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.