College Football America’s 2015 Coaching Carousel update: Florida, Nebraska have new coaches

New Florida head coach Jim McElwain.

It took an extra day, but Florida got their man, as they’ve announced the hiring of Jim McElwain as head coach.

Not to be outdone, Nebraska needed just a few days to lure Mike Riley from Oregon State.

McElwain turned the Colorado State program around in just three years, inheriting a mess and turning it into a 10-2 Mountain West contender in 2014. The Rams would probably be playing for a MWC championship this weekend if they had beaten Boise State early in the season.

McElwain is a Nick Saban disciple, and was the Alabama offensive coordinator for two of the Crimson Tide’s three recent national championship seasons. So he gets the SEC and he gets offense, as the Rams went from No. 78 in total offense during McElwain’s first season to No. 4 in 2014. The Gators want offense, and they just got it.

Meanwhile, Nebraska may have made the more intriguing hire. Riley, a west coast guy who has had two different stints at Oregon State, moves to Lincoln with a reputation for huge offensive numbers. During his time with the Beavers they went 93-79. Riley played his college ball at Alabama under Paul “Bear” Bryant and was a head coach in the NFL for the San Diego Chargers. OSU’s high water mark under Riley came in 2006-08, when he led the Beavers to three straight bowl wins and a 28-12 record during that span.

So this is how it works on the carousel. Someone fills a job and someone then needs to fill a job. With these moves the open jobs for the 2015 season grows to 11.

2015 FBS COACHING CAROUSEL