Jim McElwain talks Florida Gators football, Eddy Pineiro’s 81-yard field goal

By Adam Silverstein
May 4, 2017
Jim McElwain talks Florida Gators football, Eddy Pineiro’s 81-yard field goal
Football

Image Credit: UAA/Tim Casey

Florida Gators head football coach Jim McElwain is in the midst of his annual spring speaking tour, and while the news coming out of those events is few and far between — Florida no longer allows the media to report on the contents of the actual speeches — McElwain has divulged a few nuggets over the last couple of weeks.

McElwain on Wednesday confirmed that a video circulating of redshirt junior kicker Eddy Pineiro booting an 81-yard field goal while wearing full pads in practice is legitimate. “I don’t know why it took so long to get out here, but it’s real. All right? There wasn’t any doctoring up the yard marker or whatever,” McElwain told Ryan Young of SEC Country while at the Polk County Gator Gathering.

Pineiro went 3-for-3 from 50+ yards during his first season with the Gators, which was also the first time in his career he actually played football. While he did not face a live rush in the video above, he will also never boot a field goal from that distance in a real game. But if Florida faces a tough decision from 58 yards out, perhaps McElwain will be more confident in pulling the trigger.

In other news …

Redshirt freshman quarterback Kyle Trask (knee) will be a full-go at the start of the Summer A session, McElwain confirmed at Lakeland Gator Gathering on Wednesday, via 247Sports. Redshirt junior Luke Del Rio, however, remains sidelined as he recovers from surgery to both of his shoulders.

McElwain said Florida has “kind of figured out what we’re doing” in regards to hiring a 10th on-field assistant coach, a measure the NCAA recently approved ahead of the 2018 season. While many schools may simply elevate a member of their support staffs, a program like Florida will likely take the open spot and fill it with another strong recruiter and position coach, likely from a different program. When you consider the proportion of coaches to players in college football compared to basketball, as an example, McElwain has contended that an additional on-field assistant was sorely needed.

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