Jim McElwain Wouldn't Be a Sexy Hire, but He'd Do Great at Florida
Florida is undoubtedly one of the top programs in the country, and its coaching vacancy will certainly cause even the stablest candidates to at least listen to what athletic director Jeremy Foley has to offer.
Is that why Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze got his raise and extension to stay at Ole Miss? Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun reported on Monday night that the two sides never met and an offer was never extended.
Fair enough. But just because you don't propose doesn't mean you haven't flirted.
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With Freeze off the table, all eyes shift toward Fort Collins, Colorado, where third-year head coach Jim McElwain has his Colorado State Rams at 10-2. Until last week's loss at Air Force, they were in the mix to earn the "Group of Five" conferences automatic bid into one of the "New Year's Six" bowls.
A two-time national champion as offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008-2011, McElwain was mentioned by Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde as "a leading candidate" for Florida on Sunday.
ESPN's Brett McMurphy took the talk to the next level on Tuesday, when he reported that McElwain is Florida's top candidate:
With names like Freeze, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and others being thrown around, McElwain landing the job would probably be like ordering a filet mignon at a 5-star steakhouse and getting a half-eaten veggie burger instead.
It shouldn't happen.
McElwain would be a tremendous hire for Foley and checks off all the boxes Florida needs from its new head coach, as Bleacher Report national college football columnist Ray Glier points out:
Offensive-minded?
No doubt.
McElwain's Colorado State offense moved from ninth in the Mountain West in total yards in 2012 (339.0 yards per game) to fifth in 2013 (471.6) to second this year (497.8). When he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama, he produced an offense that finished in the top four in the conference in passing efficiency in each of his four seasons.
A consistent, effective passing game? Seeing one of those from the orange and blue in "The Swamp" would be like seeing the college football version of Sasquatch.
A proven head coach?
Yep, McElwain checks off that box too.
No, it's not at a traditional football power like Oklahoma or even an up-and-coming program in a tough conference like Ole Miss. But McElwain took a team that was 3-9 and 1-6 in the Mountain West in the year prior to his arrival, and built the Rams into a power.
They've won 18 games over the last two seasons, finished above .500 in the Mountain West and have played a big part in the effort to build a new on-campus stadium.
| 2009 | 3-9 | 0-8 |
| 2010 | 3-9 | 2-6 |
| 2011 | 3-9 | 1-6 |
| 2012 | 4-8 | 3-5 |
| 2013 | 8-6 | 5-3 |
| 2014 | 10-2 | 6-2 |
A proven head coach who wins on the field and off it? What's not to like?
SEC experience?
Two national titles at Alabama operating under the Nick Saban—the unquestioned best coach in the country—will do nicely for both program and recruiting prestige.
McElwain is credited for recruiting several Alabama stars over the years, including former safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and former running back (and current Colorado State running back) Dee Hart—both of whom hail from Orlando, Florida.
He has experience coaching and recruiting in the SEC, and specifically recruiting in the state of Florida.
Jackpot.
The $7.5 million buyout that Forde mentioned might be a bit of an obstacle, but there's always room to negotiate or find creative ways to work around that if McElwain is the guy for Foley and Florida.
He would not the sexy hire, but he would be the right hire.
The latter, of course, is much more important.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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