe Zunic (shot put) and the 4x400 relay team of Dukes, Nick Uruburu, Gino Hall and Najee Glass, also won.
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10 – MEETING OF (COACHING) MINDS
My final team moment of this past season is one that took place away from the TV cameras and happened in a small conference room rather than a stadium or ballpark.
Gators soccer coach Becky Burleigh invited me to attend a collaborative meeting that UF's head coaches started holding monthly last year.
As many as 14 of UF's head coaches have shown up at a single meeting.
They basically talk shop, everything from ways to motivate to the latest trends in their respective sports. Brett Ledbetter, a former basketball player at Idaho and now lead instructor for the St. Louis-based Ledbetter Academy, starts the discussion and then allows it to go wherever the coaches take it.
Foley often discusses the unique teamwork that exists between Florida's head coaches. That's not the case at a lot of programs. But after observing and listening to the coaches at one of the meetings, it's real at UF.
