McElwain-Saban Connection Comes Full Circle as They Meet in SEC Championship Game
Friday, December 4, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Once the deal was struck for Jim McElwain to become offensive coordinator at Alabama, it didn't take long for the veteran coach to realize working for Nick Saban was going to be eye opening.
Whatever questions McElwain had about the Crimson Tide's roster or Saban's offensive philosophy or anything football-related, those answers came quickly, as expected, from Saban and his coaching staff. The depth of Saban's approach to leadership is really what struck McElwain.
At the time, the McElwain family was one living on the move. Following a three-year stint at Michigan State that ended in 2005, McElwain landed in the NFL as Oakland's quarterbacks coach. When that gig ended after a 2-14 season, McElwain was hired as offensive coordinator at Fresno State in 2007.
The following year, when McElwain, his wife Karen and their three kids prepared for their first year as Alabama residents, they had a lot of questions about their latest adventure. Saban's deep support staff had all the answers.
The most family friendly areas to live? Check. A good place to buy a new suit? Done. Game-day traditions to be aware of? Covered.
Seemed whatever questions the McElwains had, Alabama had someone to call for the answer.
"There's a go-to person for everything. Each one had a purpose. Each one had a point of expertise in whatever that might be,'' McElwain said. "And it's not just the football X-and-O part. It isn't just about breaking down film. The amount of people [there] do a great job in what they do, but the specific areas they are responsible for and how well they do that job.
"The details to which that support staff executes the plan, the message and the vision is really something. They are good at what they do and they take pride in what they do. That really helped our family in moving from California to Tuscaloosa, Ala."
The McElwain-Saban plot looms large over the SEC Championship Game between Saban's Crimson Tide and McElwain's Gators. For Florida, it's the program's first trip to Atlanta since a 2009 loss to Alabama that not only altered the landscape of the SEC, but college football.
The Gators entered the game 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. They had won two of the last three national championships. In his third year at Alabama, Saban had the Crimson Tide ranked No. 2 and threatened to knock the Urban Meyer-led Gators from the top of the college football world.
McElwain was calling plays that night for the Crimson Tide as Alabama won 32-13. By the end of his four seasons as Saban's offensive coordinator, he had a pair of national championship rings and his first job as a head coach.
As the McElwain-Saban storyline played out this week in the build up to Saturday's game at the Georgia Dome, Pat Hill observed from afar.
The former head coach at Fresno State, Hill played an important role in Saban hiring McElwain. It started with a phone call from Saban after the 2007 season. McElwain and Saban had never met. They soon would.
"He called me and asked if I had any ideas,'' said Hill, a colleague of Saban's on Bill Belichick's staff in Cleveland in the early 1990s. "He was looking for a guy who understood the run game and would be a really good leader and somebody he could turn the offense over to. I didn't want to lose Jimmy. He did a great job for us, but I had no problem seeing him move on to Alabama.
"He got to quadruple his salary. I was happy for him."
Hill was no stranger to losing offensive coordinators. In his 15 years at Fresno State from 1997-2011, Hill had eight different play-callers. He replaced McElwain by hiring Doug Nussmeier, Florida's current offensive coordinator. And Hill even has a connection to Lane Kiffin, Alabama's offensive coordinator. Kiffin began his coaching career as a Fresno State offensive graduate assistant under Hill in 1997-98.
"I had a hard time keeping people there,'' Hill said. "We couldn't pay very much but we always had pretty good football teams."
Hill is not surprised by the 53-year-old McElwain's fast climb up the coaching ladder since he left Fresno. McElwain was a veteran with more than 20 years experience before he joined the Bulldogs, but most of his career was under the national radar out West.
Hill primarily ran a two-back offensive system and McElwain, who was seasoned mostly in one-back schemes, quickly picked up the different nuances and the intricacies of pass protections offered in a two-back system.
"He is a very good offensive mind,'' Hill said. "It was a great marriage. I think he got a lot out of his one year at Fresno and I know we got a lot out of having him here. He's got all the skills to be a great head coach. I have no doubts he is going to do a great job at Florida."
McElwain passed the test easily at Alabama when he finally stepped from the shadows into the spotlight. The Crimson Tide won 48 of 54 games over those four years, and McElwain studied the program from top to bottom. He has implemented many similar concepts at Florida early in his tenure.
With Saturday's kickoff approaching, McElwain and Saban have been very complimentary of each other as they prepare to face off against each other as head coaches for the second time. In 2013 during McElwain's second season at Colorado State, the Rams lost 31-6 in Tuscaloosa.
While No. 2-ranked Alabama (11-1) is a heavy favorite over the No. 18 Gators (10-2), Saban is prepared for a difficult challenge as the Crimson Tide seek to keep their national championship hopes alive.
McElwain is a major reason why.
"He's got a lot of great assets as a coach,'' Saban said. "He's innovative in terms of some of the things he does and some of the problems he creates. He's a great competitor."
Greg McElroy was Alabama's starting quarterback in the 2009 victory over Florida. He said McElwain devised a game plan that day that paid off with a 19-point victory in what was a tight game in the second half.
McElroy noticed McElwain's impact right away at Alabama.
"What he does a really good job of is recognizing tendencies," McElroy said on a conference call this week. "Big-picture tendencies, too. Not just on his side of the football, but on the other side, what they're doing offensively and how that affects the way the defensive coordinator usually acts."
McElwain took over a Florida program that entered this season with a 37-26 record since the 2009 loss to Alabama. The Gators were picked to finish fifth in the SEC East and projected by most to win no more than eight games.
Instead, they are in Atlanta trying to pull off another surprise.
McElwain considers Saban "the best ball coach of our era."
"I owe a ton to Coach Saban and what he gave me an opportunity to do,'' McElwain said. "I just can't tell you how fortunate I was to be around him and be a part of it. I go back to two things he said to me before I started, basically he said, 'Mac, I only need two things from you: to work hard and be complete in what you do.' And you know what, growing up in Montana, that was the same thing my dad told me. That was pretty easy to work under."
Earlier this week, McElwain also recalled his exit meeting with Saban four years later. Once again, he listened to the advice as Saban told him to be himself and put his thumbprint on the program as a head coach.
In his first season at UF, McElwain certainly has done that. He has an opportunity to do more of it Saturday. No former Saban assistant has defeated him head-to-head. What a new chapter that would be in the McElwain-Saban storyline.
Whatever questions McElwain had about the Crimson Tide's roster or Saban's offensive philosophy or anything football-related, those answers came quickly, as expected, from Saban and his coaching staff. The depth of Saban's approach to leadership is really what struck McElwain.
At the time, the McElwain family was one living on the move. Following a three-year stint at Michigan State that ended in 2005, McElwain landed in the NFL as Oakland's quarterbacks coach. When that gig ended after a 2-14 season, McElwain was hired as offensive coordinator at Fresno State in 2007.
The following year, when McElwain, his wife Karen and their three kids prepared for their first year as Alabama residents, they had a lot of questions about their latest adventure. Saban's deep support staff had all the answers.
The most family friendly areas to live? Check. A good place to buy a new suit? Done. Game-day traditions to be aware of? Covered.
Seemed whatever questions the McElwains had, Alabama had someone to call for the answer.
"There's a go-to person for everything. Each one had a purpose. Each one had a point of expertise in whatever that might be,'' McElwain said. "And it's not just the football X-and-O part. It isn't just about breaking down film. The amount of people [there] do a great job in what they do, but the specific areas they are responsible for and how well they do that job.
"The details to which that support staff executes the plan, the message and the vision is really something. They are good at what they do and they take pride in what they do. That really helped our family in moving from California to Tuscaloosa, Ala."
The McElwain-Saban plot looms large over the SEC Championship Game between Saban's Crimson Tide and McElwain's Gators. For Florida, it's the program's first trip to Atlanta since a 2009 loss to Alabama that not only altered the landscape of the SEC, but college football.
The Gators entered the game 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. They had won two of the last three national championships. In his third year at Alabama, Saban had the Crimson Tide ranked No. 2 and threatened to knock the Urban Meyer-led Gators from the top of the college football world.
McElwain was calling plays that night for the Crimson Tide as Alabama won 32-13. By the end of his four seasons as Saban's offensive coordinator, he had a pair of national championship rings and his first job as a head coach.
As the McElwain-Saban storyline played out this week in the build up to Saturday's game at the Georgia Dome, Pat Hill observed from afar.
The former head coach at Fresno State, Hill played an important role in Saban hiring McElwain. It started with a phone call from Saban after the 2007 season. McElwain and Saban had never met. They soon would.
"He called me and asked if I had any ideas,'' said Hill, a colleague of Saban's on Bill Belichick's staff in Cleveland in the early 1990s. "He was looking for a guy who understood the run game and would be a really good leader and somebody he could turn the offense over to. I didn't want to lose Jimmy. He did a great job for us, but I had no problem seeing him move on to Alabama.
"He got to quadruple his salary. I was happy for him."
Hill was no stranger to losing offensive coordinators. In his 15 years at Fresno State from 1997-2011, Hill had eight different play-callers. He replaced McElwain by hiring Doug Nussmeier, Florida's current offensive coordinator. And Hill even has a connection to Lane Kiffin, Alabama's offensive coordinator. Kiffin began his coaching career as a Fresno State offensive graduate assistant under Hill in 1997-98.
"I had a hard time keeping people there,'' Hill said. "We couldn't pay very much but we always had pretty good football teams."
Hill is not surprised by the 53-year-old McElwain's fast climb up the coaching ladder since he left Fresno. McElwain was a veteran with more than 20 years experience before he joined the Bulldogs, but most of his career was under the national radar out West.
Hill primarily ran a two-back offensive system and McElwain, who was seasoned mostly in one-back schemes, quickly picked up the different nuances and the intricacies of pass protections offered in a two-back system.
"He is a very good offensive mind,'' Hill said. "It was a great marriage. I think he got a lot out of his one year at Fresno and I know we got a lot out of having him here. He's got all the skills to be a great head coach. I have no doubts he is going to do a great job at Florida."
McElwain passed the test easily at Alabama when he finally stepped from the shadows into the spotlight. The Crimson Tide won 48 of 54 games over those four years, and McElwain studied the program from top to bottom. He has implemented many similar concepts at Florida early in his tenure.
With Saturday's kickoff approaching, McElwain and Saban have been very complimentary of each other as they prepare to face off against each other as head coaches for the second time. In 2013 during McElwain's second season at Colorado State, the Rams lost 31-6 in Tuscaloosa.
While No. 2-ranked Alabama (11-1) is a heavy favorite over the No. 18 Gators (10-2), Saban is prepared for a difficult challenge as the Crimson Tide seek to keep their national championship hopes alive.
McElwain is a major reason why.
"He's got a lot of great assets as a coach,'' Saban said. "He's innovative in terms of some of the things he does and some of the problems he creates. He's a great competitor."
Greg McElroy was Alabama's starting quarterback in the 2009 victory over Florida. He said McElwain devised a game plan that day that paid off with a 19-point victory in what was a tight game in the second half.
McElroy noticed McElwain's impact right away at Alabama.
"What he does a really good job of is recognizing tendencies," McElroy said on a conference call this week. "Big-picture tendencies, too. Not just on his side of the football, but on the other side, what they're doing offensively and how that affects the way the defensive coordinator usually acts."
McElwain took over a Florida program that entered this season with a 37-26 record since the 2009 loss to Alabama. The Gators were picked to finish fifth in the SEC East and projected by most to win no more than eight games.
Instead, they are in Atlanta trying to pull off another surprise.
McElwain considers Saban "the best ball coach of our era."
"I owe a ton to Coach Saban and what he gave me an opportunity to do,'' McElwain said. "I just can't tell you how fortunate I was to be around him and be a part of it. I go back to two things he said to me before I started, basically he said, 'Mac, I only need two things from you: to work hard and be complete in what you do.' And you know what, growing up in Montana, that was the same thing my dad told me. That was pretty easy to work under."
Earlier this week, McElwain also recalled his exit meeting with Saban four years later. Once again, he listened to the advice as Saban told him to be himself and put his thumbprint on the program as a head coach.
In his first season at UF, McElwain certainly has done that. He has an opportunity to do more of it Saturday. No former Saban assistant has defeated him head-to-head. What a new chapter that would be in the McElwain-Saban storyline.
Road to Gameday: Florida Football
Thursday, April 30
Road to Gameday: Florida Football Spring Game (Season 2)
Wednesday, April 29
Jon Sumrall Postgame Press Conference 4-11-26
Saturday, April 11
Buster Faulkner Postgame Press Conference 4-11-26
Saturday, April 11
