Head coach Sherrone Moore announced on Tuesday that he relieved offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell from his duties. Campbell was in his first year as offensive coordinator after being co-offensive coordinator in 2023.
Hit the jump for more.
This was expected by anyone and everyone, and some might be surprised it didn't happen earlier. Michigan scored its fewest points per game (22.3) since Brady Hoke's final year in 2014, when the Wolverines averaged 20.9 points.
Here are Michigan's final regular season offensive rankings:
#64 in yards per carry (4.43)
#69 in rushing yards per game (160.67)
#111 in points per game (22.3)
#121 in passing touchdowns (11)
#122 in yards per play (4.85)
#128 in passer rating (111.25)
#128 in total offense (294.3)
#130 in passing yards per game (133.6)
#132 in passing yards per attempt (5.5)
A fall back to Earth from 2023 was expected, considering Michigan lost its top six offensive linemen, a couple drafted receivers, a drafted tight end, a first round quarterback, a program record-breaking running back who got drafted, etc. The only starter Michigan returned from the national championship season was tight end Colston Loveland, and he missed one-third of the year due to injury.
However, Michigan did have an experienced offensive line (except for a redshirt freshman right tackle who beat out a couple veteran tackles), two solid players at running back, and a solid tight end room. He also had a 6'3", 235 lb. athletic freak at quarterback, but nobody on the staff could figure out how to effectively use him.
Was it going to be great? No.
Should it have been better than #128 in total offense? Absolutely.
Personally, I think Campbell can be a solid coach if he finds himself in the right position. He did some very creative things on offense, and he schemed up more open receivers than what most fans saw - the quarterbacks just weren't good enough or protected enough to see them. Some of the stuff Michigan did over the past couple years with flea flickers, motions, end arounds, etc. was stuff I've literally never seen before. I don't think Campbell did a good job of preparing Alex Orji to be a starting quarterback in 2024, so I wouldn't hire him if the goal is to institute a QB run game.
Where does Michigan go from here? Well, first-year tight ends coach Steve Casula - who has offensive coordinator experience elsewhere - will take over play calling duties for the bowl game, and I think Casula should return in 2025 as tight ends coach. Names being bandied about for the permanent replacement include former Mississippi State and Florida head coach Dan Mullen; Tulane offensive coordinator Joe Craddock; and Toledo head coach Jason Candle.
When your "strength" isn't very good, it should be no surprise everything else stinks
ReplyDeleteNo idea who will come in, and wouldn't be surprised if the name isn't being mentioned. Fingers crossed
Imagine the average had Michigan not scored 50 against Northwestern. By my calculation, if they'd scored half that amount -- which is more to Michigan's norm -- the average would be 20.2, which is worse than Hoke's 2014 year.
ReplyDeleteI would love to know when Sherrone Moore took back the reins of the offense.
The offense stinks this season. Of course Campbell has to go. But I think we have much bigger problem to solve on offense. This season, the offense seems to have lost its identity. Under Harbaugh, we are run first team and the team was very creative in the run game. Even though the opponents know we are going to run the ball, we are still able to gain positive yardage. The creativity on the running game seems gone. Regardless of who we hire as OC, Moore needs to set the direction of the offense. If we want to run the "Harbaugh" offense, perhaps we should hire someone like Mike Hart rather than a QB coach like Campbell.
ReplyDeleteWe can and should do better than Hart for OC. They need somebody proven, IMO.
DeleteMike Hart was allowed to depart because he and Sherrone Moore did not see eye-to-eye on some things (according to some pieces I've put together). Hart isn't going to come back as the OC. No chance.
DeleteI liked some of the things I saw against OSU last week, particularly the outside zone runs, which Michigan had not really shown.
Hart seems more likely to be a head coach type than an OC type in say 10 years time. I'll be curious to see what his next step is, but I think there's a good chance he is overrated as a coach by a majority of our fanbase because of who he was as a player. I don't think he has the resume to be an OC at a place like Michigan yet, though neither did Campbell.
DeleteOkay Thunder ... you have the opportunity (in this hypothetical) to construct your "ideal" offensive system for Michigan at this time, given expected personnel.
ReplyDeleteWhat offensive attributes do you seek, and in what priority order?
Final question ... if you're Sherrone Moore, do you settle on an offensive system (or identity), and then seek the OC that best fits that? Or do you find the best OC available, then morph your offensive system/identity around the man?
At this time, Michigan needs to set its focus on building an offense around the run game. Michigan's identity has been a power run game using 12/13/21/22 personnel with a heavy focus on a play action passing game. I would not change offensive identities based on a coach. I would make sure to hire a coach who has shown the ability to have success with a similar offense.
DeleteIMO, the offensive coordinator should have...
1. Proven success with a run game featuring heavy personnel
2. Proven success with implementing an effective QB run game
3. Proven success developing a QB passing game
4. A desire to play complementary football with a high-level defensive team (in other words, no Air Raid or up-tempo offenses)
I know I mentioned this last off-season, but Andy Kotelnicki (previously from Kansas, now at Penn State) would have been my #1 choice as offensive coordinator going into last year. I really liked what Kansas did on offense in 2023 (and earlier), and I think he did a good job at PSU this year. I don't think Drew Allar is his ideal type of QB, but Kotelnicki was able to make Tyler Warren a 1st team All-Big Ten player (81 catches) ahead of Colston Loveland, got solid production from Nick Singleton/Kaytron Allen, and used the QBs effectively in the run game (Allar and Pribula combined for 555 yards and 9 TDs rushing).
If Michigan is going to recruit Bryce Underwood-type (I know not every QB has his overall talent, but I'm talking about dual threat-type players) quarterbacks, then I would really appreciate Kotelnicki's creativity and style.
2!
DeleteGive me the Tulane OC and Liberty QB please
*I really liked the Kansas guy too. I recall we had an exchange here about him
Good stuff Thunder. Post worthy!
DeleteNeed an OL coach too; the job was too big for newsome
ReplyDeleteThe portal should address other areas (QB, WR, OL ... RB?)
I could be wrong, but I have a feeling Newsome is going to stick around in 2025. I feel like he was Moore's hand-picked successor (more so than Campbell, who was just kind of a "why fix it if it ain't broke?" promotion), and developing Newsome as an OL coach in 2024 goes to waste if he's not back in 2025. So I think Moore has invested in Newsome and won't let him go this year. Now if things go poorly in 2025, then maybe that will change...
DeleteThat might be costly
DeleteI wonder if runs afoul of any rules to bring in a seasoned OL guy to be kind of advisor to Newsome? Not a coach, per se, but someone to stand at Newsome's shoulder and guide his thinking and actions.
DeleteSherrone Moore could be that guy, but he's got a lot of other things on his plate.
I might be wrong but it seems like the OLine did progress and develop over the season. The beginning was really rough and that's maybe to be expected with all new starters and a first year line coach. But they did get better and maybe Newsome learned some things also. There is reason to think he will be better in 2025. He is also clearly Harbaugh approved and Jim has a good eye for coaching talent.
DeleteI think it's entirely feasible to bring in an offensive line analyst. It could be a "retired" OL coach or a guy who's just between jobs and maybe can't/doesn't want to take on a full-time role with recruiting responsibilities and such.
DeleteAgree with Thunder - Newsome is going to stick for a variety of reasons including that he is 27 years old and Moore can help him very directly, especially if there is a proven OC brought it. An analyst focused on OL would be a good idea too (Fred Jackson but fatter).
DeleteThe OL did seem to improve some as the season went on.
I do think continuity is important on the OL. I was hoping that with 4 backups and Priebe being a big ten vet we would have enough of that. The Link/Giudice decisions in August seemed worrisome at the time and remain questionable now.
Best case scenario: Link flips inside where his pass blocking woes are mitigated, El Hadi and Crippen return and get better to form up a solid veteran interior OL. Giudice returns as a backup IOL. Big time portal addition at one OT spot and a young guy (Sprague?) steps up to compete with Gentry at the other.
PFF/UFR grades stayed low for Center, RG & RT, regardless who played there. Our RBs were hit in the backfield too often, though that did give us Mullings brightest moments
DeletePlays like the one when Don got hurt, there was nowhere to turn upfield. Too often they couldn't get him a seam; he's not going to break tackles, so I firmly believe the OL (and lack of passes) hurt Edwards draft stock
Hit the Portal, and maybe get a Center & Guard to go along with the obvious need at Tackle
*yeah, we'll probably keep Newsome. But if you really believe the game is won in the trenches, then this should at least be a concerning topic
Newsome is a concern but the floor should be pretty high with Moore around.
DeleteRBs were hit in backfield for a lot of reasons. OL was certainly one, but so was play-calling, and QB play - especially Warren not being a run threat or a pass threat. Most teams have to devote someone in the front 6 to defend the QB making a read to keep, and so someone is often unblocked at the line, standing, waiting. Most teams also have to protect against the deep back with at least one safety worrying about the long throw. Against the 2024 MIchigan offense defenses didn't have to worry about it, so facing an extra defender functionally at the LOS and an extra defender functionally in the box.
Regarding PFF - 3 of the top 5 offensive grades against OSU were OL. The offense stunk but the reason they could grind forward 3 yards and a cloud of dust style (with the ticking and the tocking of the clock benefiting Michigan to shorten the game) was that the OL was good enough.
The OL was probably good enough for most of the year to beat most teams but it feels like they got better once they stabilized the starters. What's concerning is that they didn't seem to find this themselves but rather their hand was forced due to injuries.
The floor should have been high this year then, no?
DeleteI haven't looked since Sunday, and I know these scores change a bit, but here's the PFF that was sent to me:
1) Hinton, 83
2) Orji, 71 (limited snaps)
3) Priebe, 69
4) Mullings, 68
5) Warren(!), 68
next (starting) OL was 8) ElHadi, 59; 19) Link, 49; 2o) Crippen, 49
As I say, right side of the OL was not good. But how about Warren!?! By this number, he was "good enough" ... considering the play(s) he did make - and taking in previous conversations - this makes him a "Playmaker"
A first time HC, first time OC, and first time OL coach with an abbreviated offseason and losing the top 6 guys? I don't think the floor was that high, even with a lot of backups returning.
Delete------------------------
PFF grades published here:
https://www.maizenbrew.com/2024/12/1/24309847/michigan-football-pff-snap-counts-grades-ohio-state-buckeyes-mason-graham-2024-season
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Warren's best play of the day was an 11 yard run. I wouldn't call that playmaking but YMMV. It was a very good and very important play. Also - I don't know what game PFF was watching because Warren was awful - bad decisions and inaccurate, bailed out by his receivers several times. Yes, the mediocre and well below our standard group of receivers still made some nice plays to bring in balls to were low and behind them. Kind of telling IMO -- they weren't great but they weren't the problem either.
If Moore has a competent OC running the show he can let more stuff go and focus on developing the OL, like Brady Hoke spending time with the DL.
DeleteI suggested The Floor - with this coaching staff & roster - was five losses, and that turned into a months long debate ...
DeleteI see, PFF removed Orji, Edwards & Godwin because of snap counts ... but still, ElHadi at 59 is no bueno
I thought Warren was absolute trash Live, but I was emotional when thought he blew the game. Second watch was a little better ... but the grade they gave him is consistent with how they grade. It's possible my bias is just too stubborn to see past that
I am always advocating for OL importance, but W-L is not just about the OL. Position coach only has so much control over the team, just like Denard could not save the 2009 and 2010 defenses like he saved the 2010 and 2011 offenses.
DeleteWarren stunk even while being protected. PFF grade can't ding him for caught passes but a lot of those were off the mark too, and of course the INTs were massively consequential but objective grading can't weigh one (or even two) plays too heavily. But we can, justifiably. Doesn't matter because we got the W it's water under the bridge.
Two threads now have diverted to Denard Robinson
DeleteYou're welcome
Delete@ Lank 3:05 p.m.
DeleteI'm interested in the INT Warren threw to Caleb Downs. Tyler Morris stopped running, and if he kept running, that throw might be right on the money. Perhaps Morris was settling down because it was zone coverage, but a lot of times on those shallow routes, you want the guy to run all the way across the formation. So I'm curious how it's taught and who the coaches would address in the film room.
I thought Warren made some good decisions on Saturday and threw the ball away a couple times when nobody was open. That's a positive play in itself (unless someone was open and he didn't see them). Obviously, the pick to Jack Sawyer was a poor throw, but it was the right throw/decision...just at the wrong time or on the wrong trajectory.
Anyway, I don't think Warren was terrible on Saturday. It was somewhat like his early-season games when people got mad at him. He was fine and then he was really bad. The difference is that some of the early-season issues were because other guys screwed up (did Tyler Morris screw up?) and Warren isn't good enough to overcome other people's mistakes, but there's really no excuse for the INT he threw to Sawyer.
@Thunder
DeleteI thought the throwaways were good too. Along with the scramble he did make some good decisions. Is that all it takes to be not terrible at QB? A handful of good decisions mixed in with some very bad ones and general inaccuracy and ineffectiveness?
He had all of 16 pass attempts and threw two INTs. You can give him a pass on one if you want to be very generous, but the other was horrendous and inexcusable (as you acknowledge).
I agree with you that INTs are not always on QBs but you seem to be VERY forgiving with Warren because you like the guy. All year long there have been these excuses. Other QBs at other times have NOT gotten the benefit of the doubt that WRs might have messed up.
It was a horrible performance Thunder. Even if you give some allowance for some mistakes and a lot of credit for just basic throws being generally catchable.... The offense scored 3 points on the entire day when Warren was involved. 3 points. The whole day.
Remember when everyone was upset when Alex Orji went 7/12 for 32 yards against USC? This was FAR worse of a game for the simple reason that Orji didn't hand USC an easy FG opportunity or turn a TD drive into a turnover like Warren did vs OSU.
Remember when Orji sucked so bad he was benched against Washington? His QBR was 26 that game (very bad). Warren's was 36 against OSU (very bad).
I think you can just admit that you would say Michigan lost because of horrible QB play, if OSU had made those 2 FGs or if OSU had scored a TD on that last drive. But because our D was awesome and OSU's special teams stunk, we won, so you are giving Warren a free pass for being terrible.
Nice guy. Terrible QB. It's OK to say it. John O'Korn is a good dude too.
@ Lank 8:42 p.m.
DeleteI think the offensive coordinator got fired, and this wasn't a very well coached team this year. There were lots and lots of mistakes. The coaches even admitted early in the season things like Donovan Edwards going the wrong way, Colston Loveland running the wrong route, etc. I think Warren got a bad rap when other people were screwing up.
So maybe I am more forgiving of Warren, because I've seen where other people f***ed up and where ignorant fans went after Warren without recognizing who the actual culprit was. I don't remember this many screwups on routes, backfield action, etc. during the Harbaugh years.
Yes Warren didn't have a great OC this year, nor did he have great WRs. Neither did Orji or Tuttle but they combined for 3 INTs in 94 attempts while Warren threw 9 in 187 attempts.
DeleteDenard also had a terrible OC in Borges, but that didn't come up when he was characterized as a bad QB. I did not hear him described as "hampered by Rodriguez" either.
I don't know how a reasonable person (which you are generally) can conclude that Warren is "fine" and Robinson was "bad". As an avowed contrarian myself, I think you're engaging in contrarianism with these two since Warren fits the archetype you prefer (one dimensional and attempting to be risk avoidant) while Denard is the opposite.
There's a lot more to being an OC than putting some cool plays into the playbook. I think Campbell showed some creativity for sure, but he is clearly way out of his depth in running an offense.
ReplyDeleteYou can try to make excuses that a bad OL hampered the run game and bad QBs hampered the pass game, so Campbell was stuck throwing stuff at the wall. But that doesn't really hold up for me -- a lot of teams do a lot more with a lot less talent, experience, and continuity.
As a QB coach he got credit for developing JJ but unclear how much that was Campbell and how much was JJ or Harbaugh or Moore. A bigger issue became clear in 2024 as the developmental failings with Orji (3rd year in the program) and Warren (4th year in the program) were made apparent.
Sometimes a firing is one guy taking the hit for a collective failing, but it's not hard to tie back a lot of what went wrong on the offensive side of the ball this year directly to Campbell as the QB coach and then OC. It was very bad.
I hope for Campbell's sake he learns some lessons from 2024 and goes on to grow and develop from here. At 38 years old, he has a lot of career in front of him.
I don't want to say anything too bad about Orji or Warren, but if that's what Campbell was working with...that's honestly just probably the least talented QB room in the conference. I would take Northwestern and/or Purdue's talent ahead of the guys in Michigan's QB room.
DeleteI think even with Orji and Warren at QB, there are scenarios where we could be 9-3 or even 10-2 this season, with losses to Oregon and Texas but wins against Indiana/Washington/Illinois. The biggest problem on offense this year is that we did not have an identity. If we have decided right at the beginning, we are going to be a power run team, I think the coaches would not be trying to convert Orji as a passer. They would be molding him and training him as a runner. My biggest issue with Campbell as an OC (and for that matter most of the names being suggested for OC) is that he is first and foremost a QB coach who is more likely to run a pass-oriented offense. I am not advocating for Mike Hart to be the next OC but I want someone in that mold. I think Mike Hart as an OC this season would have been worth 1 or 2 extra wins.
Delete@thunder, this was my concern as soon as JJ declared
Delete@lank
DeleteCampbell had to go. Yeah, he came up with neat stuff once in awhile, but it too often looked thrown together. And too many forced passes. Not enough Mullings-Edwards together. Too much Mullings on the bench. Not enough passes to Don
Still, while I wanted him gone months ago, I think the Jimmy's & Joe's did the team in as well. Even with Harbaugh around, bad QBs & WRs led to losses ... throw in a subpar OL, and we're very fortunate to have beaten ohio & even sparty
Attack the Portal with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, and set the next guy up for success
QB room stunk, yes, but the 2021 team showed what can be done with poor talent at QB. The limitations could have been mitigated. At times this season they did that, and other times they decided to throw 30+ times a game.
DeleteIn 2021 they made a shitty QB look pretty good by managing the game to not put too much on him. In 2024 they didn't do that very often. Against Illinois, with a bye week to prepare, they said "we're going to put this game on Jack Tuttle's arm" even with an injury. It's inexcusable.
Anyway, Campbell was on staff in 2023 and named the OC in Feb. It's not like he was completely powerless to address the lack of talent. Jimmys and Joes are not randomly assigned to teams. Jim Harbaugh was not standing in the way of Campbell and Moore getting better QBs. It's their job! -- and it seems pretty relevant that Bryce Underwood only signed up when Campbell was sidelined.
So yeah Orji, Warren, and Tuttle all stunk but there was no apparent development. Orji doesn't know what he's doing still, as a junior, and the package used for him looks both incoherent and predictable. Campbell said he was one of the best 11 on offense -- absolutely incorrect. Campbell is either dead wrong on that assessment or (if it's true) dead wrong in how he used Orji. Warren wasn't any better -- hot garbage all season, a 22 year old senior coached by Campbell the last 2 years and he's an INT machine despite hardly ever throwing beyond 10 yards. Tuttle was still a turnover machine at 24 years old! And Davis (a top 10 recruit) is so unprepared, even after being an early enrollee, he can't even get in the conversation?
It's on Campbell, not Harbaugh.
It's almost like "I told you so" would fit nicely here
DeleteIt would but I'm a nice guy.
DeleteJ.J. always struck me as an effusive guy in general, so effusive praise for Campbell might have been just what he would have said for just about anyone in that role. J.J. was effusive about Harbaugh and Moore as well. It's just the kind of guy he was.
DeleteWhat I think is most convicting is the lack of development in Orji and Warren. There's probably more than a few programs that would have been happy to have Orji, and would have done *something* with him. He's got an arm, he's athletic, and the building supplies are there to make *something.* Similarly, Warren is a decent-to-good QB. Not elite, but decent-to-good. Again, *something* could have been made of him.
Agree on lack of development Anon.
DeleteIt's not clear that they even trusted Orji to run a legitimate read. Not the focus of the offense obviously, but also something that maybe hard to get great at but is pretty basic to be functional at. From all reports Orji is a smart hard-working high-character kid, yet they seemed to be more comfortable running reads with Tuttle than Orji.
The assumption seems to be that Orji is an inaccurate passer (even moreso than Warren) but with the lack of development across the board in the QB room, how can we know if that's on Orji or the coaching?
I think Warren can be excused somewhat, just for a lack of talent. I don't agree he is good let alone decent I think he's a walk-on who looks like a walk-on.
But then you've got people like Seth Fisher at Mgoblog saying he can be coached up. He argued that Warren is "like a redshirt freshman" and his mistakes are fixable. He's 22 years old! He's been in the program 4 years! Campbell's had him for 2! If he IS like a redshirt freshman, that's a coaching failure. If he IS like a redshirt freshman, what the hell is Orji - a high schooler?
I think it's reasonable to say both guys (all guys) are not well developed, but also possible that neither is talented or skilled enough to be the starting caliber at Michigan.
Doesn't matter that much for Campbell as OC since he is to blame in any case: for not getting better talent, for not better developing the talent he did have, and for not gameplaning around QB limitations.
Watching this SEC title game offers perspective on just how spoiled we've been at OL ... 2o23 was a step back from the Joe Moore Award winners, but dominant!
ReplyDeleteTexas has one of the top OLs in the country this year, but for the second time in two months UGa has just TAKEN their run game away ... it's just incredible what we were able to accomplish for THREE years!