After two apparent false starts in the past week, it appears Jim McElwain is indeed ready to -- finally -- start his head-coaching career.
Probably, at least based on how the last week or so has gone.
According to the Rivals.com Colorado State website, the Alabama offensive coordinator is expected to be named as the Rams’ new head coach, with an announcement possibly coming from the school as early as today. McElwain has been Nick Saban‘s coordinator since 2008, and has been mentioned in connection to a handful of head-coaching opportunities the past two years.
In a press release, Colorado State announced they will hold a press conference at noon local time Tuesday to introduce their next head coach. While the release did not reveal the identity of the coach, the Birmingham News has confirmed McElwain is leaving the Tide for CSU.
There’s been no official word on McElwain’s status for the BcS championship game against LSU next month, although the News writes that “coach Nick Saban met Monday with Alabama staff members to work on replacing the offensive coordinator after three seasons.”
Last week, it was reported that Memphis had offered its head-coaching job to McElwain, who accepted the position only to — allegedly — change his mind a short time later. Shortly after the report surfaced, the coordinator was pointed to as one of the two finalists for the Fresno State vacancy. He pulled his name from consideration for that job, and had second thoughts on the Memphis job as well, due to concerns over the budget for and commit to the football programs.