How Mid-American Conference coaches feel about CMU football's Jim McElwain


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CMU head coach Jim McElwain answers questions from the media July 23 at Ford Field.

Jim McElwain was hired to coach the Central Michigan football team on Dec. 2, 2018. 

In doing so, he solidified the jump to a third conference.

As a head coach, McElwain went from Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference to Florida in the Southeastern Conference and, now, the Mid-American Conference. 

McElwain said that the conference has great coaches in it, and those coaches can even help make him better.

"I've got great relationships with coaches right here in this conference," McElwain said at MAC Media Day on Tuesday. "I've got great respect for them and just being able to sit with them and pick a guy's brain is really a chance to get better."

The respect that McElwain has for other coaches in the MAC is mutual, especially given his track record.

Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler crossed paths with McElwain when the Falcons' head man was the quarterbacks coach at Florida from 2009-10 and McElwain was the offensive coordinator at Alabama – both schools in the SEC.

"I think he's a very good football coach," Loeffler said. "I've studied his work. We all steal from each other. When he was at Alabama, I know I was looking at his 12-personnel shift system. He's a great football coach with a lot of great experience."

Western Michigan played at Michigan last season, and Broncos coach Tim Lester was able to meet McElwain as the latter was the wide receivers coach for the Wolverines. 

Lester said that he, like Loeffler, has studied McElwain's offensive schemes. Lester especially keys on mid zone runs and play-action, saying that the Broncos use these concepts heavily in their offense. 

"As a football coach, I really respect what he does and how he does it, he's had a ton of success and I respect what he's going to bring to Central," Lester said.

Mike Neu is going into his fourth season as the Ball State coach. He said he did not have much of a relationship with McElwain personally, but he has a connection to McElwain that not many coaches have. 

Garrett Grayson played quarterback under McElwain at Colorado State. The all-time passing yards leader in program history threw for 9,190 yards and 64 touchdowns against 27 interceptions during his four seasons in Fort Collins. 

Those numbers, not only staggering, were impressive enough for the New Orleans Saints to take Grayson in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. 

Who was the quarterbacks coach at the time? That's right, Mike Neu.

"I had a chance to study a lot of (Colorado State's) tape and watch what they were doing offensively," Neu said. "(McElwain) did a phenomenal job there and did a really good job at Florida, so a ton of respect for him and the success he's had where he's been. 

"I know (CMU) is going to be a good football team."

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