The fans have spoken.
Well, sort of.
According to a Gatorsports.com poll as of Tuesday morning, 80 percent of fans want to see Florida hire a new coach from outside the program, while 20 percent would like to see the Gators promote either John Pelphrey or Anthony Grant to replace Billy Donovan.
Ultimately, the decision will come down to Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley and his group of internal advisers. But the numbers reflect that either Pelphrey or Grant would be a tough sell to Gator Nation.
Pelphrey’s resume includes two NCAA Tournament appearances in nine seasons at South Alabama and Arkansas. But at Arkansas, Pelphrey went just 69-59 with one NCAA Tournament and had a losing record in the SEC (25-29).
Grant’s resume is similar, with two NCAA Tournament appearances in nine seasons with VCU and Alabama. He was fired at Alabama after going 117-85 overall and 54-49 in SEC play with one NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons.
Hiring either Grant or Pelphrey would be a nod to stability and keeping UF’s ninth-ranked 2015 class together. Grant and Pelphrey, both long-time assistants under Donovan, also share similar philosophies on style of play.
Possible candidates outside the program to replace Donovan include Dayton’s Archie Miller, Xavier’s Chris Mack, Louisiana Tech’s Mike White, Minnesota’s Richard Pitino, Providence’s Ed Cooley and Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew. Villnaova coach Jay Wright and Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall are considered longshot candidates and both would require large salaries to leave their current job for Gainesville. Wright is making $2.3 million per year at Villanova, while Marshall just signed an extension at Wichita State worth a reported $3.1 million per season.
