Florida coach Jim McElwain joined 620 WDAE in Tampa on Monday morning to talk about his start at the program and how he's handling things. One area he touched on was his approach to hiring a staff, echoing many of the things GatorBait.net reported on Sunday (VIP).

The biggest news? McElwain is in no rush to hire a staff and very well may be waiting on bowls to finish and the NFL season to conclude to hire the guys he wants.

"You know, it's going really well. We're in the process of putting it together," McElwain said. "Obviously we've got guys that are currently in major bowl games that will probably jump on board and then some guys obviously that still have an NFL game or maybe even some playoff games left. We're being patient."

McElwain has learned from his own experiences and from speaking to other head coaches that making sure he has the right staff has to take precedence over hiring guys quickly for some minimal edge with the current recruiting class.

"The one thing, the piece of advice I've gotten from many head coaches over the years is make sure you get that staff right. Be patient," the new Florida coach said. "Make sure he checks all of the boxes with recruiting ties, with coaching ability, with like thinkers, guys that don't have separate agendas and aren't independent contractors.

"It's really about the family, because at the end of the day these kids are the reason we're here, and we've got to put everything we have in everything we do to help them be successful."

Florida has hired only one of nine assistants so far, bringing Mississippi State defensive coordinator Geoff Collins on in the same role. McElwain has yet to announce any retentions from the current coaching staff or other new hires.

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