New Florida Gators football coach, Jim McElwain, has a boatload of confidence. So much, in fact, that his introductory press conference included an assertion that he can win games with his dog playing quarterback.
"You got to understand this," he said (via CBS). "I believe I can win with my dog Claribelle. That's the attitude. There's good players here. That's just our responsibility to get that going."
McElwain, a former Alabama offensive coordinator and the head coach at Colorado State for the past two years, kept the canine theme running later in the conference.
"Here is who I am," he said. "I'm the dog they dropped off down at the Humane Society. He has a little bit of about every breed in him. Whatever the situation is, you try to bring that breed out that helps success."
The new coach explained his recruiting pitch at Florida, which won three national titles from 1996 to 2008.
"Number one, you got an opportunity to win a national championship," McElwain said. "But first and foremost, it's about what that is going to do for the rest of your life, what being a Gator is, then adjusting to that and understanding, look, we're here to make sure that your experience is going to do nothing but set you apart for the rest of your life. That's what it is to be a Gator."
Obviously, fans were pretty pumped about their new guy and athletic director Jeremy Foley was equally impressed.
"He has a proven track record on the offensive side of the ball, has coached in the SEC, won two national championships and has had success as a head coach," Foley said in a statement. "He has recruited the South and the state of Florida ... [and] has an engaging personality."
