Al Washington Leaves For Ohio State
A second Michigan position coach has left for OSU:
Al Washington, who served as Michigan's linebackers coach in 2018, is joining Ryan Day's staff as the Buckeyes' linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator.
This one makes more sense than Day hiring a 70-year-old Greg Mattison to be a defensive coordinator. Washington recruited well during his single year in Ann Arbor.
Michigan now has two open spots for defensive position coaches. Jim McElwain already left to be CMU's head coach and was replaced by Ben McDaniels. Temple's head job is open again after Manny Diaz left for Miami just days after taking it, and Don Brown is the last guy standing amongst the three candidates previously mentioned. It does seem like Temple's moving on from Brown, with "in person interviews" with new candidates scheduled this week and NIU head coach Rod Carey emerging as a new name.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:23 AM ^
Washington was Brown's guy. This reflects very badly on Brown, assuming it's not a sign that he's off to Temple.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:26 AM ^
Columbus native whose dad also was at Ohio State moves back to Columbus and adds a "recruiting coordinator" position (and presumably a salary bump with it). Not sure how that reflects poorly on Brown. I mean, it sucks for us, but I get it.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:28 AM ^
Washington got hired, assumedly over other qualified coaches, because Brown had history with him. Then he jumps to our biggest rival at the first chance, coming off a historic ass-kicking from the said rival. How does that not make Brown's decision making look suspect?
January 8th, 2019 at 11:38 AM ^
Because the same OSU that torched the D for 60+ points hired him?
Whether your concern is strategy or loyalty, whatever they saw, apparently they don't think it was on the guys they hired.
I ain't saying that's what I think, but Day apparently disagrees with your take.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:41 AM ^
"Whether your concern is strategy or loyalty, whatever they saw, apparently they don't think it was on the guys they hired."
Which supports JPC's comment about this reflecting poorly on Brown. Not saying I agree, but just saying...
January 8th, 2019 at 11:49 AM ^
This one makes more sense to me.
I still don’t believe a guy should ever walk out the door directly to your rival. So much effort and trust goes into building a team. Washington had OSU bloodlines and gets a rare (maybe only) opportunity to get there.
Regardless. Screw him.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:17 PM ^
Dude, give me a $300-400k raise and I'd paint my body Scarlett and Gray and hold Ryan Day's headphones. Get realistic, this has zero to do with rivalry. It has everything to do with Al's family ties and $$$.
January 8th, 2019 at 1:02 PM ^
Somethings rotten in Denmark.....
Are you telling me that OSU has that much more in resources and coaching budget than we do? This is not a good look at all for Harbaugh......
January 8th, 2019 at 1:02 PM ^
Username.... Does not check out.
January 8th, 2019 at 1:08 PM ^
Apparently you like buck$ MOAR than uhatebux?!
January 8th, 2019 at 1:13 PM ^
I wish this was just about money. The real story is likely much worse.
January 8th, 2019 at 2:34 PM ^
???
College football is nothing but loyalty to the almighty dollar.
That's it. Like someone else said, $400k extra A YEAR is A LOT of money. Also, he grew up an osu fan....
Bo coached at osu and (albiet not directly) ended up at Michigan with a promotion and a pay raise. Sure I'll forever hate Al Washington now -- but college football has proven again and again and again that making money wins out over loyalty, morality, enjoyability of the game, etc. etc.
January 8th, 2019 at 9:05 PM ^
If you can't beat them join them!
January 8th, 2019 at 11:34 PM ^
I'll take Clemson's Co-offensive coordinator too please!
January 9th, 2019 at 5:36 AM ^
"I still don’t believe a guy should ever walk out the door directly to your rival."
Like this guy?
January 9th, 2019 at 2:35 PM ^
Key word - directly - Bo left Miami for Michigan.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
In a vacuum sure, but Brown given OSU more problems than most DCs they've faced over the last three years. He wasn't why we lost in '16 or '17.
Now, it may be that they figured him out (oh, hey, all we need is an NFL QB), but the weird thing is how Brown broke his own tendency, and the reams of scouting on Haskins -- get that guy's back on the grass, which is something Brown loves to do. So I dunno, man. Everything about that game was bizarre except the revelation that Poor Damn Brandon Watson can't cover a 5-star receiver.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:04 PM ^
Both Watson and Kinnel had fine careers and are good football players. Everyone can see however that more speed is needed at those spots
January 8th, 2019 at 2:35 PM ^
Enter Dax Hill....
January 8th, 2019 at 12:57 PM ^
Chris Olave (FR) had the first two TD receptions in the “game”. He also had the blocked punt which was caught by another freshman. (45 FR on OSU roster) He is a 3 Star.
Day has had an eye for talent.
Poor Watson. Kid did his best.
January 8th, 2019 at 1:10 PM ^
Olave may have been a 3* - but FAST!
I think that's a leetle more pertinent to the D's problems in that game than the crootin rankings
January 8th, 2019 at 2:49 PM ^
I don't know, he was a WR, so probably was recruiting by OSU's WR coach at that time... can't recall his name...
(yes, I know Day was involved in recruiting)
January 8th, 2019 at 2:52 PM ^
The guys name who is not to be mentioned.
January 8th, 2019 at 8:47 PM ^
Urban Meyer and the Chamber of Secrets.
January 8th, 2019 at 5:16 PM ^
Olave was a 3 star. So even worse.
January 8th, 2019 at 5:18 PM ^
I read this as JPC referring to the initial hiring decision not the game plan decision.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:11 PM ^
Because the guy had OSU ties from the get-go. We should not have hired the guy because he had OSU ties?
January 8th, 2019 at 12:26 PM ^
Bo had OSU ties didn't he?
January 9th, 2019 at 4:47 PM ^
You’re assuming Bo wasn’t a mole the entire time at OSU. That’s a dangerous assumption, friend.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
This reflects poorly on Harbaugh, not Brown.
January 8th, 2019 at 1:11 PM ^
this is what's happening.
mattison coming to the end of his coaching carrier wanted to do one last sacrifice for UM and is sent in as a spy to screw day.
washington, having been promised brown's position after this coming season will work with mattison to screw with not only OSU's defense but their ohio recruiting.
end of next season mattison will retire back in AA with family. brown will leave for a HC position and washington will return to UM as DC.
as yoder would say, credit me if this all happens. if it doesn't, blame harbaugh.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:26 AM ^
Sure, assuming you ignore the dozen other factors that link Washington to OSU.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:04 PM ^
See Baker Mayfield quotes and actions regarding Hugh Jackson going to the Bengals. Hope UM reacts like that
January 8th, 2019 at 1:42 PM ^
Color me picky, but it's "Hue" Jackson...
January 8th, 2019 at 6:11 PM ^
Color... Hue...
ISWYDT
January 8th, 2019 at 11:24 AM ^
Disappointing, but totally understand the guy wanting to go back home at a program of OSU's caliber to work for Day, who he of course previously worked with at BC.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:28 AM ^
The guy put on the Michigan sweater and hat and now he's flipping to the other side. Fuck this. This reflects really poorly on our program and Harbaugh, and really poorly on Washington.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:47 AM ^
It's a job and he's still a fairly young coach working his way up the ladder.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:49 AM ^
Just reflects poorly on him.
I get the personal appeal to Washington but to recruit kids to come play for you at Michigan, ghost them when they try to reach you, then go to OSU for a lateral move is a sleazy way to live.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:57 PM ^
I wish Matti and Washington all the luck that Andrew Dakich had against Michigan.
GO BLUE
January 8th, 2019 at 12:02 PM ^
While I liked Al Washington, especially as a recruiter, we knew from the start he had OSU roots.
This reflects poorly on nobody except maybe users who post negative nancy stuff like this.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:05 PM ^
That's just it. Why wouldn't OSU people have been calling him a traitor when he first came to us?
January 8th, 2019 at 2:12 PM ^
Because they knew they could have him back if they wanted him. Plus he can bring an inside look into the Harbaugh ran program. The need for some change on both sides of the ball is even more evident now.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:07 PM ^
You know who else had OSU roots? Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller, and hundreds of UM players in the 70's and 80's and 90's.
January 8th, 2019 at 1:16 PM ^
"Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller, and hundreds of UM players in the 70's and 80's and 90's."
You're missing a critical point. Schembechler didn't move directly from OSU's staff to Michigan—he first went to his own alma mater Miami of Ohio for six years, and Moeller was on his Miami staff and then came with Bo to A2.
I can't think of a single assistant of Bo's who moved directly from Michigan to OSU—such a thing would have been basically unthinkable at that time.
Times have changed, apparently.
January 8th, 2019 at 2:28 PM ^
Agree. Comes across poorly. Additionally, the outside world sees this as 2 coaches leaving Michigan for its biggest rival. Not good for brand image.
Still waiting for a JH move to fix the product next year with D coaches leaving and the need to upgrade the offense. Can't wait. Guess this is why he makes the Big bucks along with being paid to deliver championships.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:26 PM ^
again, again: if you start with the assumption that the program is in bad shape, and harbaugh is the cause of it, then literally every negative thing that happens is further proof of that fact, and every positive thing happens despite harbaugh, rather than because of him.
January 8th, 2019 at 12:48 PM ^
Get out of this place with calm, well thought out reasonings. /s
January 8th, 2019 at 1:54 PM ^
Agree and appreciate this. But I still think it's time for Harbaugh to speak to the issues/answer questions.
January 8th, 2019 at 2:48 PM ^
BPONE?
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