Is Florida better off entering Year 2 under Jim McElwain than at any point during the Will Muschamp era?

Just about every Gators fan old enough to do the chomp would say so.

Florida enters 2016 with questions, most notably and immediately at quarterback, the position that doomed the last quarter of last season. But the Gator also have All-SEC caliber pieces in other places, a quarterback of the future, and, in McElwain an offensive mind whose style of play will attract elite play-makers.

Bottom line: Florida survived the doom and gloom of Coach Boom and came out better than OK.

As such, the 2016 State of the Gators focuses more on McElwain’s first year in Gainesville than the situation he inherited.

On-field Performance

SEC standing: SEC East champion

Grade: A+

Florida was picked to finish fifth in the SEC East last season. That’s important to remember, and that’s the prism through which everything McElwain and the Gators accomplished must be viewed.

McElwain’s first order of business was to instill discipline in a team that committed 80 penalties for 710 yards in 2014, both totals the third-worst in the SEC.

He called out starting running back Kelvin Taylor early in the season for a selfish touchdown celebration that resulted in a penalty, reinforcing his team-first approach and setting a tone for expectations.

The kid’s father, incidentally, former Gators great Fred Taylor, had no problem with the message.

With Will Grier, the Gators delivered early, signature wins over Tennessee and Ole Miss, which was ranked No. 3 at the time. They rose to No. 8 in the AP Poll, their first Top 10 appearance since ending the 2012 season at No. 9.

Grier’s suspension altered the season’s arc and dimmed the lights on any playoff hopes the Gators might have entertained.

Still, they finished 10-4 and reached the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 2009.

Recruiting

SEC standing: Above average in the East

Grade: A

McElwain built the No. 13-ranked class in 2016, according to 247sports.com’s composite. That’s eight spots better than his quick-fix class of 2015.

McElwain admits has he to keep more Florida prospects away from Florida State. But he pulled in four in-state, four-star prospects, including his future quarterback, Feleipe Franks.

He also plugged the hole left by Kelvin Taylor’s early departure with a standout JUCO RB, Mark Thompson.

Chauncey Gardner, the No. 4 cornerback in the country, arrives just as Vernon Hargreaves III is leaving, and receivers Joshua Hammond and Freddie Swain add play-making potential in the passing game.

McElwain also pulled the nation’s No. 2-ranked defensive end, Antonneous Clayton, out of Georgia, and the No. 2-ranked receiver, Tyrie Cleveland, out of Houston, Texas.

And while it might not generate headlines, getting kicker Eddy Pineiro to flip from Alabama likely will generate points this fall.

Player development

SEC standing: N/A

Grade: Inc.

The new coaching staff can’t take credit for landing or developing projected NFL players such as Hargreaves and Jonathan Bullard.

But they did quickly decide on Grier as the starting quarterback and built a game plan to showcase his strengths. They did the same with Antonio Callaway, finding ways to get him the ball even after Grier’s suspension.

Callaway was a three-star prospect who became Florida’s primary offensive weapon. He’s somebody the Gators will build around in 2016.

We’ll see more clues this spring from transfer quarterback Luke Del Rio. If he isn’t ready, after a year in the system, that’s not necessarily a good sign.

Next year will provide even more answers as we can compare the improvement or regression of Jalen Tabor and Callaway, as well as how much farther along is Franks.

Facilities

SEC standing: Middle of SEC East

Grade: B

Everything is relative in the SEC. The Gators’ $15 million indoor practice facility, completed just before last season started, was the latest step in their quest to catch up with the SEC West.

This Florida Gators indoor practice facility is awesome! @CoachMcElwain bringin' some swag to Gville cc:@DChurchUF pic.twitter.com/AmAODPimRx — Gene Arnold (@realgenearnold) February 26, 2016

“We have a lot of great things to offer at the University of Florida,” McElwain told ESPN.com in 2015. “Now, are we at the top with the Taj Mahals with what’s going out there? No, but at the same time we’re making movements.”

Coaching

SEC standing: Best in the SEC East

Grade: A

McElwain is an established winner, so Year 1 wasn’t a fluke. Yes, Florida took advantage of a weak SEC East and a key injury to its primary threat, Georgia, but McElwain was masterful in steering the Gators through their myriad issues.

McElwain was a deserving SEC Coach of the Year winner. He perfectly managed the aftermath of the public Taylor sideline berating, found new ways to win after Grier’s suspension and then found a way to hold on and capture the SEC East while essentially playing a wide receiver at quarterback.

Florida lost its final three games, but given the opponents and how limited the offense was at that point, no coach in America could have done better.

Even the one 450 miles northwest in Tuscaloosa.

Already, McElwain has Florida in a much better place than where he found it.