Gators coach Jim McElwain during a live hit with Elle Duncan and Jay Crawford during a Tuesday morning SportsCenter broadcast.
Coach Mac's 'Car Wash' Wrap
Tuesday, July 19, 2016 | Football, Chris Harry
A look at Coach Jim McElwain's day at ESPN
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Jim McElwain, no doubt, was exhausted by the time he got home Tuesday night. That's what a cleaning at ESPN studios can do to a college football coach.
Cleaning, as in the "Car Wash."
It's the name given for circuit the self-proclaimed worldwide leader puts sports figures and celebrities through when brought to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., and bounced from one interview to another for both live and taped broadcasts for their television and radio shows. Sure, it's a lot of answering the same questions, but it's also part of the deal. McElwain, in his first season leading the Florida Gators, made the trek last year. And he was one of seven Southeastern Conference coaches on the league's Day 2 docket.
So, check out a day in the life of a "Car Wash coach."
6 a.m.
The UF traveling party departed Gainesville via private jet bound for a stop in Teterboro, N.J.
8:10 a.m.
Arrived Teterboro, where junior cornerback Jalen Tabor (accompanied by FloridaGators.com senior writer Scott Carter and assistant communications director Will Pantages) hopped off the plane and headed for New York City for some national media opportunities.
8:30 a.m.
Departed Teterboro for Oxford, Conn.
8:50 a.m.
Arrived Oxford, headed for Bristol … minus socks, of course.
9:30 a.m.
Arrived ESPN Studios, along with fellow SEC coaches Nick Saban (Alabama), Bret Bielema (Arkansas), Mark Stoops (Kentucky), Hugh Freeze (Ole Miss), Barry Odom (Missouri) and Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M).
10:15 a.m.
Met with ESPN college football reporter Chris Lowe.
10:30 a.m.
Met with ESPN college football reporters Ed Aschoff and David Ching.
10:45 a.m.
Met with ESPN college football reporter Travis Haney.
11 a.m.
Taped "College Football Live" segment with Rece Davis (for airing later in the afternoon).
11:20 a.m.
Did live segment on SportsCenter with co-anchors Elle Duncan and Jay Crawford. Got hit early with questions on freshman wide receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells, who were arrested over the weekend for firing BB guns in their dormitory. McElwain's response was consistent with other times he's dealt with discipline issues. "We have freedom of choice, [but] what we don't have is freedom of consequences based on our actions," he said. "Our guys know they're going to be dealt with." When the subject turned to football, the first question lobbed his way had to do with replacing three defensive stars, to which McElwain corrected/clarified, "Seven draft picks," including a pair of first-rounders in cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and safety Keanu Neal. "Depth," he said, "is something we constantly have to work on on that side of the ball." His answer to the quarterback situations and the two leading candidates — Luke Del Rio and Purdue transfer Austin Appleby — immediately became an answer about all four guys in the meeting room. Again, predictable given his track record. McElwain is not ready to anoint a starting QB. And when shown the viral rap video "Whose Got It Better Than Us," with Bailey and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, McElwain was asked which rap star he'd chose to make one with. "Probably 50 Cent." The social media response followed.
Watch segment below.
11:35 a.m.
Taped interview with radio host Freddie Coleman (for airing later Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, sometime between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.)
11:55 a.m.
Met with SEC Network officials.
12:20 p.m.
Met with college football reporter and "Championship Drive" podcast co-host Adam Rittenberg.
12:35 p.m.
Met with college football reporter Brett McMurphy.
12:45 p.m.
Showed off his trick-shot skills at the coaches' Cornhole Challenge.
1 p.m.
Met with ESPN Digital officials and reporter Phil Murphy.
1:15 p.m.
Did live segment on ESPNU with anchor Brendan Fitzgerald.
1:30-2:20 p.m.
Stopped into the marketing and images departments for some house-cleaning. Meanwhile, a sound byte of McElwain giving his thoughts on his former boss, Saban, appeared during the 30-minute airing of "College Football Live," which did basically an entire show with Saban in the studio.
2:30 p.m.
Interviewed with SAS Radio, hosted by Linda Cohn and Keyshawn Johnson.
2:50 p.m.
Interviewed with senior writer Ivan Maisel for his "Championship Drive" podcast. Here's the link.
3:05 p.m.
Did a segment with Jorge Sedano and Israel Gutierrez for their "Jorge & Izzy" Show, which can be heard at this link.
3:15 p.m.
Did a live segment on "The Paul Finebaum Show" (radio only) for syndicated stations. Guess what the first question focused on. "You have two young guys who made some bad choices," McElwain said after another inquiry about Cleveland and Wells, "and I spend a day at ESPN talking about that rather than the fact we were SEC East champions, that we got a lot of great things going on, have a lot of great recruiting going on, and the Florida Gators are excited to get back on the field." McElwain mentioned how the public, in general, seems more preoccupied with people's misfortunes rather than accomplishments. Eventually, the conversation turned to the tragic events in our country over the last week. McElwain praised Athletic Director Jeremy Foley for signing off on the program's emphasis on mental conditioning and player development. "It's not a line item a lot of people have in their budget, but it's OK to go buy a new weight machine. You can touch it. It's tangible," he said. "Yet, the most important thing about how we go about our daily life is the intangible way and how we think."
3:40 p.m.
Departed ESPN headquarters for Waterbury-Oxford Airport.
4:30 p.m.
Flight from Oxford to Teterboro departed.
5:05 p.m.
Arrived Teterboro to pick up Tabor and his party.
6 p.m.
Departed Teterboro for flight to Gainesville.
8 p.m.
Arrived in Gainesville.
Cleaning, as in the "Car Wash."
It's the name given for circuit the self-proclaimed worldwide leader puts sports figures and celebrities through when brought to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., and bounced from one interview to another for both live and taped broadcasts for their television and radio shows. Sure, it's a lot of answering the same questions, but it's also part of the deal. McElwain, in his first season leading the Florida Gators, made the trek last year. And he was one of seven Southeastern Conference coaches on the league's Day 2 docket.
So, check out a day in the life of a "Car Wash coach."
6 a.m.
The UF traveling party departed Gainesville via private jet bound for a stop in Teterboro, N.J.
We will see you soon, @CoachMcElwain! #TaborTakesNYC #GoGators pic.twitter.com/VdwEIkQgb0
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 19, 2016
8:10 a.m.
Arrived Teterboro, where junior cornerback Jalen Tabor (accompanied by FloridaGators.com senior writer Scott Carter and assistant communications director Will Pantages) hopped off the plane and headed for New York City for some national media opportunities.
Just landed in NYC and sending @_31Flavorz on his way. Go make us proud, my man! #GoGators https://t.co/yoVcB8ays6
— Jim McElwain (@CoachMcElwain) July 19, 2016
Proud To Be Representing The Gator Brand In NYC https://t.co/x3sy9MNss9
— Jalen Tabor (@_31Flavorz) July 19, 2016
#TaborTakesNYC pic.twitter.com/kJyZALHwSb
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 19, 2016
8:30 a.m.
Departed Teterboro for Oxford, Conn.
8:50 a.m.
Arrived Oxford, headed for Bristol … minus socks, of course.
9:30 a.m.
Arrived ESPN Studios, along with fellow SEC coaches Nick Saban (Alabama), Bret Bielema (Arkansas), Mark Stoops (Kentucky), Hugh Freeze (Ole Miss), Barry Odom (Missouri) and Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M).
We have arrived in Bristol straight to the old school sign for @CoachMcElwain pic.twitter.com/zN2lTwZeuL
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 19, 2016
10:15 a.m.
Met with ESPN college football reporter Chris Lowe.
10:30 a.m.
Met with ESPN college football reporters Ed Aschoff and David Ching.
10:45 a.m.
Met with ESPN college football reporter Travis Haney.
11 a.m.
Taped "College Football Live" segment with Rece Davis (for airing later in the afternoon).
11:20 a.m.
Did live segment on SportsCenter with co-anchors Elle Duncan and Jay Crawford. Got hit early with questions on freshman wide receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells, who were arrested over the weekend for firing BB guns in their dormitory. McElwain's response was consistent with other times he's dealt with discipline issues. "We have freedom of choice, [but] what we don't have is freedom of consequences based on our actions," he said. "Our guys know they're going to be dealt with." When the subject turned to football, the first question lobbed his way had to do with replacing three defensive stars, to which McElwain corrected/clarified, "Seven draft picks," including a pair of first-rounders in cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and safety Keanu Neal. "Depth," he said, "is something we constantly have to work on on that side of the ball." His answer to the quarterback situations and the two leading candidates — Luke Del Rio and Purdue transfer Austin Appleby — immediately became an answer about all four guys in the meeting room. Again, predictable given his track record. McElwain is not ready to anoint a starting QB. And when shown the viral rap video "Whose Got It Better Than Us," with Bailey and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, McElwain was asked which rap star he'd chose to make one with. "Probably 50 Cent." The social media response followed.
It's your move, @50cent. #Gators
— Fernando Juncadella (@FJuncadella) July 19, 2016
Watch segment below.
11:35 a.m.
Taped interview with radio host Freddie Coleman (for airing later Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, sometime between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.)
11:55 a.m.
Met with SEC Network officials.
12:20 p.m.
Met with college football reporter and "Championship Drive" podcast co-host Adam Rittenberg.
12:35 p.m.
Met with college football reporter Brett McMurphy.
12:45 p.m.
Showed off his trick-shot skills at the coaches' Cornhole Challenge.
1 p.m.
Met with ESPN Digital officials and reporter Phil Murphy.
1:15 p.m.
Did live segment on ESPNU with anchor Brendan Fitzgerald.
1:30-2:20 p.m.
Stopped into the marketing and images departments for some house-cleaning. Meanwhile, a sound byte of McElwain giving his thoughts on his former boss, Saban, appeared during the 30-minute airing of "College Football Live," which did basically an entire show with Saban in the studio.
2:30 p.m.
Interviewed with SAS Radio, hosted by Linda Cohn and Keyshawn Johnson.
2:50 p.m.
Interviewed with senior writer Ivan Maisel for his "Championship Drive" podcast. Here's the link.
3:05 p.m.
Did a segment with Jorge Sedano and Israel Gutierrez for their "Jorge & Izzy" Show, which can be heard at this link.
3:15 p.m.
Did a live segment on "The Paul Finebaum Show" (radio only) for syndicated stations. Guess what the first question focused on. "You have two young guys who made some bad choices," McElwain said after another inquiry about Cleveland and Wells, "and I spend a day at ESPN talking about that rather than the fact we were SEC East champions, that we got a lot of great things going on, have a lot of great recruiting going on, and the Florida Gators are excited to get back on the field." McElwain mentioned how the public, in general, seems more preoccupied with people's misfortunes rather than accomplishments. Eventually, the conversation turned to the tragic events in our country over the last week. McElwain praised Athletic Director Jeremy Foley for signing off on the program's emphasis on mental conditioning and player development. "It's not a line item a lot of people have in their budget, but it's OK to go buy a new weight machine. You can touch it. It's tangible," he said. "Yet, the most important thing about how we go about our daily life is the intangible way and how we think."
3:40 p.m.
Departed ESPN headquarters for Waterbury-Oxford Airport.
Just wrapped up ESPN Carwash off to airport & pick up @_31Flavorz in NYC ( @GatorsScott & @WillPantages too!) pic.twitter.com/F7FAOFkWPo
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 19, 2016
4:30 p.m.
Flight from Oxford to Teterboro departed.
5:05 p.m.
Arrived Teterboro to pick up Tabor and his party.
6 p.m.
Departed Teterboro for flight to Gainesville.
8 p.m.
Arrived in Gainesville.
Back in Gainesville! thanks to @CoachMcElwain @_31Flavorz @GatorsScott @WillPantages for unique day #TaborTakesNYC pic.twitter.com/GlLhrCcEuX
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 20, 2016
Players Mentioned
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