The Post Where We Admit That Michigan Has In Fact Hired Jim McElwain Comment Count

Brian

36853316681_e57cb1dab4_z (1)

good offensin' [Chris Cook]

So Michigan just hired Jim McElwain to coach football in some capacity. That capacity is apparently offensive coordinator and WR coach. This doesn't make much sense to me. McElwain becomes Michigan's fourth offensive coordinator, more or less, along with Harbaugh, Drevno, and Hamilton. He may be second amongst equals, for whatever that's worth.

McElwain was a notoriously bad recruiter at Florida, failing to crack the top ten once during his tenure and finishing no better than fifth in the SEC, and that was with a steady stream of Questionable Dudes that came highly rated but had seen various other teams back off. Those questionable dudes saw their super powers combine into a credit card scam that got a tenth of the team suspended last year. If you were to go back and re-rank recruiting classes by removing confirmed knuckleheads, Florida would plummet towards the nether reaches of the SEC.

Meanwhile, McElwain had a public meltdown about an internet joke, twice, made an unsupported assertion he had received death threats that almost got him fired for cause, and marketed his own barbecue sauce in the midst of a disastrous, tenure-ending football season.

Whatever offensive aptitudes he seemed to demonstrate at Alabama and Colorado State evaporated in a haze of ineptitude in Florida. Spencer Hall:

Statistically, Jim McElwain turned 2017 Florida into 2017 Rutgers. There is no evidence McElwain or the offensive staff can develop a quarterback or build an offensive line or tell a wideout how to run a route. There’s actually less and less evidence the offense is even designed competently. The big highlight—maybe the only real morbid but funny highlight, really—of watching Gary Danielson this season call a long string of SEC blowouts has been him literally correcting play design for Florida on the screen. He does this when not openly laughing at false starts and procedural penalties. It’s a full to-do list when watching Florida football, and just getting through half of it should earn him an Emmy.

Yours truly surveying the devastation after the opener:

Watch Florida left tackle Martez Ivey start yelling at the left guard on the Furbush touchdown before the play is even over:

You! Come over here! I know you're in the middle of a football play, but look upon the destruction your incompetence has wrought! Feel in your very bones the touchdown you have given up and shall never recover from! Eat at Arby's!

Also here is Florida's quarterback getting hammered on a rollout that Michigan rushed three on.

That's some dystopian business right there, and we should slow our roll a little given the evident dysfunction of the opponent. How much? I don't know.

McElwain doing well at Alabama proves little; having a decent offense at Colorado State because five-star Dee Hart needed a landing spot and rushed for 6.6 YPC doesn't prove a whole lot more. What success Florida did have under McElwain was an artifact of a trash SEC East and a defense he inherited from Will Muschamp.

On the positive side, McElwain does have a lengthy tenure as a collegiate WR coach stretching from 1987 to 2005, with the odd QB or special teams duty thrown in. And he probably has some great stories about John L Smith, who he coached under for five years at Louisville and Michigan State.

The best thing about this hire is that it doesn't really matter since it's Harbaugh's offense anyway. While McElwain comes in with a very Greg Robinson track record—aging successes and recent debacles paired with press interactions that make him seem slightly insane—he's not going to be put in charge of half the team and subsequently told to run something he's completely unfamiliar with. But neither is he likely to move the needle in recruiting or help organize the team. He'll seem like a brilliant WR coach because Michigan's WRs are about to get a lot better by virtue of not being freshmen, in the same way Ron English was a god until he wasn't.

Maybe once released from the prison of being a head coach he's actually a good offensive coordinator—but Michigan doesn't need tactical help. They need someone who can throw a ball straight and an offensive line that doesn't get that guy and his backup murdered. They do need a skill position coach and McElwain sort of fits there. He seems more like a duplicate of a duplicate, and he is very hard to take seriously after his year of baffling press conferences and Keystone Kops coaching.

He's a tenth assistant, and therefore more of a missed opportunity than a burgeoning disaster. And since every other thing with a track record immediately defies it when it arrives to do Michigan football things (except Don Brown, God bless Don Brown), maybe he'll be brilliant.

Comments

blueblueblue

February 16th, 2018 at 2:15 PM ^

Agree that this hire may turn out to be decent, but that it is also a missed oppoortunity to bring in a young, recruiting dynamo WR coach. 

Another point is the mismanagement of this hire - it is a missed opportunity timewise. Had the hire been managed better, Harbaugh could have brought in a recruiting dynamo before signing day, and perhaps improved the class. There does not seem to be a lot or urgency there. 

Yet I disagree that UM doesn't need tactical help. Almost anyone watching almost any game last year could see that. Whether McElwain will help in that department remains to be seen. 

bronxblue

February 16th, 2018 at 2:43 PM ^

I keep seeing this narrative that the coaching staff struggles recruiting.  And yet, in 2016 nd 2017 they pulled in top-10 classes, and for 2019 they are sitting at #10 per 247.  I don't have the article in front of me, but even at the beginning of the 2018 cycle Michigan wasn't in on a lot of top recruits for any number of reasons.  For whatever reason, this almost always looked like a down year recruiting-wise, and the mediocre record didn't help.  But at this point, I'd rather have a guy who can actually coach the players they have, especially since he's unlikely to be there for more than a couple of years.

blueblueblue

February 16th, 2018 at 2:52 PM ^

That was not the recruiting narrative I conveyed (or at least was thinking). I simply meant that this year could have been better. And that is undebatable (unless you make the deterministic argument that there is no room for improvement). One way to counteract a mediocre year on the field, in terms of recruiting, is to bring in a splashy hire to attract recruits. Harbaugh failed to get all his ducks in a row to bring in someone before signing day. It was a missed opportunity. 

In terms of the coaching vs. recruiting thing, you introduce a false dualism. Can't we have both? The answer is, of course, yes. 

bronxblue

February 16th, 2018 at 5:53 PM ^

Fine, I disagree with your assumption that Michigan's best option here was a dynamo young recruiter and that's what the team needs. Nobody in 2018 was probably going to start on this team unless lots of things went wrong. So for the next year or two, I'd rather have a guy with a proven record of solid offenses than a young guy whose main asset is receuiting. Michigan has a fair amount of talent, but the issue has been how to use it best.

I also disagree with the argument about McElwain being a bad recruiter simply because I don't know how good he is compared to your average assistant coach, buts that's another argument.

Mr Miggle

February 16th, 2018 at 7:10 PM ^

It's unrealistic to expect all 10 assistants to be great at both. Most are better at one than the other. I want coaches for the most important positions and OC is one of those. Many teams have their recruiters coaching TEs, RBs, and as a 2nd position coach, We do the same thing. Partridge was hired to recruit and was immediately one of our most valuable assistants. 

Arb lover

February 16th, 2018 at 2:16 PM ^

Thread title has me convinced that Brian reads more MgoBlog comment threads than you might otherwise think.

As a perpetual optimist about Michigan football I'm choosing to believe there is a strategy here that I'm just not seeing yet. Regardless, the offensive plan, training and play calling needs to be consistently on the same page which usually means one guy running the show, especially in years directly following what just happened.

blue90

February 16th, 2018 at 2:18 PM ^

If we have gotten to the point of "can't do much worse" then that is a problem.  The shark humper has given plently of reasons he isn't worth it and not many reasons to think he is worth.  Michigan really can't get an offensive mastermine to lead the offense?  Hamilton and Drevno are both bad (see the past three years), and so is Shark Humper.  Harbaugh can do better than the Browns coordinator and a fired Florida coach who is a public relations nightmare.

UMxWolverines

February 16th, 2018 at 2:19 PM ^

Look, the roles on offense last year obviously didn't work, and JH saw that. So what do you want? Having a clear OC that coaches wide receivers as well, which we badly needed, and letting Drevno go back to solely OL is the best we could hope for. It's not all about "well can he recruit?". You need wins on the field to recruit at this point.

Michigan4Harbaugh

February 16th, 2018 at 2:21 PM ^

Too much negativity. Give the man a chance. May not be the top choice, but if Michigan starts winning big games in 2018, the move will be praised. Plus, who doesn't like a good BBQ sauce?? I bet Jimmy Mac's BBQ sauce is BOSS!

JD_UofM_90

February 17th, 2018 at 12:00 AM ^

Then why hire him? To improve tbe defense Jim looked at the best defenses in the country and went and got a home run candidate in Don Brown. As a UofM fan base,who can honestlly say that if you were to put together a hypothetical list of the 10 best/ realistic OC candidates for the open coaching position, that Jim McElwain would have been on that list? Anybody that follows college footbal closely would not have put him on that canidate list. No matter how you justify it or spin it, that should be enough to tell any rational person, that this hire stinks.

When did Harbaugh lose his Moxy? Don't settle. Don't take no for an answer. Go find the best of the best and close the deal. That is the crazy SOB I thought we hired from SF. This more sensitive coach we have now....needs to GTFO. I want my sideline raging, headset throwing, What's your deal, laser tag dominating,1x1 basketball hacking. coach back. Shit Purdues new coach acts more like Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines during a game, then Jim Harbaugh does lately. This hire just makes me feel like Harbaugh's deviation from the norm is continuing in the wrong direction.

BursleyHall82

February 16th, 2018 at 2:22 PM ^

OK, let's just ignore anything positive he did in his career with a wave of the hand.

Yes, he's a weird guy who humps sharks. We get it. But doing well at Alabama actually proved a hell of a lot.

robpollard

February 16th, 2018 at 2:34 PM ^

It shows how hard it is to say, "See! This guy is great!" or "See! This guy sucks!"



Nussmeier was great as Washington and was also highly successful at Alabama. Then, he stunk at U of M and Florida. Now he works as a TE coach for the Cowboys.



So nothing is guaranteed, one way or the other.



https://www.seccountry.com/florida/analyzing-doug-nussmeier-track-recor…

Crootin

February 17th, 2018 at 7:24 AM ^

Dude, give it a rest already. Alabama was stacked with NFL talent as demonstrated by, you know, the NFL draft and careers of a number of their players. Julio Jones. Mark Ingram. Etc. Stop trotting out high school recruiting rankings as evidence of how "limited" the talent was at Alabama when they started winning titles every other year.

Caesar

February 17th, 2018 at 10:48 PM ^

You're not distinguishing between scheme, talent development, and talent. Your standard can't be applied to Michigan's players because they're not in the NFL--or even eligible. So what are we left with? How else can you tell things apart? I guess we agree to disagree, but I don't think you're even engaging with the ideas, here. 

Mo Better Blues

February 16th, 2018 at 2:28 PM ^

Cautiously optimistic. Certainly more so than Dear Leader. I see some real, structural changes here, as well as some face-saving kabuki theatre moves. Admittedly doing some real guesswork here, but I think:

1.) Hiring an "actual" OC (quotes intentional, since it's Harbaugh's offense), establishes a degree of accountability missing in the offense last year. McElwain has no long personal history with Harbaugh, (unlike Drevno), so if we shit the bed, he gone. McElwain looks like a bit of an insurance policy, a potential goat if next year is a big disappointment. (I don't mean that in a necessarily negative, "passing the buck" way, either. One reason you have OCs and DCs is for flexibility in strategic coaching moves, which could be needed if next year tanks. I personally don't think it will.) McElwain also is not being called on to start from scratch or re-invent the wheel -- we're gonna be a ball control offense that aims to make few mistakes -- and he's got experience in doing that kind of work. He's a reasonably big name titular head of an offense with a ton of talent, a 5-star QB coming in (God willing), and a lot of upside, IMHO. Could very well work out.

2.) Putting Drevno as Asst. HC and OL coach is, in my best guess, a way to help him find a soft landing if, once again, we shit the bed. In my mind, and I could obviously be wrong, but coaching the OL will really be Ed Warriner's sole job, and he could step into the Drevno role next season if needed. I think Harbaugh is giving Drevno serious help with that hire, and may have tipped his hand at his confidence in Warriner in that presser where he referred to himself and Warriner becoming "best friends" with a "long future" (or words to that effect) at Michigan. I think Warriner is primed to grow in his role, and Drevno is being spared a (probably justified) termination, with a "promotion" upward to AHC to help his marketability should he leave.

3.) Similar face-saving for Pep, who is "QBs coach" -- likely in name only. That job will belong to Harbaugh, as we all know, and the QB numbers almost have to explode anyway...unless our QBs quite literally explode. Harbaugh is giving him a chance to "succeed" with a brand new QB or a convenient out if he has to where-else him with better numbers.

In my view, next year is all about Ed Warriner's work with the OL and Shea Patterson, now featuring some clear chess match 'next moves' if things go awry. Personally, I like the moves and am expecting some pretty big things from this team. The structural changes are encouraging and the returning talent is solid, even if the current coaching personnel is less than ideal.

robpollard

February 17th, 2018 at 4:09 AM ^

Warriner can give input to the coaches, but he literally can't coach the linemen. He's an analyst. From the Mlive article on his hiring.

An analyst job is an extension of the coaching staff, one that allows Warinner to be around the program but not physically coach athletes on the field or participate in off-campus recruiting.

FrankMurphy

February 16th, 2018 at 5:26 PM ^

Very well said. Harbaugh hired a guy with whom he has no prior relationship, who has no prior ties to Michigan, who has a solid track record as an offensive mind, and who is coming off a head coaching gig at a Power 5 blueblood and is unlikely to accept being a glorified position coach with anything less than substantial influence over playcalling. This is a good thing.

Cranky Dave

February 16th, 2018 at 2:30 PM ^

Matter what any of us think. I’m done offering my opinions on how the program should be run. No more worrying about coaching hires or recruiting. Call it Zen like or enlightenment or whatever but I will read this site for the entertainment value and watch the games in the fall. The past 10 years have have finally gotten me to this place. I want to see more wins of course but I have enough worries IRL to keep worrying about the decisions of 18 year olds or the 10th assistant spot.

Or maybe I’m just high

dragonchild

February 16th, 2018 at 2:32 PM ^

As in, a craftsman who had no business running his own business.  The team peaked when he was gifted with RichRod's offense then backslid rapidly, culminating with a bunch of scandals that got him pushed out.  Hoke also recruited a bunch of 4-stars that didn't live up to their billing.  After that implosion he had to take a series of demotions (though he inexplicably wound up as an interim HC at one point) before working his way back up.  As a position coach his record is regarded as dang good, and he's now doing that in the NFL.

McElwain has some resume rebuilding to do as well.  He has a long history as a position coach, so if he can just coach the dang WRs and stay out of trouble, if all goes well his career could take a similar trajectory.  Michigan provides an opportunity, because it has a bunch of young WRs that need coaching, and McElwain has plenty of reasons to STFU and work his ass off.  And there are no sharks nearby.

Michael Scarn

February 16th, 2018 at 2:31 PM ^

Agree with much of the post but don't think it's fair to dismiss his tenure at Alabama as insignificant.  He was OC under Saban while they were still at the early stages of building into an army of terror robots.  Lasting as a coordinator under Saban for 4 years is also no small feat.  He's definitely a weird dude, but I think he can help the offense.

ScruffyTheJanitor

February 16th, 2018 at 2:34 PM ^

He had Dee Hart for one season. Garrett Grayson, Weston Richburg, and Rashard Higgins were equally important to their success (I mean, they were drafted and Hart was not). They were not 'Bama transfers, and had really solid seasons even before Hart got there.

In 2013-- again, before Hart-- he went to a bowl game and outscored a Mike Leach outfit.

So, no, his CSU success wasn't just Dee Hart.