Florida Gators Football: A Closer Look at New Head Coach Jim McElwain

With the Florida Gators formally introducing Jim McElwain as its next head coach Saturday. it seems AD Jeremy Foley finally got his man. But just what do we know about him? We took a look at him topically before Will Muschamp was let go, including him in our list of 25 candidates. Let’s take a look at some of the success he’s had through the years.

McElwain, affectionately nicknamed “Mac”, is a 30-year coaching veteran. He got his coaching start in 1985 at his alma mater, Eastern Washington, where he started as a graduate assistant after playing quarterback and earning his bachelor’s degree the year before. McElwain managed to work his way up to the quarterbacks and receivers coach under head coach Dick Zornes. Under McElwain’s tutelage, Eagles’ WR Tony Brown set the EWU record for receiving yards with 2,969 and was named a Third-Team All-American. Eastern Washington also found it’s way to the Division I-AA playoffs in 1992 and 1995 and won the Big Sky Championship in 1992.

Coach Mac returned to his home state in 1995 when he took a position with Montana State as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks, and receivers coach. It was with the Bobcats the McElwain started showing his offensive genius. QB Rob Compson threw for over 7,000 career passing yards and school-record 54 TDs with McElwain calling the plays and WR Chip Hobbs became MSU’s all-time leading receiver, notching 144 receptions for 2,060 yards, and 18 touchdowns. He coached the Big Sky’s best offense in 1998, averaging 31.6 points per game.

Dec 6, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain is introduced during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In 2000, McElwain made the jump to Division I-A with the Louisville Cardinals. In his three years at the school, Mac coached the receivers and special teams, tutoring some impressive players. He coached three of the top 10 receivers in Louisville history in Arnold Jackson, Deion Branch, and Zek Parker, a group that earned seven All-Conference USA honors over his tenure. Jackson finished his U of L career holding the school and conference’s single season records with 101 receptions for 1,209 yards. He also finished as Division I-A’s all-time receptions record holder with 300. Branch played only two years at Louisville, but managed to rank sixth in career receptions with 143 and fourth in career receiving yards with 2,204. He had a prolific senior season, catching 72 passes for 1,188 yards, just 21-yards off of the C-USA record held by Jackson. Parker, on the other hand, did damage on special teams and receiver. The speedy Parker left Louisville as the school and C-USA’s record holder for kick return yardage with 2,558 and ranked sixth in career receiving yards with 1,804 and eighth in receptions at 128. The trio of Jackson, Branch, and Parker all were drafted by NFL teams with Branch being the most productive, earning the Super Bowl XXXIX MVP. The Cardinals had an incredible 2002, McElwain’s last at the school, Louisville’s offense put up 28.8 points per game, 226.5 passing yards per game, a 13.3 punt return average, and 22.0 yards on kick returns, all ranked third in Conference USA. His special teams also scored six touchdowns, four punt and two kick returns, and blocked 11 kicks, nine of them punts.

After three-years at Louisville, McElwain followed head coach John L. Smith to Michigan State where he added the title of assistant head coach to receivers and special teams coach. His first year in East Lansing was a banner year for the Spartans. The receiving corps set an MSU record with 312 receptions, 3,510 yards, and 21 touchdowns. Michigan State also excelled on special teams under Mac’s tutelage, leading the Big Ten in kickoff returns with an average of 23.7 yards and had the conference’s second ranked net punt and kick coverage units, with a 40.7 average and 16.3 average respectively. McElwain coached DeAndre Cobb, an All-American who led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the country with his 27.2 yards per kick return, with a NCAA record-tying three return TDs. He continued to have a positive impact on special teams in 2004 as he coached All-American punter Brandon Fields who led the NCAA in punting in 2004 with a 47.9 average. Kicker Dave Rayner’s 105 points led the conference in scoring, kicking an MSU record-tying 22 field goals, which ranked fourth in the nation. Mac’s tenure as offensive coordinator at Michigan State should prove that he likes to get a number of players involved in the passing game. In both 2004 and 2005, the Spartan’s receiving corps had five receivers that finished with over 20 catches and set a school-record for TD grabs, hauling in 24 in McElwain’s last season in East Lansing.

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The 2006 season saw McElwain jumping to an entirely new monster, the NFL. He became the Oakland Raiders quarterbacks coach under head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Shell. It was Mac’s responsibility to mentor Andrew Walter and Aaron Brooks. Walter and Brooks struggled, throwing just six touchdowns and 21 interceptions, but their struggles shouldn’t be put on McElwain. The Raiders had a dearth of talent, especially on offense in 2006. He only survived one season in Oakland, leaving with the rest of the coaches after a 2-14 season.

After his disappointing foray with the NFL, McElwain came back to the college ranks, signing on to be Fresno State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Bulldogs immediately showed improvement in Mac’s only season in The Valley. The offensive production improved from 338.2 yards per game to 419.5 yards, good enough for 38th in the country. Fresno State’s scoring output also increased from 23.0 points to 32.9 points, ranked 32nd in college football. In Mac’s only season, the Bulldogs went 9-4 with a win over Georgia Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Nick Saban lured McElwain away from the west coast to join Alabama in 2008. In his four years as offensive coordinator and QB coach with the Crimson Tide, Mac saw incredible individual and collective success. Alabama won the national championship two times during his tenure and he coached Heisman Trophy winner RB Mark Ingram and finalist RB Trent Richardson, as well as first round draft pick WR Julio Jones. McElwain also tutored QBs John Parker Wilson, Greg McElroy, and A.J. McCarron to impressive production. McElwain made an immediate impact on the Tide offense, raising its scoring average a full three points per game to 30.1 (jumping from a 64th ranking to 35th), in addition to improving Wilson’s passing efficiency from eighth in the SEC to fifth. Bama went on to go 12-2 that season, losing only to Florida in the SEC Championship and Utah in the Sugar Bowl.

The next season, McElwain had the task of coaching a new starting QB in McElroy. The results were spectacular. The Crimson Tide was one of the most balanced offenses during its national championship season in 2009 with McElroy ranking in the top third of the nation in passing efficiency at 140.6 and the rush offense racking up 215.1 yards per game behind the Heisman Trophy winner Ingram, good for 12th in the country. Alabama once again increased their point production, ranking 22nd in college football at 32.1 points per game. Mac’s offense set a then-school record with 5,462 yards from scrimmage.

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The 2010 Crimson Tide team bested that yards from scrimmage mark, gaining 5,773 yards and setting the school record in passing yards with 3,395 in one fewer game. Bama’s total yards per game production of 435.6 and total points scored of 464 ranked second in school history. McElroy continued to improve under McElwain’s tutelage, setting single-season Alabama records by completing 70.9 percent of his passes, tossing 20 TDs and 2,987 yards. He also proved to be very efficient, ranking fourth in the country in passing efficiency at 168.9. McElroy left Alabama with the second best single-season completion percentage in SEC History (70.9) and his 66.3 percent career completion percentage is third in conference history. He parlayed his success becoming a selection by the New York Jets in the 2011 NFL Draft. But it wasn’t just McElroy who was setting records. WR Julio Jones set the school mark for single-season receptions and receiving yards and he, Ingram, and Trent Richardson all ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in all-purpose yards.

McElwain had another challenge in tutoring first-year QB A.J. McCarron during the 2011 season. McCarron continued the trend of efficient QBs under McElwain, ranking 25th in passing efficiency at 147.3 and completing 66.8 percent of his passes, second in school history behind McElroy’s mark set the previous season. As a unit under Mac, Alabama’s offense ranked second in the SEC in total offense with 433.4 yards per game, including a conference leading 219.8 yards per game behind Heisman Trophy finalist Richardson. The Tide improved in scoring once again, raising their points per game average to 34.9. Bama rode this offensive balance to their second BCS Championship in three years.

Aug 29, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado State Rams head coach Jim McElwain reacts with the Centennial Cup following the win over the Colorado Buffaloes at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Following the 2011 regular season, McElwain parlayed his success at Alabama to a head coaching position with Colorado State. He inherited a team that went 3-9 the three previous seasons. Mac’s success wasn’t immediately seen in the win column with the Rams going 4-8, but the improvements on offense were monumental. Colorado State was incredibly efficient in the red zone, scoring on 87.5 percent of its trips. McElwain showed he could spread the ball around with 18 players scoring touchdowns in his debut season, even though 19 Rams earned their first career starts, eighth most in FBS. McElwain also despite his offensive focus, the defense wouldn’t be lacking. CSU ranked 27th in the nation in passing yards allowed at 203.2 yards per game. Maybe the thing that should make Gators fans most happy is Mac beat in-state rival Colorado in come-from-behind fashion for his first career win in his first career game as head coach.

Colorado State continued to improve in McElwain’s second season, doubling its win total from the season before, including a New Mexico Bowl win over Washington State.. The transformation continued as the Rams won at eight games for the first time since 2001 and its first bowl win since 2008. CSU had the second biggest turnaround in the FBS in scoring offense, going from 100th to 22nd, while total offense also jumped from 100th to 24th. Mac’s offense set Colorado State records for its 507 points scored and 470.8 total yards per game, as well as setting Rams marks with four games scoring more than 50 points and eight games with over 500 total yards. CSU was the only team in FBS to have a 3,500-plus yard passer in QB Garrett Grayson (3,696) and 1,500-plus yard rusher in RB Kapri Bibbs (1,741). Balance continued to be key for McElwain’s team, with the Rams ranking 27th in rushing and 30th in passing yard per game. McElwain helped C Weston Richburg and TE Crockett Gilmore be selected within the first 100 picks of the 2014 NFL Draft. Bibbs and 2013 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Shaquil Barrett also caught on NFL squad’s as undrafted free agents.

This past season saw even more improvement for Colorado State with the Rams tying a school-record with 10 regular season wins. CSU was even ranked as high as 21st in the AP Top 25 and USAToday Amway polls before losing on a last second field goal to rival Air Force, their first national ranking since 2003. McElwain helped the offense gain 497.8 yards of total offense per game, good for second in the Mountain West and 13th in the country. The Rams are also scoring 35.9 points per game. Colorado State showed incredible balance on the season, becoming the only team to have a QB throw for over 3,500 yards (Grayson, 3,779), a receiver catch of 1,000 yards (Biletnikoff finalist WR Rashard Higgins, 1,640), and a RB run for more than 1,000 yards (former Alabama and Florida native RB Dee Hart, 1,254). The Rams compiled over 400 yards 10 times, including four instances of over 500 total yards. CSU also showed the ability to convert on third down, ranking seventh in college football by converting 51.2 percent on third down. The impressive win total along with the offensive production led McElwain to win Mountain West Coach of the Year honors.

The more and more I look at McElwain’s success and numbers throughout the years, the more I think he’s absolutely the guy for the Gators and a homerun hire. He fits the criteria Foley laid out for the next Florida head coach and he’s charismatic and a straight-shooter to boot. Gator fans should be happy to see his incredible offensive balance and production throughout his 30 years of coaching. Florida should also be happy to see his teams have been impressive on special teams while still having defensive production. But maybe the most important thing for current state of Florida is his ability to mount a quick turnaround. Mac’s done incredible things at every stop along the way and I think that will continue as he leads the Gators back to national prominence.

Dec 6, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain wife, Karen McElwain and kids Johanna McElwain, Jerret McElwain, Elizabeth McElwain watch during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s give Mac and his family, wife Karen, two daughters Johanna and Elizabeth, and son Jerrett, a warm welcome to Gator Nation!

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