Florida’s Jim McElwain gets raise to nearly $4.5 million per year, extension through 2022

Florida Gators football coach Jim McElwain has agreed to a raise and contract extension running through the 2022 season that raises the value of his contract to nearly $4.5 million annually, Florida announced Friday in conjunction with an announcement of a raise and extension for men’s basketball coach Mike White.

"Both Coach Mac and Coach White have done a phenomenal job of leading our programs and we are looking forward to having them lead the Gators for years to come," said (Florida athletic director Scott) Stricklin. "As much as both have won games and provided a lot of great memories for our fans and stability for the programs they leads, they have both had a huge impact on the development and personal growth of the athletes they coach."

McElwain’s new contract is set to pay him $26.9 million over the next six years, for an average annual valuation of just over $4.48 million per year.

McElwain’s raise is the second of his time at Florida, following one announced in March 2016 that upped his potential total annual compensation to $4.25 million per year, including bonuses. McElwain’s original contract with Florida, signed in December 2014, was a six-year deal that averaged $3.5 million in total compensation annually.

This is McElwain’s first contract extension since his arrival at Florida, however, and it follows that original pact in giving McElwain six full years of runway with the Gators — something that allows McElwain to say credibly to even 2019 recruits that he will be at Florida until the end of their collegiate careers.

After two SEC East titles in two seasons in Gainesville, McElwain arguably deserved this raise and extension. But the Gators are also yet to win more than 10 games under his watch, and seemingly face a sizable gap between SEC East championships and SEC titles, thanks to beatdowns administered by Alabama, the reigning colossus of the SEC West, in the last two SEC Championship Games.

Boosting McElwain’s salary to more than Dabo Swinney stood to make in 2016 with Clemson, then, suggests confidence from Stricklin and others that McElwain can bridge that gap, and have his Gators storm across it.