Former Florida coach Jim McElwain announced Wednesday that he is ending his coaching career at the end of the 2024 season.
In a statement released Wednesday, McElwain announced that he will retire as head coach at Central Michigan at the end of the year. He will remain as a special assistant within the school’s athletic department, and a search for his successor will begin immediately.
McElwain did not offer a specific reason for the decision, which comes as something of a surprise. At 62, he is still relatively young in coaching terms. He is said to be one of the subjects of an NCAA investigation relating to last season’s Connor Stalions fiasco, but a source told ESPN’s Chris Low that McElwain made the decision to step aside himself and was not pushed out.
McElwain has a 77-63 career record, though he is best remembered for his 22-12 stint at Florida from 2015-2017. After going 19-8 in his first two years in Gainesville, he was fired after a 3-4 start in 2017.
In six seasons at Central Michigan, McElwain has led the Chippewas to a pair of bowl appearances. That will not happen this year, with the team sitting at 4-7 with one game remaining.
