Jim McElwain is the next CMU head coach
BREAKING: Jim McElwain will be the next head football coach for Central Michigan, per sources.
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) December 2, 2018
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:29 PM ^
They will still have Roy Roundtree, who probably did a lot of the actual coaching this year.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:37 PM ^
Freshmen WRs tend to make big jumps from frosh to soph years. We may never know how improved Jim M made our WRs compared to their natural progressions.
He was not a hot shot on the recruiting trail though.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:12 PM ^
This is a noooo brainer
OC- Larry fedora
WR- tee Martin
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^
That would be awesome if those were the replacements. Make it happen Jim...
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:26 PM ^
I've been wondering why I don't see Larry Fedora's name come up more often. He failed as a head coach, but it seems like he knows how to run a potent offense. Pep has oscillated between pretty good and bad for his entire career.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^
Problem is that Fedora will likely be up for a head coaching position somewhere. We need some continuity on the coaching staff. It'll be like McElwain where it's just a stop gap position.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^
Because he's widely known to be a lunatic. His players kept getting in trouble. And he infamously claimed that changing football for safety reasons would lead to the downfall of America and its military. He's a buffoon.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
I think most college football coaches are caveman idiots and his weird political statements don't do that much to influence his play calls. Doesn't Harbaugh call football the last bastion of toughness or something weird like that? Players getting in trouble is a head coach culture thing and he wouldn't be dictating that anymore.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^
Fedora didn't fail as a head coach as much as he suffered an immense number of injuries and off the field stuff these past two years. And UNC then went out and got Mack Brown, so my guess is that AD is a terribly run place to work.
He's be a good fit at UM, but he'd be a one-year pickup and I'm not sure that really is beneficial for this team long term to keep cycling OCs through.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
Why exactly? Tee Martin just got canned at USC and Fedora collapsed at UNC.
People love names.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:32 PM ^
I'm not that big on Tee Martin, but Fedora collapsed as a head coach, not as an OC.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^
I think what some of you are failing to realize is that Tee Martin would come here as a position coach. Yes he got canned at USC as an OC.
Youre saying you wouldn’t want one of the best recruiters in the country with a ton of experience to come coach WR ar Michigan? That’s asinine.
There’s about a .001% chance he’d take that job as just a position coach, but it’d be a great hire.
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:23 PM ^
What makes you think that? He failed miserably as an OC and I can't imaging to many people are eager to give him that title again. I guess he could go to the pros but his best attribute is probably his ability to recruit.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^
Fedora failed as OC, great offensive mind thst doesn’t tweak much from harbaughs. Martin also failed as a OC but is by all accounts a great WR coach and USCs best recruiter. Oh and he’s in at every California powerhouse. Instant foothold in California for all thst talent we usually are a bridesmaid for
December 2nd, 2018 at 4:35 PM ^
Well if you don't use names to identify people how do you do it?
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^
So thats why he came to Michigan...so he could scout a job at CMU ....sneaky bastard . Now can we go back to calling him a shark fucker?
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
That's always been permissible, and in fact encouraged.
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:12 PM ^
Mount Pleasant is even farther from shark-infested waters than Ann Arbor.
December 2nd, 2018 at 4:40 PM ^
I was an impressionable lad when the original Jaws came out, and once when fishing on St. Clair I said I was worried about a shark attack.
I was reassured that sharks don't live in fresh water, but after a moment's thought I asked:
How come the Great Lakes are full of "Sea" Lampreys then?!
MacElwain may know something!
December 4th, 2018 at 1:55 AM ^
He came to Michigan because Saban said “thanks but no thanks” when McElwain went to Tuscaloosa last December to ask for his old job back.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
Well, good, right? That seems to be the consensus
Although, I thought PJ and Nico improved a lot since last year
Hard to tell on anyone else.
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:20 PM ^
True freshmen receivers were always going to make a big jump from year 1 to year 2. It almost ALWAYS works like that. It’s very difficult to come in and produce as freshmen at WR.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
That's awesome! Good for him and CMU. I hope he does well.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
Good opportunity to improve the staff further. Offense isn’t that far off but need to utilize playmakers more and a willingness to exploit defensive deficiencies rather than sticking to a mono identity. Defense needs to be the same. If something else works run it, don’t do what we do just because that’s what we do. Do what we do best but have counters ready. The team took a step forward this year. Gotten by 95% of the conference. Last year everyone was wondering if we can get past #3 in the division. We have. The focus narrow and take dead aim at osu. Build a team to beat them you’re going to beat all the other teams as well. Bringing on better coaches to do this will keep them moving forward and the gap closes more and more.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
I’d love someone who can open up the passing game a bit, but I think I don’t want wholesale change. Continuity counts for something too and this offense isn’t as bad as some suggest
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
Makes no sense. Mt Pleasant is nowhere near an ocean.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:26 PM ^
Land sharks.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
But there is a casino nearby. Card sharks be leery.
December 2nd, 2018 at 2:06 PM ^
Not only are there no oceans near Mt. Pleasant, there aren't any mountains either and it isn't very pleasant.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:24 PM ^
Good for Coach McElwain
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:25 PM ^
That’s a good hire for Central.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:25 PM ^
Does Peters follow him there? That would be awesome for CMU.
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
Umbig said Peters to Purdue.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:26 PM ^
Roundtree will probably get his shot. With his energy and personality he has the makings of another great recruiter.
I would like to see this happen.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:43 PM ^
I'm not against a Roundtree hire but wonder how half the people here say Hart isn't qualified to be RB coach here and Roundtree who's resume doesn't even compare is ready to be our WR coach.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:47 PM ^
I dont know who's saying that Hart isn't qualified but that's definitely not true. He's been doing a good job at Indiana. However, I don't see him ever coming back to Michigan while Harbaugh is there.
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:10 PM ^
Hart should be here
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:15 PM ^
People were calling for us to hire Hart back when he was at EMU, he's only recently proven himself as a P5 RB coach.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
That's a big time hire for them. Hopefully he can win several MAC championships there.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:34 PM ^
Ah, shit. There goes our edge vs. Florida.
;-)
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^
If it was anything like the edge that Warriner gave us against OSU, i'll take a hard pass.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:40 PM ^
Our receivers were much better this year, (granted the were older) and I think he deserves some credit for that. They blocked well and showed marked growth. It’s not his fault we only throw >20x a game.
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:43 PM ^
But but... the tea leaves!
December 2nd, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
Seems like a pretty desperate move by him. Surprised he couldn’t do better than CMU
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
The ball control offense doesn't work on the big stage, just watch the games. It might not be why Michigan lost any specific game but it is why they're not competing with the big boys. It doesn't matter what scheme they run until they realize points are more important than TOP.
December 2nd, 2018 at 4:14 PM ^
Good luck to Coach McElwain. From everything I've heard he is a guy that will thrive at a smaller school and be happy.
Every season will have 1 or two shootouts either because the defense struggles or the other team is just that good. PSU 2017 and tOSU this year are games that easily come to mind. The offense as presently configured cannot win those games.
Michigan does not need to score 50 every week, but I do not see the ability to score 50 against non-Rutgers opponents with the current system.
Kenny Dillingham please.
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
Good hire for the Chips. He did a great job at Colorado State. Seems like a better mid-major coach.
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:08 PM ^
Thoughts and Prayers to him and his family
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:09 PM ^
Good luck, seemed like the players liked him and improved under his tutelage
December 2nd, 2018 at 1:25 PM ^
If I were McElwain I would have waited for another opportunity with a P5 program. The chances of CMU making a bowl game are far smaller than a P5 program that's in a conference with multiple automatic bowl tie-ins, and CMU's recruiting base is a fraction of what McElwain could expect in a P5 team closer to the sun belt.
Not to mention going from Ft. Collins in the shadows of the Rockies to Gainesville to Ann Arbor to one of the most horribly boring parts of Michigan seems like a sad trajectory.