Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain is retiring after nearly 40 years as a college football coach, per ESPN's Chris Low.

McElwain, who has been with Central Michigan for six seasons, is currently being investigated over the Connor Stalions sign-stealing allegations involving Michigan, but Low noted that his decision to retire was his own.

After finishing up the season with the Chippewas, McElwain plans to stay involved with the team in some capacity, according to Low.

The NCAA began investigating McElwain after Stalions appeared to be on Central Michigan's sideline during last season's opener against Michigan State. Regarding Stalions allegedly being on the sideline, McElwain said the coaching staff was "totally unaware of it" and he doesn't "condone it any way shape, or form." He also said Stalions' name was on "none of the (sideline) passes that were let out."

Should the NCAA determine Stalions was on the sideline, it would be a violation of the association's off-campus, in-person scouting rules.

McElwain began his coaching journey in 1985 as a graduate assistant for Eastern Washington, where he played quarterback from 1980 to 1983. He made stops at a handful of programs as an assistant and had a one-year stint in the NFL as a quarterbacks coach for the Raiders in 2006.

After finding success as Fresno State's offensive coordinator in 2007, he took over as Alabama's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2008 to 2011, where he helped the Crimson Tide win a pair of national championships alongside legendary coach Nick Saban.

After his tenure with Alabama, he landed his first head coaching job with Colorado State from 2012 to 2014 before returning to the SEC to be the head coach of Florida from 2015 to 2017. He was a wide receivers coach at Michigan in 2018 and took the CMU job the following year.

He inherited a Central Michigan program that went 1-11 in the season before his arrival. In his first season, he led the Chippewas to an 8-6 record and an appearance in the MAC championship, where they lost to Miami.

"My wife Karen and I have cherished every moment of our football journey," McElwain said in a statement (h/t CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd). "We want to express our deepest gratitude to the all the players who have welcomed us into their lives, and the incredible coaches and support staff at every stop along the way—it has been a true privilege to work alongside all of them. The lifelong friendships that were created mean the world to us."

Central Michigan beat Western Michigan 16-14 on Tuesday to improve to 4-7 and will close out its season against Northern Illinois next Saturday.