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Jim McElwain still remembers when he got that phone call from Nick Saban.
"When he first called, I actually hung up on him because I thought it was one of my buddies messing with me," McElwain said. "I'm just happy he called back, obviously."
That phone call that McElwain, then the offensive coordinator at Fresno State, thought was a joke ultimately shifted his career into overdrive, as he helped Alabama win national championships in 2009 and 2011 as offensive coordinator, then moved on to lead Colorado State to a 22-16 record in three years as head coach before becoming Florida's new head coach this year.
On Wednesday night, he was in Mobile to speak at the DEX Imaging/Reese's Senior Bowl L'Arche Football Preview, and he took the opportunity to share the impact that coaching at Alabama had on his career.
"The time we spent in this state meant more to us than anything else," McElwain said. "I owe everything to that experience, the great friends that we made -- obviously it helped winning a few ballgames along the way -- and Coach Saban giving me the opportunity.
"He didn't know who I was and, to be honest, I didn't know who he was. And you know what? It worked out pretty good."
For his next challenge to work out, he's going to have to find some bodies, as Florida finished spring with only six scholarship offensive linemen. He repeated what he said at SEC Meetings earlier this week, however -- that former UF head coach and current Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp "changed the culture" at Florida and was "just kind of snakebit at some of the position groups."
"I think what it kind of translates to is these young guys, whether they're ready or not, they're going to come in and get a lot of reps, whether they like it or not," he said in a media session before the event. "It's like a Fast Pass (at Disney World), where you get on the ride right away. These guys are getting on the ride right away."
Helping him will be Doug Nussmeier, who followed him as offensive coordinator at Alabama and with whom he worked on John L. Smith's staff at Michigan State from 2003-05.
"We've got like thoughts and ideas on what we're trying to accomplish and I've got total trust in him obviously to implement the system that we're looking to do," McElwain said of Nussmeier. "And yet, it's going to be one of those things where we're going to have to evolve to it.
"I'm a believer in ... trying to fit what you're doing to the pieces that you have. And then as time goes, you build your product or mold it a little bit more to maybe what we will be in the future."
McElwain said the ability of both Nussmeier and current Alabama offensive coordinatorLane Kiffin is evident in what they accomplished after him in Tuscaloosa. Nussmeier helped the Crimson Tide win a national title in 2012 and Kiffin designed an offense around Blake Sims that got the Tide to the College Football Playoff before falling to Ohio State.
"The numbers speak for themselves what they have done offensively. The wins continue to happen," McElwain said. "It obviously shows that I was pretty easy to replace. At the same time, Coach also knows I'll do anything I can to help him, because I truly owe a lot to that experience at the University of Alabama."
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"When he first called, I actually hung up on him because I thought it was one of my buddies messing with me," McElwain said. "I'm just happy he called back, obviously."
That phone call that McElwain, then the offensive coordinator at Fresno State, thought was a joke ultimately shifted his career into overdrive, as he helped Alabama win national championships in 2009 and 2011 as offensive coordinator, then moved on to lead Colorado State to a 22-16 record in three years as head coach before becoming Florida's new head coach this year.
On Wednesday night, he was in Mobile to speak at the DEX Imaging/Reese's Senior Bowl L'Arche Football Preview, and he took the opportunity to share the impact that coaching at Alabama had on his career.
"The time we spent in this state meant more to us than anything else," McElwain said. "I owe everything to that experience, the great friends that we made -- obviously it helped winning a few ballgames along the way -- and Coach Saban giving me the opportunity.
"He didn't know who I was and, to be honest, I didn't know who he was. And you know what? It worked out pretty good."
For his next challenge to work out, he's going to have to find some bodies, as Florida finished spring with only six scholarship offensive linemen. He repeated what he said at SEC Meetings earlier this week, however -- that former UF head coach and current Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp "changed the culture" at Florida and was "just kind of snakebit at some of the position groups."
"I think what it kind of translates to is these young guys, whether they're ready or not, they're going to come in and get a lot of reps, whether they like it or not," he said in a media session before the event. "It's like a Fast Pass (at Disney World), where you get on the ride right away. These guys are getting on the ride right away."
Helping him will be Doug Nussmeier, who followed him as offensive coordinator at Alabama and with whom he worked on John L. Smith's staff at Michigan State from 2003-05.
"We've got like thoughts and ideas on what we're trying to accomplish and I've got total trust in him obviously to implement the system that we're looking to do," McElwain said of Nussmeier. "And yet, it's going to be one of those things where we're going to have to evolve to it.
"I'm a believer in ... trying to fit what you're doing to the pieces that you have. And then as time goes, you build your product or mold it a little bit more to maybe what we will be in the future."
McElwain said the ability of both Nussmeier and current Alabama offensive coordinatorLane Kiffin is evident in what they accomplished after him in Tuscaloosa. Nussmeier helped the Crimson Tide win a national title in 2012 and Kiffin designed an offense around Blake Sims that got the Tide to the College Football Playoff before falling to Ohio State.
"The numbers speak for themselves what they have done offensively. The wins continue to happen," McElwain said. "It obviously shows that I was pretty easy to replace. At the same time, Coach also knows I'll do anything I can to help him, because I truly owe a lot to that experience at the University of Alabama."
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