The University of Alabama has had some father/son football legacies as players, but now it gets one from a coaching aspect.
Jim McElwain, 61, was an offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for Alabama from 2008 to 2011. He assisted Nick Saban to capturing two BCS National Championships (2009, 2011), a Southeastern Conference Championship (2009), and crowning the program’s first Heisman Trophy winner (Mark Ingram). McElwain’s son, Jerret, is following in his father’s footsteps.
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He was a student assistant under Saban at Alabama before moving on to Michigan in the recruiting personnel department.
McElwain helped Jim Harbaugh stacked marquee recruiting classes, which led to the Wolverines winning a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2023. After being with Harbaugh, Kalen DeBoer brought him to Washington where he helped Courtney Morgan keep tabs on the recruiting operations in the last two seasons. McElwain witnessed the Huskies turn around from 4-8 in 2021 to 25-3 combined in 2022 and 2023, including a Pac-12 Championship and CFP National Championship Game berth last season. He has updated his social media profile to reflect his status with Alabama as its “Assistant Director of Player Personnel.”
DeBoer has a staff of recruiters that can recruit the south and keep the Tide on top in the post Saban era.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
