Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain will be announced as the new head coach at Colorado State University in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. McElwain replaced Major Applewhite as the Crimson Tide’s offensive play caller in 2008 and has won 47 games in his four years in Tuscaloosa, more than any other coordinator in school history.

Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain has led UA's offense to two national championship games with first year quarterbacks.

According to a report by ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach, McElwain will earn a $1.5 million salary at CSU, but will stay on at Alabama through the BCS National Championship Game on January 9, 2012.

While not many knew who McElwain was when he came to Tuscaloosa, the Montana native has provided consistent offensive production, ranking in the top four of each major offensive categories in his four years at the Capstone.

McElwain’s shining moment at Alabama (baring a large offensive performance on January 9) will be his game plan in the 2009 Southeastern Conference Championship Game in which he exposed what was at the time considered by many to be the top defense in the nation. The Crimson Tide put up nearly 500 yards of total offense, while scoring 32 points against the top-ranked Gators in that game and achieved the majority of that in the first three quarters of play.

Head coach Nick Saban will have a tough task in finding a replacement for McElwain, in what will probably be a national search. While some may point to former Virginia offensive coordinator Mike Groh, who currently serves as the Tide’s receivers coach and recruiter coordinator, to be McElwain’s successor an objective look at the situation indicates Saban will at least look elsewhere first. Remember, McElwain came out of no where in a national search when Saban was replacing Major Applewhite following the 2007 Independence Bowl, it would only make sense to repeat that process that served him so well.

 

by Chad Haynie, Sports Director – cwhaynie@ua.edu
(Photo Courtesy UA Athletics)