Which Coaches Should Michigan Keep?

 

Tony Alford (image via SI)

With Michigan hiring Kyle Whittingham to replace the fired Sherrone Moore, the rest of the staff is in somewhat of an upheaval. Coaches typically bring in mostly their own guys, so that means the majority of Michigan's staff members will be on the move.

Here's a ranking of whom Michigan should keep:

1. Tony Alford (Running Backs Coach): Alford is an ace recruiter who has landed a few good running backs, including #1 overall back Savion Hiter in the 2026 class. His players have also been playing well on the field over the past couple seasons, like Justice Haynes, Jordan Marshall, and Kalel Mullings. Even Donovan Edwards improved somewhat from 2023 to 2024 after Alford was hired.
2. Grant Newsome (Offensive Line Coach): If it were up to me, I would take offensive line coach Grant Newsome and make him tight ends coach Grant Newsome. Michigan's offensive line improved dramatically this season, but that was with the help of analyst Juan Castillo, who has since moved on to become Syracuse's offensive line coach. I don't really think Newsome is ready to be an elite offensive line coach, and Whittingham is reportedly bringing his own OL guy Jim Harding with him. This would keep Newsome on the staff with some of the elite recruits he has brought to Ann Arbor. Keep in mind that Newsome started off as the TE coach (2022-2023) when Sherrone Moore was coaching the line.
3. Lamar Morgan (Defensive Backs Coach): Morgan has turned into an excellent recruiter and has landed several star defensive backs, including Shamari Earls, Andre Clarke, Jordan Deck, Jayden Sanders, etc. I think losing Morgan might cause a bit of an exodus from the recruiting class and team, and I think his charges have played well enough to keep him around.
4. Ron Bellamy (Wide Receivers Coach): I think Bellamy has got a bad rap over the past couple seasons. Michigan hasn't had much talent in the receiver room, but the talented players (Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, Andrew Marsh, etc.) have played well. Bellamy also has connections in the state of Michigan and is a former Michigan and NFL player. I always think at least one or two holdovers should remain, especially a former Wolverine, because those guys know what it's like to play in rivalry games and in Michigan Stadium. And that's even more true with Whittingham being a foreigner at Michigan and likely bringing several coaches who will also be new to the area.
5. Lou Esposito (Defensive Line Coach): I like Esposito and he's known as a good recruiter. His son is also committed to Michigan in the 2027 class, but I don't necessarily think that's a reason to keep Esposito on staff. Michigan obviously had great defensive tackle play in 2024 with Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham, and Rayshaun Benny, but there was nothing special about the DL group in 2025. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons to keep Espo is because he has an excellent defensive line class coming in 2026, particularly at defensive end.
6. Wink Martindale (Defensive Coordinator): I do not expect Martindale to stick around in 2026. His fate was basically sealed when Whittingham was hired, because Whittingham has his own defensive system and philosophy from his time as a long-time defensive coordinator himself. However, the quality of Martindale's replacement could be a factor. If Whittingham can bring in his own guy, like BYU's Jay Hill, then so be it. But you could do worse than Martindale, and perhaps the combination of a couple minds like Martindale and Whittingham could actually be beneficial.
7. Kerry Coombs (Special Teams Coach): Coombs was hired just before Moore was fired, so I don't feel much allegiance to him. However, he has been known as a great recruiter and he has connections to Whittingham through Urban Meyer. Also, the guy was hired just a couple days before everything went crazy, so I think it would be pretty crappy of Michigan to kick him right back out of the building.
8. Brian Jean-Mary (Linebackers Coach): Jean-Mary has mostly been known as a solid recruiter, but this season really felt like the first year where his coaching was on point. I thought the linebacker unit played very well this season with Ernest Hausmann, Jimmy Rolder, Cole Sullivan, etc. However, I think Whittingham can find someone comparable who can bring some connection and familiarity with the head man.
9. Steve Casula (Tight Ends Coach): Casula has done a nice job with the tight ends, and he's a good mind to have on staff since he has experience as an offensive coordinator. However, tight end is basically one of the easiest coaching jobs on the team, so I don't think it would be difficult to find a comparable coach.
10. Chip Lindsey (Offensive Coordinator): Lindsey has already accepted a new job at Missouri.

Note that the above is MY list and MY reasoning. I don't expect that Kyle Whittingham will read my blog post and adhere to it. I think if I were taking over, working hard to keep #1-3 on the list would be a priority, and then things would get flexible:

Keep Alford, Newsome, and Morgan in place, and then let the chips fall where they may; if Newsome isn't a possibility, then work on keeping Bellamy to maintain that Michigan player connection.

Kyle Whittingham, Wolverine

 

Kyle Whittingham (image via X)

Michigan has hired Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham to be the new head man for the Wolverines.

Whittingham is 66 years old and spent the last 21 seasons as head coach of the Utes, being the only head coach for the team since Urban Meyer left following the 2004 season to go to Florida. Whittingham was a linebacker for BYU and spent a handful of seasons in the NFL and USFL with the Rams, Broncos, Denver Gold, and New Orleans Breakers. He coached at BYU, Eastern Utah, Idaho State, and then Utah, and he has been in Salt Lake City since 1994 when he coached the defensive line. He would then go on to become defensive coordinator in 1995 and alternately coached safeties and linebackers until becoming head coach in 2005.

He amassed a 177-88 record with the Utes, surpassing the former wins record for Utah, held by Ike Armstrong, who had 141 wins from 1925-1949. Whittingham's accolades include winning the Bobby Dodd Trophy, AFCA Coach of the Year, Mountain West Coach of the Year, and Pac-12 Coach of the Year (twice).

Whittingham is the son of former NFL linebacker Fred "Mad Dog" Whittingham, who played college ball at Cal Poly before embarking on a career with the with Rams, Eagles, Saints, and Patriots from 1963-1971. Fred then went on to coach at BYU and Utah, also spending time with the NFL's Rams and Raiders.

Kyle Whittingham's teams have been known for having a balanced offense and playing tough, physical, well coached defense. Urban Meyer thinks Whittingham is one of the top few coaches in college football, which may be a case of bias since Whittingham coached under Meyer. The Utes are currently #5 in scoring offense (41.4 points/game) and #17 in scoring defense (tied with Michigan at 18.7 points allowed/game).

For the 2025 season, starting quarterback Devon Dampier completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,180 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions while also running 127 times for 687 yards and 7 touchdowns. Running back Wayshawn Parker ran 133 times for 931 yards and 6 touchdowns. Meanwhile, defensive end John Henry Daley has 17.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks, and the defense as a whole has 14 interceptions returned for 364 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Overall, Whittingham is an excellent football coach with a clean track record. When it comes to performance on the field, there's really not much concern. Some people point to his record, but we need to keep in mind that he was coaching at Utah, a place that doesn't have all the resources of other schools like USC, Oregon, etc. The Utes were competing in the Pac-12 from 2011-2023, so even with a great coach, they were unlikely to stomp all over the rest of the league for that entire time. He still had eight seasons with 10+ victories, including a 13-0 season in 2008 and a 10-2 record in 2025.

My biggest concerns are these:

1. Kids don't know Kyle Whittingham in the Midwest. Utah never recruited in Michigan or Ohio much, preferring to get their players from Utah, California, Texas, etc. The Utes have exactly two Michigan players on the roster, one a long snapper and another who came by way of Garden City Community College in Kansas. There's only one player from Ohio, and he transferred from Oklahoma. The Wolverines are really going to need to go on a P.R. campaign to get Whittingham's name out there and show what he's done. Utah has produced four 1st round draft picks in Whittingham's tenure, including DT Star Lotulelei, OT Garrett Bolles, LB Devin Lloyd, and TE Dalton Kincaid.
2. Whittingham is 66 years old. Only Bill Belichick (UNC, 73 years old), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa, 70), and K.C. Keeler (Temple, 66) are older. I get that some of Michigan's best years have been under old white guys (Lloyd Carr, Jim Harbaugh, etc.), but I don't think Whittingham brings a ton of juice on the recruiting trail except for the fact that he'll be wearing a block M on his chest. There are ways to mitigate that with putting good recruiters on the trail, but there's no fixing Whittingham's age or the fact that he's probably not going to be much of a long-term solution. I was hoping Michigan could land a coach who was 50-ish and who could legitimately spend a decade with the program, but most coaches are out of the game by the age of 70, so Whittingham has maybe three or four years until he's gone. (Even though he signed a 5-year contract, everyone knows you either retire early, get fired early, or you sign an extension. Whittingham isn't going to stay for five years and then ride into the sunset.)

We'll see how things play out. I will obviously support Michigan and Whittingham for the duration of his career in Ann Arbor, but I'm slightly disappointed that Wolverines fans will be almost guaranteed to be doing this coaching search in just a few years.

Coaching Hot Board 2.0

Kyle Whittingham (image via Utah)

1. Jeff Brohm (Head Coach, Louisville): Brohm is 94-56 overall as a head coach, which feels like a high number of wins for a guy who's 54. He has been head coach at Western Kentucky, Purdue, and now his alma mater, Louisville. Brohm is known for gutsy calls and fun play designs, but regardless of where he's been, he seems to find a way to lose four games per year. In fact, in twelve seasons as a head coach, five of them have ended with four losses. Brohm played quarterback at Louisville, so he may not be willing to abandon his alma mater. I don't think the culture shock would be as high as it was for Rich Rodriguez when he came to Michigan, but the backlash from Louisville could be similar to when Rodriguez left WVU to head to Ann Arbor.
2. Kyle Whittingham (Unemployed): Whittingham has been rumored to be an option for Michigan the last couple times the job has opened, but nothing ever materialized. Whittingham attended BYU and played some linebacker in the NFL before spending his entire coaching career in Idaho and Utah. He had been the head coach for the Utes ever since Urban Meyer left Utah for Florida, and he was defensive coordinator for Utah for ten years prior to that. Meyer (who's a good football coach but a questionable human) said Whittingham is a top-five coach in college football. My contention is that if Whittingham had the juice to be a head coach, he should be doing it at Utah - where he was 10-2 this season - instead of somewhere else. How much gas is left in the tank for a guy who's 66 years old and has never worked anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains?
3. Jesse Minter (Defensive Coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers): Minter is a former Michigan defensive coordinator (2022-2023) who helped Michigan earn a national championship in 2023 before heading to the Chargers with Jim Harbaugh. There's really no doubt that he could put together an elite defense, but he has no head coaching experience. One thing I like about Minter is that he's a football lifer, someone who grew up as the son of former Cincinnati head coach Rick Minter. It's kind of like my affinity for players who used to play quarterback; there's a certain baseline of competence and intelligence. Minter might be able to be an NFL head coach next year, so perhaps coming back to college and dealing with all the recruiting and such year-round isn't his ideal.
4. Biff Poggi (Interim Head Coach, Michigan): Poggi was a key component of Jim Harbaugh's staff, coming in as somewhat of a consultant. He then left to become head coach at Charlotte, where he was doomed to fail and did. This year he came back to try to help Sherrone Moore, which . . . well, you know. Poggi reportedly has been telling people that he wants the head job at Michigan, but wanting it and getting it are two different things. I don't think a serious program can give Poggi a head coaching job at this point. He seems like a great dude and went 2-0 as Moore's replacement to start the 2025 season, but it would be the gamble of all gambles.

Coaching Hot Board 1.0

 

Washington coach Kalen DeBoer celebrates with the trophy after the team's win over Oregon in the Pac-12 championship NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Unfortunately, Michigan is searching for a coach again just two years after their last coaching search. A few names to watch:

1. Kalen DeBoer (Head Coach, Alabama): It was widely reported that DeBoer was interested in the Michigan coaching job back when Jim Harbaugh left, but the timing wasn't going to work. Harbaugh was waiting for the NFL coaching cycle to come around, and college coaches usually can't wait that long to change jobs. DeBoer was 67-3 as a Division II head coach, 12-6 at Fresno State, 25-3 at Washington (with a national championship game loss to Michigan), and 19-7 at Alabama. I think the shine has come off DeBoer a little bit because Alabama has been pretty inconsistent the past two years. He's known best for putting together elite passing offenses, so I'm guessing Bryce Underwood would like the hire, but he would probably change Michigan's offensive identity.
2. Curt Cignetti (Head Coach, Indiana): I'm throwing this name out there because this is someone I would go after, but his recent extension at Indiana may prevent him from leaving. He has essentially put together a team that Michigan fans want to be, which is a balanced offense and an aggressive, tough, fast defense. One image problem he might have is that during his introductory appearance at an Indiana basketball game two years ago, he said "Purdue sucks" . . . before also including Michigan and Ohio State. Indiana is 13-0 and #1 in the College Football Playoff, so I guess there's an argument to be made that the Michigan job would be a step down.
3. Jesse Minter (Defensive Coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers): Minter is a former Michigan defensive coordinator (2022-2023) who helped Michigan earn a national championship in 2023 before heading to the Chargers with Jim Harbaugh. There's really no doubt that he could put together an elite defense, but he has no head coaching experience. One thing I like about Minter is that he's a football lifer, someone who grew up as the son of former Cincinnati head coach Rick Minter. It's kind of like my affinity for players who used to play quarterback; there's a certain baseline of competence and intelligence. Minter might be able to be an NFL head coach next year, so perhaps coming back to college and dealing with all the recruiting and such year-round isn't his ideal.
4. Jedd Fisch (Head Coach, Washington): Fisch is amazingly only 49 years old at this point, even though he looked to me this year that he must be about 60. I feel like the stress of being a head coach over the past few years has taken a toll on his hair color. Regardless, he's had a solid nomadic run as a coach. He hasn't spent more than two seasons anywhere since being an offensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens from 2004-2007. Overall, his record is 31-33, but he's been playing with a talent deficit at Arizona and then at Washington, especially in 2024 after DeBoer raided the roster. Fisch was essentially Michigan's offensive coordinator in 2015-2016, and I liked what he did with somewhat limited talent at that time, too. I think Fisch is a good coach, but he just seems to me like a guy who would go 8-4 at Michigan, and that's not going to make many people happy.
5. Jeff Brohm (Head Coach, Louisville): Brohm is 93-56 overall as a head coach, which feels like a high number of wins for a guy who's 54. He has been head coach at Western Kentucky, Purdue, and now his alma mater, Louisville. Brohm is known for gutsy calls and fun play designs, but regardless of where he's been, he seems to find a way to lose four games per year. In fact, in twelve seasons as a head coach, five of them have ended with four losses. Brohm played quarterback at Louisville, so he may not be willing to abandon his alma mater. I don't think the culture shock would be as high as it was for Rich Rodriguez when he came to Michigan, but the backlash from Louisville could be similar to when Rodriguez left WVU to head to Ann Arbor.
6. Kenny Dillingham (Head Coach, Arizona State): Dillingham is 22-16 as a head coach after three years at Arizona State. An Arizona native, he spent time at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State, and Oregon before going back to his hometown school at ASU. The Aztecs made the College Football Playoff in 2024 and he has them at 8-4 in 2025 with an upcoming appearance in the Sun Bowl. Arizona State is #87 in offense this season and even in the CFP year, they were just #30. Also, he's only 35 years old. I think the Michigan job is probably a little too much, too fast for Dillingham, so I would not be a huge proponent of this hire.
7. Biff Poggi (Interim Head Coach, Michigan): Poggi was a key component of Jim Harbaugh's staff, coming in as somewhat of a consultant. He then left to become head coach at Charlotte, where he was doomed to fail and did. This year he came back to try to help Sherrone Moore, which . . . well, you know. Poggi reportedly has been telling people that he wants the head job at Michigan, but wanting it and getting it are two different things. I don't think a serious program can give Poggi a head coaching job at this point. He seems like a great dude and went 2-0 as Moore's replacement to start the 2025 season, but it would be the gamble of all gambles.

Sherrone Moore, Ex-Wolverine

 

Sherrone Moore

Well, as everyone knows by now, the Michigan head coaching position is open now that Sherrone Moore has been fired. In a (somewhat) unexpected development, Michigan's head man was fired for having an extramarital relationship with a staffer.

I won't get into all the details at this point because the story is still developing with details, but ultimately, Moore allegedly had a relationship with a staffer that resulted in a pregnancy. The pregnancy was halted in some form or fashion, and things were kept quiet, reportedly for several months. In the wake of his firing yesterday, Moore was then arrested and lodged in jail for some sort of domestic disturbance.

I'm not a reporter, so that's about as far as I'm going to go at this point.

Moore went 17-9 in his two seasons at Michigan, give or take a game here or there when filling in for Jim Harbaugh or when being filled in for by Biff Poggi. He went 1-1 against Ohio State, or 2-1 if you include the 2023 win when he was filling in for Harbaugh. He went 2-0 against Michigan State. And he won a national championship as an offensive coordinator in 2023.

Prior to that, he was a tight ends coach and then a Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line coach in 2021 and 2022 after taking over for Ed Warinner on the line.

It's extremely disappointing that Michigan has been dragged back down into this scandalized area. I actually think Harbaugh has been somewhat wrongly villainized in some areas for a lot of things he did, but he was a coach who annoyed someone, somewhere, every step of the way. Whether it was ticking off the NCAA for satellite camps or pushing NIL or supporting the transfer portal or buying burgers for recruits or whatever, drama just followed him.

But Moore was supposed to be kind of the quiet leader by example who showed emotion on occasion (like after the 2023 Penn State game) but largely led his guys in a confident manner. I didn't even mind that he had some trouble in the Connor Stalions case, because I don't believe his text messages with Stalions showed anything incriminating; if they did, we would have seen them made public by now.

Instead, Michigan has perhaps one of the most embarrassing scandals that could happen, one on par with Bobby Petrino of Arkansas Razorbacks fame, who is still a joke over a decade later. This kind of stuff hurts the image of the entire university.

Maybe this blows up the recruiting class. Maybe it blows up the team. Maybe it blows up the coaching staff. I don't foresee anyone currently on the staff stepping in to be the head coach, so I assume Michigan will hire someone brand new, who will probably sweep out most of the coaching staff, if not all. The players will be able to portal out if they want, and unless the athletic department can get a quick turnaround on the coaching interview process, they might be mired in an extended coaching search period.

Go Blue forever, but I'm embarrassed for my alma mater right now.

Kerry Coombs, Wolverine

 

Kerry Coombs at Michigan in 1997 (image via X)

In the aftermath of firing special teams coach J.B. Brown, which was deserved for on-field performance, Michigan hired former Ohio State defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator to be the special teams coordinator.

Coombs is 64 years old and spent time coaching high school in Ohio before going to Cincinnati in 2007 as a defensive backs coach. He would go on to work at Ohio State from 2012-2017 and 2020-2021, with the 2018-2019 seasons spent with the Tennessee Titans coaching the secondary under former Ohio State player Mike Vrabel. Coombs went back to Cincinnati from 2022-2024 and coached cornerbacks and special teams before taking a year off in 2025.

I am not enthused about this hire. I think Coombs has been a solid defensive backs coach and a very good recruiter, and that's about it. He has not been impressive as a coordinator of defense or special teams. Unfortunately, he will not be coaching defensive backs and I'm not sure how much he'll be involved in recruiting, so his two biggest strengths seem to be somewhat negated. I do think he'll be a step up from Brown, but this isn't the kind of hire that really moves the needle very much.

Coombs was Ohio State's ace recruiter if they wanted to poach a player from the state of Michigan, which he did when he recruited running back Mikey Weber and offensive linemen Michael Jordan and Joshua Alabi.

Fun fact: Coombs's son Brayden was the special teams coach for the Detroit Lions in 2020 but was fired for calling a fake punt without authorization from interim head coach Darrell Bevell.

Now I know some Michigan fans will not like the hire because Coombs coached at Ohio State, but I think Coombs is a solid staff addition. I've seen him talk before, and this press conference speech is a pretty good one to represent how he handles himself:

Brady Marchese, Wolverine

 

Brady Marchese

Cartersville (GA) Cartersville wide receiver Brady Marchese committed to Michigan on Thursday. He flipped from Georgia and also had offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Penn State, South Carolina, and others.

Marchese is listed at 6'1", 183 lbs. by 247 Sports. As a senior in 2025, he caught 41 passes for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 84 grade, #8 WR, #60 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 94 grade, #13 WR, #101
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #99 WR

Hit the jump for more.

Connor Jones, Ex-Wolverine

 

Connor Jones

Redshirt junior Connor Jones is entering the transfer portal for his final year of eligibility.

Jones played in twelve games throughout his career, including a redshirt in 2022 when he played in just two games. Most of his appearances came on special teams. Listed at 6'6" and 320 lbs. this season, he played in seven games on specials in 2025.

Here's what I had to say about Jones when he committed in December 2020 (LINK):

I see a lineman who is somewhat lumbering. He has heavy feet and his base gets too narrow. His turnover is not ideal in the run game. There’s a saying that “pass pro isn’t passive,” and that’s something that comes to mind when watching Jones’s highlights. He’s too passive in his sets and does not punch well or, in general, show as much aggression as I would like. He talks about being a finisher, but I don’t see that on film.

Overall, Jones has good size, but I don’t see him being able to do much more than wall off a side and make someone run around him. His lack of athleticism makes him unlikely to be able to reach a C-gap player without help or do a whole lot to be able to climb to the second level. I think his upside is that of a Juwann Bushell-Beatty, someone who could potentially become a late-career starter but without much of an NFL future.

 I gave him a TTB Rating of 65, and he was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #90 offensive tackle, and #1012 overall.

Jones is a veteran lineman who might have been nice to have on the roster as a depth piece next year, but he had been passed by many of the younger players.

J.B. Brown, Ex-Wolverine

 

J.B. Brown

Michigan has relieved special teams coordinator J.B. Brown of his duties now that the season is complete.

If you're a regular reader, you know that I do not make a habit of calling for the jobs of Michigan coaches, but I mentioned this one halfway through the season.

Punter Tommy Doman went from averaging 44.3 yards/punt in 2023 (under Jay Harbaugh) to 42.6 in 2024 under Brown, and then Doman - who had a vise grip on Michigan's punting job - immediately ditched his home state program to head for Florida, where he averaged 44 yards/punt this year.

Michigan was #125 in kickoff return average (15.2 yards/return) in 2025.

Michigan was #126 in punt return average (3.8 yards/return) in 2025.

Placekicker Dominic Zvada was an All-American in 2024 and should have won the Groza Award after the team ranked #2 in field goal percentage, and by 2025 he constituted the #108 field goal percentage (68.2%).

Gone were the days when Michigan was scheming up kickoff return touchdowns by Giles Jackson and A.J. Henning and Jehu Chesson. Gone were the days when Michigan ran a fake punt from Michael Barrett to Dax Hill or blocked one or two punts per year.

For the past two seasons, the only excitement came from Zvada making almost all his field goals in 2024 . . . and then being jaw-droppingly inconsistent in 2025.

I have no idea who will replace Brown, but Michigan quite literally can't really do much worse with whomever they hire to coach special teams for 2026.

2026 National Signing Day Open Thread

 I will update this post throughout the day with players who have sent in their official paperwork, as well as commitments elsewhere:

SIGNED LETTERS OF INTENT

• QB Tommy Carr
• QB Brady Smigiel
• RB Jonathan Brown
• RB Savion Hiter
• WR Travis Johnson
• WR Jaylen Pile
• TE Mason Bonner
• TE Matt Ludwig
• OL Tommy Fraumann
• OL Adrian Hamilton
• OL Malakai Lee
• OL Bear McWhorter
• OL Marky Walbridge
• DE McHale Blade
• DE Tariq Boney
• DE Carter Meadows
• DT Titan Davis
• DT Alister Vallejo
• LB Kaden Catchings
• LB Markel Dabney
• LB Aden Reeder
• CB Andre Clarke
• CB Jamarion Vincent
• S Jordan Deck
• K Micah Drescher
• LS Colton Dermer

COMMITMENTS ELSEWHERE

• S Blake Stewart - Georgia
• OT Sam Utu - SMU