Staff writer

Published: Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 12:07 a.m.

In only his third year as a head coach, Jim McElwain already is developing a reputation for being a program changer. That's what he's done at Colorado State in a short time.

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley was interviewing McElwain for the Gator football coaching job that came open when Will Muschamp was fired last month. Foley flew to Fort Collins, Colo., on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the opening.

When McElwain, 52, took over the Rams' program in 2012, he inherited a team that was coming off three consecutive 3-9 seasons and was immersed in a culture of losing.

After going 4-8 in his first year, the Rams broke through in his second, going 8-6.

This season, McElwain and the Rams have been one of the biggest success stories in college football. Colorado State finished the regular season 10-2, including signature victories over state rival Colorado and Boston College, which beat Southern Cal earlier in the season.

McElwain came to Colorado State from Alabama, where he spent four seasons as the Tide's highly successful offensive coordinator under Nick Saban.

McElwain helped the Tide win two national championships (2009, 2011) with a potent and balanced pro-style offense. He coached a Heisman winner (tailback Mark Ingram) in 2009 and a Heisman finalist (tailback Trent Richardson) in 2011.

During his four seasons in Tuscaloosa in which the Tide went 48-6, McElwain's offense turned the ball over fewer times than any team in the nation — 57 over that span.

In 2011, McElwain's offense led the SEC in rushing (219.8 yards a game) and was second in total offense (433.4 yards a game).

This post was edited on 12/3/14 at 6:21 am