Report: George Helow Out
It felt inevitable once former star Michigan assistant/Paramus HC/very good LB coach Chris Partridge was returning, but now it appears official. Per Bruce Feldman, current LBs coach George Helow won't be back next year.
SOURCE: Michigan and Wolverines LB coach George Helow have mutually agreed to part ways to pursue other opportunities. Helow who arrived in 2021, helped UM rank in the Top 15 in yards per play both YRs and developed Junior Colson into Freshman All-American and an All-Big Ten LB.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 16, 2023
After bringing back Partridge, who spent the last several years as DC at Ole Miss, Harbaugh was one over the assistant limit, so somebody had to go. Helow, a former Ravens assistant who was Mike Macdonald's choice in 2021, seemed the obvious man without a chair.
Though the system had something to do with it too, Michigan's linebacker play under Helow hasn't been great. Helow also struggled a bit in recruiting—the 2022 cycle at linebacker was pretty rough, with Michigan whiffing on several top targets they thought would be in the class before lucking into Jimmy Rolder popping late. Helow was helpful in pulling Ernest Hausmann out of Nebraska.
While a bit unfair to Helow, Michigan is getting quite an upgrade. Partridge was a major recruiting asset in his first stint with Michigan, and should resume that role. He also had quite a lot of success as a linebacking coach in 2016-'17, when Ben Gedeon, Mike McCray, Devin Bush, Devin Gil, and young Josh Ross graded out between Pretty Good and Greatest Ever(?). Partridge moved to safeties in 2018 when Al Washington came on staff, before leaving in 2020 for Ole Miss. He was also an superb special teams coach.
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February 16th, 2023 at 12:59 PM ^
May I be the 7,238th person to make this play on words, but . . .
Helow, good bye.
February 16th, 2023 at 1:12 PM ^
7,237th time. That -- that business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't count.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:32 PM ^
Thanks for the clarification. I'm always a bit confused about Cato Neimoidia.
February 17th, 2023 at 1:39 AM ^
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye...
February 16th, 2023 at 1:06 PM ^
I would have been ok with any of the commonly mentioned staff shuffling options to get CP back but this was best by far. Natural fit, improves recruiting and player development with least amount of disruption to overall staff. A+
February 16th, 2023 at 1:08 PM ^
When there is a "mutual agreement to part ways", that tells me that George got a decent goodbye hug and kiss to find other "opportunities" --- and to make room on the coaching couch for Partridge.
Good for him, and, reportedly/obviously, good for us.
Nice!
February 16th, 2023 at 1:32 PM ^
Make way for Michael Barrett, LB assistant! L know?
February 16th, 2023 at 2:14 PM ^
Indeed, L do know.
👍😉👍
February 16th, 2023 at 1:39 PM ^
There are rumors that he will be the DC at Tulane.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:59 PM ^
Tulane hired another dc.
February 16th, 2023 at 4:21 PM ^
So much for that rumor
February 17th, 2023 at 4:44 AM ^
What that tells you is that Helow couldn't find the other opportunity in the time allotted so he had to just GTFO without anything else.
(But maybe we are saying the same thing with different levels of tact?)
February 16th, 2023 at 1:09 PM ^
Though the system had something to do with it too, Michigan's linebacker play under Helow hasn't been great.
True, but they didn't exactly have a stable of seasoned stallions here. Last year, they had Josh Ross (a solid, but limited player) playing in a brand new system, as well as a banged up Nikhai Hil-Green and a freshman Junior Colson. This year, they had a sophomore Junior Colson (who greatly improved), Michael Barrett (who was never supposed to be an inside linebacker, but did pretty well throughout the season), and no Nikhai Hill-Green due to injury. The guy clearly wasn't a diamond in the rough, but he wasn't exactly a schlub either.
I appreciate his service.
I am, however, very happy Partridge is back. Dude's a stud.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:54 PM ^
Next year we get junior Junior Colson.
Roger Roger!
February 16th, 2023 at 2:57 PM ^
No joke, I went to college with a kid named Rodger Rodgers.
February 17th, 2023 at 5:01 AM ^
I wonder if it makes that guy's life easier that people know his parents were dicks right off the bat.
February 16th, 2023 at 1:10 PM ^
Not a surprise. I fully expect an upgrade in recruiting with Partridge coming back. I will again push back against the idea UM was great under STs under Partridge. I pulled the numbers a bit ago but UM was in the mid-40s in SP+ ST ranking with him...and in the top-5 once he left and Jaybaugh took over. And yeah, having two great punters and kickers matters but Partridge had solid players in that department as well and they weren't that good on punt returns, kickoff returns, etc.
Anyway, glad to see the staff settling out.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:56 PM ^
Id like to see someone in the know do a list of all the Partridge recruits, because save for Gary, it seems most of them transferred out. I hope the numbers are better than I expect, because he seems to get credit for recruits like Peppers, when they were Hokes recruits.
February 16th, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
He did recruit Peppers to his high school, so there's that.
CP was primary on Devin Bush, DJ Turner, and Mike Barrett(!), among others
CP was secondary on Dax Hill, among others
Some guys transferred for sure, but Mike Barrett remains
February 16th, 2023 at 3:56 PM ^
Thanks. He got Bush and likely we got Dax because of him. I kept thinking of guys like Solomon and Mitchell who both left.
February 16th, 2023 at 4:35 PM ^
Mike Barrett is eternal.
February 16th, 2023 at 3:11 PM ^
He had a solid track record but it wasn't overwhelming. The one thing I'll give him is he did seem able to break thru with top-level recruits in a way UM has struggled to replicate since he left. I'm fairly confident he'll be a plus on the trail; I'm somewhat more suspect about him as an on-field improvement but we'll see.
February 16th, 2023 at 3:59 PM ^
Off the top of my head Ambry Thomas, Dax Hill, Chris Hinton, Cesar Ruiz, Cam McGrone, Devin Bush, David Ojabo. Pretty damn good especially considering he wasn’t the position coach for most of them.
February 16th, 2023 at 1:13 PM ^
Does anybody know if Helow would have been out had Partridge not become available? There seemed to be some rumors around the time the Partridge rumors started that insiders knew Helow was on his way out for whatever reason, but I'm curious what the deal was.
February 16th, 2023 at 1:23 PM ^
I'd have been shocked if Helow was on the way out after back-to-back B1G titles and playoff appearances. I know the framing here is that the LBers were bad but he's been on the job all of two years and inherited Ross (a limited LB), two largely-unproven LBers in Colson and NHG, and then shifted Barrett over from his natural viper position. And that unit was perfectly fine in 2021. Then this year he gets Colson, Barrett, and no NHG but does seem to hit on Rolder (acting like he "fell" into UM's lap is a bit disingeunous because while Wisconsin didn't recruit him well he was also IDed by Helow early on and UM actually closed on him in the end). And then Hauserman transferred over and should add good depth.
I think the bigger issue was recruiting, and Helow (as well as other guys on the staff) lagged in that department. Partridge showing up made a ton of sense on that front and so Helow was on the way out in part because he coached the same position. But no, despite what some random guy said here about Helow being hated by the players my guess is there wouldn't have been a staff change without Partridge being available.
February 16th, 2023 at 1:43 PM ^
Sam Webb said that Helow is/was a Macdonald guy and as soon as went back to the Ravens, he was probably gonna leave at some point
February 16th, 2023 at 2:57 PM ^
Well, Weiss being canned probably affected it too, spacewise.
February 16th, 2023 at 1:15 PM ^
Partridge back, landing Hausmann, Hill-Green healthy, a returning Barrett and a more seasoned Rolder to go along with a potential All American in Colson.
Damn!
Did the linebacking corps go from a thin room with some worries to potentially the strength of this defense?
February 16th, 2023 at 10:13 PM ^
I know he was just a FR, but man Rolder didn't show me anything.
Barrett was also up and down as was Hill-Green last time he played.
Hausmann was a massive get. I have to believe he is someone who won't leave the field much, which is why I was surprised Barrett returned.
February 16th, 2023 at 1:35 PM ^
I'd have to think Helow had a lot to do with a solid season for Mike Barrett. Outside of that I'm not sure you can lay much blame at his feet as the room was lacking any experience at all. Patridge has the opportunity to elevate Colson into All-American territory while having a room full of contributors:Barrett, Hill-Green, Rolder, and Hausermann. Room wen from how can we cover this to let the cream rise to the top and we will be very good IMO! Good problem to have! Thanks for your time Helo and welcome back CP
February 16th, 2023 at 2:02 PM ^
How was his recruiting at Ole Miss? I'm asking a legit question. A lot of his recruiting success at Michigan was recruiting players in New Jersey that he had long standing relationships with. Caveats apply on the level that is Ole Miss, but relative to that level, was his recruiting there still high level?
February 16th, 2023 at 2:22 PM ^
Partridge was recruiting five stars out of Georgia. He got Nico Collins too.
Yeah he recruited well at Ole Miss
February 16th, 2023 at 2:44 PM ^
When I looked it up from the Ole Miss perspective, they mentioned he opened the Midwest and Atlantic for them, but never fully was able to tap into the Southeast, but I don't get into the weeds on this enough to really know what's accurate or not. That's why I come here. Thank you for the heads up.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:41 PM ^
He now has relationships with HS coaches in that part of the country as well which always helps.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:58 PM ^
Right, and most of them transferred out.
February 16th, 2023 at 3:10 PM ^
The NJ kids did. But Devin Bush, DJ Turner, and Mike Barrett(!) did not, to name a few who Partridge was the primary recruiter for.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:04 PM ^
Seemed like he was the odd man out here. Linebacker under Helow hasn’t been a weakness necessarily, but they’ve definitely been the weakest link of the three units. Partridge’s work with Peppers, Bush, Gedeon, Hudson and others suggest he’ll be a big upgrade in that department, and a huge one on the recruiting trail.
February 16th, 2023 at 4:37 PM ^
Agreed on LB not being a weakness. I think it was more that, on a team with so many strengths, it was obvious that LB was not a strength, either.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:10 PM ^
Good move for Michigan, and hopefully Helow can latch on to an NFL org in some capacity where he is likely a better fit.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:24 PM ^
Appreciate the back to back B1G championship defenses sir. That was enjoyable.
February 16th, 2023 at 2:42 PM ^
Big upgrade off the field. I also see this as an upgrade on it. Win win, and Beat OSU!
February 16th, 2023 at 3:01 PM ^
Never had seen a picture of Helow before. Not what I imagined. Probably because of the name, in my mind's eye, Helow was a sinewy older guy balding without a beard.
February 16th, 2023 at 3:45 PM ^
I'm not sold that this is a for sure upgrade. For all we know this could blow up the team chemistry. If I was Junior or Barrett I would be confused and pissed.
February 16th, 2023 at 4:32 PM ^
You know what confuses & pisses me off? The roundabouts that go counterclockwise. Talk about confusing & anger inducing! I’m getting disoriented & mad just thinking about it
February 16th, 2023 at 10:17 PM ^
Mike was recruited by Partridge and is a big fan. Colson will be fine, he’s not going anywhere and isn’t unhappy. But I do have to agree with you and others that I am not sold that Chris is a big upgrade.
Partridge did recruit some players, but a decent chunk transferred too. I also think as an on field coach he is just so-so. I would say he’s a slight upgrade in recruiting and a slight downgrade in on field coaching. So it’s a wash to a degree. Partridge might be able to recruit slightly higher ranked guys but Helow I think is better at developing them.
So the question is would you rather have a lb ranked in the 100-200 range with decent coaching or a lb in the 350-500 range with good+ coaching? I guess it all depends. Also yeah Partridge needs to take a back seat to Jay on special teams.
I’m interested to see how Colson develops under Chris and also what recruiting looks like with him stepping in. I also feel I need to set the record straight that Moore was the one who pulled Daxton Hill in.
Gary had a years long relationship with Partridge. Moore pulled in Hill. Solomon was a flop and transferred. Hinton was overrated and never lived up to his potential. Luiji Vilain never did anything at Michigan. Cesar Ruiz had a years long relationship with Chris too. He gets credit for Drew Singleton, who transferred. Jordan Anthony, Kareem Walker, Myles Sims, Jordan Morant, Oliver Martin, Anthony Solomon, James Hudson. You see how quickly this list is turning into a list of guys who never contributed or who transferred out? Ruiz obviously was a big time player and so was Gary. To be able to pull Gary was awesome back then. But he did have years and years of a relationship with him. And I can tell you personally from Hill that Moore is the reason he came to Michigan. Idk I’m just saying I’m not sure I’m sold on him. Not saying I loved Helow either and I’m surprised his recruiting wasn’t better. But I do think there were better options out there.
February 16th, 2023 at 3:49 PM ^
Greatest ever? Yeah, Devin Bush was amazing. I don't think he gets enough credit for just how good he was at Michigan.
February 16th, 2023 at 4:09 PM ^
Is this the player to be named later in the Shea Patterson trade?
February 16th, 2023 at 4:12 PM ^
Helow was never a Ravens assistant
February 16th, 2023 at 7:07 PM ^
LB have been the weak spot in our D the past 2 seasons. I think we have some young talent that needs to be coached up. I hope Chris can make a difference next season. I'm hoping Colson keeps improving.
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