McElwain Eager for Transition Phase to End and Reshaping to Begin
Monday December 29, 2014 | By Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jim McElwain sounds like a kid marking off days on the calendar until he can finally open that huge package underneath the Christmas tree.
As the Gators prepare to depart Tuesday for the Birmingham Bowl, McElwain's wait to take over the program from top to bottom is nearly over.
McElwain, hired to replace Will Muschamp three weeks ago, has spent the past few days back in Colorado to spend the holidays with his family. He is scheduled to arrive in Birmingham on Friday to watch the Gators face East Carolina on Saturday at Legion Field.
Most of McElwain's time since being introduced as Florida's head coach on Dec. 6 has been spent recruiting, evaluating the current roster and working on hiring his inaugural staff.
McElwain has added a round of media interviews in recent days to his to-do list, the latest on Monday with an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show on the SEC Network.
"I'm looking forward to working with this administration hand in hand getting the Gators back to where we belong," McElwain said. "We've got a long ways to go. We've got to totally overhaul some areas just within the organization itself. The master plan takes time. It's not something that happens overnight, but yet I do understand that we do live in the instant-gratification society today, so we're going to have to make some progress in a hurry.
"But at the same time, you've got to make sure that we build the foundations right. That starts with recruiting, that starts with everybody involved in the organization understanding that we've all got to have a common goal and no separate agendas."
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The 52-year-old McElwain slid another piece of the puzzle into place Wednesday when he hired former Alabama and Michigan offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier (photo above) for the same role at UF. Nussmeier will also serve as quarterbacks coach.
Between them, McElwain and Nussmeier won three national titles at Alabama in six combined seasons working for Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.
When McElwain departed to become head coach at Colorado State following the 2011 season, Nussmeier replaced him. They are back on the same coaching staff for the first time since 2005 when they were at Michigan State.
McElwain is ready to see what they can do together to turn around Florida's stagnant offense following their successful stints at Alabama.
"Nuss and I spent a lot of time in the room together back when we were at Michigan State,'' McElwain said. "It's one of those things from a familiarity standpoint, we both understand the work ethic. Our time spent with Coach Saban is something that's invaluable. It teaches a lot more about what it is to have a winning program in so many different aspects, that it's not just the X's and O's.
"I'm looking to do those same things as we put this thing together and obviously with Nuss, like-minded, great guy. He's a guy that understands how to win and is very competitive and able to adapt to what we have. That's going to be a key."
McElwain's first hire was Geoff Collins, the former Mississippi State defensive coordinator. Under Muschamp the Gators had one of the country's top defenses in each of his four seasons.
From what McElwain has surmised in his short time at UF, the Gators have the talent for Collins to continue that trend.
"Even speaking as an offensive guy, it's good stuff when you've got a good defense," McElwain said. "Geoff is a guy who understands the system. It's going to be very similar to what we've done. If it's in good shape, there's no reason to try to go fix the thing.
"Obviously we've done a great job on defense, so I wanted somebody that had a like mind as to what we were doing and what Will and his staff were doing on that side of the ball."
Of course, offense is McElwain's specialty. He has used a variety of systems over the years and plans to do the same at Florida.
The first step is adjusting to the players he has on the roster, starting with quarterback Treon Harris and offensive weapons such as running back Kelvin Taylor and receiver Demarcus Robinson.
"Obviously it will be a little bit different,'' he said. "They have had some turnover on that side of the ball. I'm looking forward to bringing in some consistency in there. As we start now in the offseason, try and really find their strengths and apply what we need to do to help them be successful as leaders. I look forward to implementing the things that we do with the guys that we have on that side of the ball."
McElwain officially takes over the team's day-to-day operations after the Birmingham Bowl. Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is serving as the interim head coach during the program's transition phase.
Until then, McElwain will focus on rounding out his coaching staff, a task he expects to conclude soon, and charting a new course for the program.
He plans to install many elements that made his three-year stint at Colorado State a success, including an organizational structure similar to the one he learned at Alabama under Saban.
While the Crimson Tide prepares to face Ohio State in a College Football Playoff semifinal, McElwain envisions a day when the Gators and Alabama go head-to-head for the SEC title like they did in 2008 and 2009, his first two seasons working for Saban.
"Looking at the schedule, I hope we get the opportunity to meet each other in Atlanta,'' he said.
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