We're still an unproven commodity, and unless some basic, fundamental things about playing football were fixed in the off-season, Mr. McElroy could be right.
Last year's Bulldogs team were just a few bad breaks away from having an 10+ win season. Three of those losses were within three points (two of them were one point losses), and the game against the Gators was still a winnable one. I suspect that they'll be even better this year, with both coordinators returning, and having a year's experience under their belts with this team. That, plus Jacob Eason did a pretty good job as a freshman last year.
That being said, getting rid of Brian Van Gorder and replacing him with someone else was one of the critical things that needed to happen. I have every reason to believe that Mike Elko will produce at least a serviceable defense, and that he won't be constantly trying to squeeze square pegs in round holes. That, all by itself, should be enough to make Mr. McElroy's prediction less likely to happen.