2024 assistants search

Michigan fans don't have to be told how frustrating it is when a top assistant leaves for a rival. I mean, when this much hate's involved, you'd think there'd be something like loyalty, right? But like they said when Greg Mattison and Al Washington left Ann Arbor for the formerly perennial Big Ten champs, when you can't beat 'em…

BREAKING: #Michigan to hire Ohio State RB coach Tony Alford to replace Mike Hart. #GoBlue (STORY) https://t.co/bJ6fhb6odf pic.twitter.com/bDMqtG8dGi

— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) March 13, 2024

Doubtless this is the funniest thing that could have resulted from Mike Hart's departure. Alford was a staple at OSU for almost a decade. He was the highest paid running backs coach in the Big Ten, grew up (mostly) in Ohio as the son of a Buckeye alum, played for Urban Meyer in college, and was reportedly a long associate of Ryan Day before Day joined Alford at OSU in 2017.

So...why is he doing this (other than going from the Big Ten's #2 team to the defending national champs?) Well, everyone's speculating. Sam Webb reports the money won't be significantly different($). Day's program was two days into its 2024 spring practices, their first under new OC Chip Kelly, who presumably has different ideas about running on 3rd & 2. 11W notes Alford's last contract, like Hart's, expired after last season. While it's common for assistants to be at-will employees in college football, Sherrone Moore was likely able to offer a lot more stability on his new staff. Alejandro Zuniga adds that Alford has head coaching aspirations, and that Michigan's been a better launching pad for that sort of thing lately.

Moore also offered an opportunity to be one of two guys on the staff who are older than I am. Alford moved to Colorado in high school, played his college ball for Urban at Colorado State in the early '90s, and got his coaching start in high schools before rapidly moving up as a running backs coach for Mount Union, Kent State, Iowa State, Washington, Louisville (leaving after 2008 so no overlap with 2009-'11 GA Sherrone Moore), and Notre Dame, where Alford coached a year under Charlie Weiss. Alford was the only staff member retained by Brian Kelly, who made him a receivers coach, then the recruiting coordinator through 2014, when Urban Meyer hired Alford to replace Stan Drayton. There, Alford caught the tail end of Ezekiel Elliott, coached the entire career of JK Dobbins, was the architect of the Treyveon Henderson/Chip Trayanum/Miyan Williams/Dallan Hayden/Evan Pryor backfield, and recently recruited Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins (and onetime Jay Harbaugh who-dat target) out of the portal.

Even without the rivalry aspect Alford would be a big hire from a recruiting standpoint. Ohio State is a good platform for this, but Alford has been one of the best recruiters in the nation. In addition to backs like TreVeyon Henderson and JK Dobbins, in his time with OSU and Notre Dame Alford served as primary (via 247) for OSU guys like George Fitzpatrick and Tyreke Smith, and ND's Louis Nix. That list shows strong connections across Texas, Florida, and especially Ohio. That last is an important consideration given Michigan lost Steve Clinkscale to the NFL this offseason. Alford also famously convinced Mike Weber to stick with OSU after Drayton left the day after Signing Day.

Things Discussed:

• The coaching staff is finally all younger than Brian (this happened sometime in the Bronze Age; he was looking around like "I thought stone tools were fine, but okay I guess we're all going into this mining business.")
• Clink: It wasn't about the money; he needed to be the DC, and Sherrone needed experience. If he was only staying for the buyout it wasn't going to be great for either party.
• We're going with guys who watched the Usher performance at the Super Bowl and didn't recognize any of the songs.
• Stephen Adegoke: Rising star. Getting a Mo Linguist a little earlier than we got Mo, but need to worry that an NFL team will come for him in a year or two. Guy is 28. Was a Michigan GA in 2021, NFL position coach in three years. Jesse Minter trajectory. Ryan doesn't want to let him go. When's the last time an OSU coach left for a better job?
• Losses to coaching changes despite NCAA rule that allows your team to get raided in these situations: Amorion Walker (Ole Miss NIL), Jalen Smith (literally every coach he knew is gone), and normal attrition.
• Casula: Great recruiter, needs to answer for his offensive analyst job in 2019, because Gattis was terrible.
• NIL: Sea change. Michigan's new partnerships and hiring GMs for the football program and an NIL GM for Athletics are going to ward off the poaching efforts. Could have done it earlier and maybe kept JJ.
• Saw how Alabama's roster got raided, and they had to hold off on announcing the Seahawks had hired away their OL coach and OC until their portal had closed—Michigan hasn't had that.
• Huge impact. You hear what Bryce Underwood is making ($3M) per year at LSU and think what will someone pay for a one-year rental on a DT who changes the entire shape of your defense?
• Michigan's NIL program can now show recruits they'll have sustainability. ROI for the investors too.
• Why are our donors different? Because they're not money-launderers.
• Basketba—oops we're out of time.

[Hit the JUMP for the player, and video and stuff]

First broken by Sam Webb, Michigan intends to hire Don "Wink" Martindale to replace Jesse Minter as defensive coordinator.

Wink was the defensive coordinator of the Ravens from 2018-'22, meaning he's the DC who developed the "Ravens" defense that Michigan's been running, and was the coordinator Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter were reporting to before leaving for college jobs. Mac replaced Martindale in 2022, and Wink coached the New York Giants defense for the last two years.

If you're looking for a reason Michigan could pull a guy like Martindale out of the NFL now, the Ravens clearly chose to move on to Macdonald after 2021, and the Giants were 23rd and 30th in DVOA in the two seasons since, so the shine's come off. But he also checks the boxes that Sherrone Moore wanted for his DC hire, namely continuity, experience, and a big enough deal that the big deals on the roster don't get lured away by big deals in the portal.

If your goal for this hire was to get whomever Jesse Minter suggests, it's hard to do better than Minter's mentor. But of course we're Michigan fans flush from winning a national championship on the strength of the defense, so let's address the nits.

[After THE JUMP: Analysis.]