In a move with ramifications beyond replacing Shaun Nua as Michigan’s defensive line coach, it seems Note Dame DL coach, and Michigan alumnus Mike Elston is (finally) being called home, Irish Illustrated’s Tom Loy reports.

BREAKING: #NotreDame defensive line coach Mike Elston is expected to leave South Bend for the same position at #Michigan.

Story: https://t.co/8wNGFam7cJ#IrishIllustrated @247Sports pic.twitter.com/xMDtaDNZRk

— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) January 13, 2022

Yes, we look askance around here when Loy reports something good for Notre Dame is about to happen. But he’s usually not wrong about things that are not what Notre Dame fans want to happen, and this certainly qualifies. Elston is a loooooong-time Brian Kelly assistant and recruiting coordinator, earning the role of associate head coach last year, and surprising many when he didn’t follow Kelly to LSU.

The timing of this has ramifications, of course, for Michigan’s hopes of retaining their head coach, as Jim Harbaugh wouldn’t be making a power move with his open assistant position if he thinks he’s going to the Raiders next week. It’s not the slam dunk that an out-of-the-box hire might be, however, since Elston to Ann Arbor has been prophesized for years.

[After THE JUMP: Why yes, I do have Elston's recruiting rankings]

Elston’s name has been bandied about by Michigan fans whenever there’s been a staff opening, going all the way back to when we were discussing potential DCs for Rich Rodriguez. Over that time Elston recruited and developed all sorts of great linemen whose names will ring your bell: Kapron Lewis-Moore, Louis Nix, Khalid Kareem, Daelin Hayes, Julian and Romeo Okwara, Jerry Tillery, Sheldon Day, Jarron Jones, Isaac Rochell, Stephon Tuitt, Adeokuno Ogundeji…and I am sure I’m leaving more out. He also beat out Michigan in recruiting those guys. He currently has Florida 5-star DE Keon Keeley and a top-100 DE from Ohio, Brenan Vernan, committed to him for 2023.

Thought to be a likely candidate to move up to defensive coordinator under Marcus Freeman, Elston had been a mainstay of Brian Kelly’s staffs going back through Cincy to when they both joined Central Michigan in 2004. Elston was a DL coach and recruiting coordinator for Eastern Michigan before that.

Before EMU, of course, Elston was a Wolverine, recruited out of St. Mary’s, Ohio, by Gary Moeller in 1993, which means like Ron Bellamy and Mike Hart, Elston is in my database (and Dr. Sap’s rolodex). Mike was Tom Lemming’s #15 player in the Midwest, BlueChip Illustrated’s #14 linebacker, and the #37 player in the Midwest to Superprep. (That's a 4.05* in my composite). Elston started 10 games next to Jarrett Irons and Sam Sword for those mid-’90s Carr teams that couldn’t keep their SAMs healthy, famously returning in 1996 after rehabbing shoulder and knee surgeries at the same time. After his playing career ended, Elston joined Carr’s staff as a grad assistant for the 1997 run, and hung around until EMU’s DE job opened up in 2001.

Twenty-one years later, Number 5's return comes at a time when Michigan needs a new generation of edge rushers and interior warriors about as badly as they did when Elston graduated. Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Chris Hinton are off to the NFL, and only Hinton had a backup with anywhere near his level of production. Non-field assistant Ryan Osborn, who was likely to get the DL job if a power move like this wasn't available, may also move on. Mike's return, however, is at least a sign that Harbaugh isn't going anywhere. After a few years with Elston around, opponent offenses might not be either.