Meet the New Florida Head Coach, Jim McElwain

The head coaches at college football's most notable programs are household names, but they didn't all start out that way.

Jim McElwain isn't exactly a known quantity to the casual fan, but now that he's been hired by Florida, he'll soon become one. The school made the hire official on Thursday, via Twitter:

McElwain, 52, has been in coaching for nearly 30 years, but he has only been a head coach the past three seasons with Colorado State. His journey from a graduate assistant at Eastern Washington to the man in charge of one of the most high-profile programs in the country has been an interesting one.

Here's what you need to know about McElwain.

Ties to the South

Not just any coach can come into the SEC and succeed. Most who have done so in the past have had ties to the region either as players or coaches.

McElwain spent four years as Nick Saban's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama, from 2008-2011, before landing the Colorado State job. His first FBS gig was also in the region, spending three seasons (2000-02) at Louisville on John L. Smith's staff before following him to Michigan State.

Though he's been far from the South the past three years, McElwain has still been able to recruit in the area. His top two prospects from the 2014 class came from Texas and Florida, and three of the seven players Colorado State has commitments from for 2015 are from those states.

Extensive Offensive Background

Colorado State ranks 13th nationally in total offense, averaging 497.8 yards per game. McElwain's Rams have a balanced attack, with 33 passing touchdowns and 24 rushing scores.

CSU was 24th in total offense a year ago, a leap from 102nd in McElwain's first season at Fort Collins in 2012.

A former quarterback in college, McElwain was responsible for getting first-year starting quarterbacks Greg McElroy (2009) and AJ McCarron (2011) up to speed at Alabama. In both seasons, the Crimson Tide won national titles.

"(McElwain) was an unbelievable coach for me, not only as a player, but as a person," McCarron told Tom Kensler of The Denver Post in September 2013, before Colorado State visited Alabama during McCarron's senior year. "He just taught me a lot about life, how to act, what to do, what not to do. He means the world to me."

McElwain's strong relationship with his players contributed to former Alabama player Dee Hart's transfer to Colorado State after he graduated in the summer. Hart has rushed for 1,254 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.

A Quick Fixer-Upper

When McElwain accepted the Colorado State job in December 2011, he inherited a program that was in a prolonged funk. The Rams had gone 3-9 that season, their third consecutive such record under Steve Fairchild, and they'd had just one plus-.500 record dating back to 2004.

The first season saw minor improvement to 4-8 but did include an important season-opening win over rival Colorado. The win total doubled in 2012, with the Rams going 8-6 and winning the New Mexico Bowl over Washington State with an epic comeback.

This year, CSU went 10-2, winning nine straight at one point with wins over Colorado and Boston College. It was the school's first 10-win output since 2002.

"In only his third year as a head coach, Jim McElwain already is developing a reputation for being a program changer," wrote Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun.

He's a Star-Maker

McElwain's portfolio of coaching success includes mentoring not just Alabama's great quarterbacks but also overseeing the development of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Doak Walker Award winner Trent Richardson while with the Crimson Tide.

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Before that, when he worked primarily as a receivers coach in earlier jobs, he developed some studs. That included Deion Branch at Louisville, Chip Hobbs at Montana State and Tony Brooks at Eastern Washington, McElwain's alma mater. Hobbs and Brooks were their schools' all-time leading receivers when they graduated, and Branch went on to win a Super Bowl MVP with the New England Patriots.

McElwain also worked closely with Julio Jones at Alabama, and his best one yet might be playing on Sundays after another season at Colorado State. Sophomore Rashard Higgins, whom he plucked out of Texas, leads the FBS in yards (1,640) and touchdowns (17).

Social Media Savvy

McElwain's Twitter account at Colorado State doesn't have nearly as many followers as outgoing Florida coach Will Muschamp's, but the new Gators head man does have the edge in one area: tweet frequency.

Since joining in December 2011, McElwain has tweeted more than 1,000 times, most recently on Nov. 30 when he wished daughter Hanna a happy birthday. Muschamp, who was on Twitter since 2010, has only 530 tweets, and the last two were just to announce captains for the upcoming game. He didn't do so for his coaching finale last week at Florida State, however.

Commending a former Tennessee Volunteer might not go over well with Gator Nation, but at least it shows that McElwain appreciates greatness.

Strong Community Ties

While McElwain has been building a mid-major power on the field at Colorado State, he's still made sure to take time to connect with the community.

For the past two years, nine-year-old Jack Miller, from the Denver suburb of Louisville, has been the Rams' unofficial team leader as an honorary member.

Miller has had multiple surgeries to combat a heart defect and brain tumors, but throughout those ordeals he's remained a devoted Colorado State fan. McElwain and his players adopted Miller through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, and since 2013 Miller has been at nearly every home game, often meeting the team afterwards.  

McElwain isn't the first new coach hired this offseason, but he's by far the most significant one.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.