Jim McElwain reportedly top candidate for Florida job

Colorado State coach Jim McElwain has emerged as a serious candidate for the Florida job, according to a report.

Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde says the Gators have been gathering information on McElwain, whose Rams are 10-2 this season. Forde says McElwain may be at the top of the Gators’ list at the moment, and that the coach and Florida AD spoke about the job on Saturday night. Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze, who turned around a 2-10 team and has posted three straight winning seasons, is also said to be a candidate.

McElwain, 52, has shown improvement in each of his three years as head coach at Colorado State. He took over a program that went 3-9 three straight years and led them to records of 4-8, 8-6, and now a 10-2 season.

McElwain was the offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2008-2011 prior to being hired by Colorado State. His Rams have one of the top passing attacks in the country.

One of the hurdles in hiring McElwain is that he has a $7.5 million buyout, according to The Denver Post. In order to pay that amount just to free him from Colorado State, you better be darn sure he is the right guy for the job.