Michigan Hires OSU RB Coach Tony Alford
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.
Vince Lombardi would have been a shocking addition to the staff
Blake Corum /s
Keith Jackson.
Whoa Nellie!!
That guy Keith....Keith Jackson, Would've been a pretty jaw-dropping hire.
My dude, if you don't think stealing a well regarded RB coach from our biggest rivals is a big hire, then you are just looking for things to be mad about.
I'm not mad about it, but I expected it to be a bigger name, like some RB whisperer or something. OSU hasn't exactly thrilled me with their RB play lately, but I said great hire and I do expect him to be great on the recruiting trail.
And no, I didn't think it was a jaw dropping hire when OSU got Mattison.
Neg away.
What's more jaw dropping for a RB position coach hire, than Michigan hiring Ohio State's RB coach? If that's not jaw dropping, who would be? Tom Brady? Charles Woodson?
A bigger name? Yes.
Neg away, but I led off my comment with GREAT HIRE. I just don't think it's "jaw dropping" to get a rival's assistant coach.
It's not "a rival's coach" it's OSU's coach.
I'm really curious as to how this happened? What was offered?
More than 3 YPC for the players he's coaching.
Most of that was on the merely good, not great run blocking like Michigan has enjoyed the past 3 seasons.
Winning the Michigan / Ohio State game and therefore the B1G.
And Zingerman's.
Michigan runs the ball - nuff said. Welcome aboard Coach Alford!
Don’t want to worry unnecessarily, but Jordan Marshall was obviously heavily recruited by OSU/Alford and said no to them. I hope he wants to be the next Blake Corum regardless of coach more than he wanted to play for Mike Hart.
Marshall is "super excited" about the hire: From TMI:
“I’m super excited to be coached by him,” Marshall told The Michigan Insider. “Coach Alford and I have such a special bond. We were both very upset when I broke the news that I wasn’t going to Ohio State, but just like I said before, God has a plan and his plan was for Coach Alford to be my coach. I’m so thankful for Coach Moore getting the best guys possible for the job. Now we both got something to prove. GO BLUE!”
I mean Marshall was between Michigan and OSU and now Hart is probably not coaching anytime soon. This hire seems like almost the best possible coach to keep Marshall around imo. Not sure how you're interpreting this hire negatively in that regard
TL;DR: "Alford has been one of the best recruiters in the nation."
That's all I really needed.
March 13th, 2024 at 11:05 PM ^
I will believe this when the next Bo Jackson arrives on campus.
Hmmmm....saw this in an article.
"Bo Jackson is about 19 months away from being able to sign anywhere, but with his connection to Tony Alford, it seems clear that the Buckeyes are going to be involved throughout the entire process."
Link to Buckeye site so open at your own risk
https://buckeyehuddle.com/2023/05/14/2025-rb-bo-jackson-knows-what-hes-looking-for-in-a-school/
Go, Blue! Beat, Tosu—in every way possible.
Losing Hart is still a big deal but this is a nice recovery. I honestly don't care that much about the rivalry aspect but it does seem like a good recruiter and the RB talent at OSU is always high. I did take a gander over at 11 Warriors and the knock they have on him was the "curious" running back carry distributions and which guys were deployed at different times the last handful of years, seemingly not understanding that isn't the RB coach's choice but instead the head man.
Again, I don't know if there's been a coach with more pressure on him to win than Day is this season, and already you're starting to see some cracks.
Hart wanted to be OC/HC bad and apparently Moore thought it'd be a problem if he wasn't. There are two benefits here one is Ohio recruiting and two, Marshall likely stays.
Yeah, I assume Marshall was going to stick around because Hart not coming back was apparently out there. I always assumed it was personal matters with Hart and not his desire to be an OC/HC, but if so then this makes more sense. The fact Hart didn't go out and try to get an OC/HC job elsewhere is a bit weird.
I still think Hart is a fantastic RB coach and losing him will likely hurt on-field performance somewhat but probably, in total, this will be at least equal if not a slight upgrade just because of the recruiting uptick.
I don't like this, this only makes sense from his pov if he's coming here to spy and sabotage us from the inside!
Bad take. It makes sense he'd want to go be RB coach in a run-first program, coming from an obvious pass-first program.
That sure would be something, if OSU Nation is paying him double on the sly to be a spy. They want to beat us that bad that I wouldn't put it past them in trying. But they'd use a OSU alum. Somebody who didn't play there wouldn't be that loyal to a program.
How high are you. Pass it pass it
It's weird we have one of the few jobs where you could absolutely get blazed as much as you like if you wanted, and nobody on our staff even uses pot.
Seth, the Gummy dish is full for a reason. You think Brians' wild man t-shirt image was from having multiple technical degrees from Michigan or maybe a penchant for dabbling.
I am sorry to be the one to point this out. Selfishly it has put a more creative spin to content. Both to read and to write.
A podcast with y'all being high would just be an 1.5 hours of giggling
The podcast would just be an an hourlong ambient recording of EMT's administering CPR to Brian after he intro'd the 'hottest takes' segment by growling SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETHHH for eleven uninterrupted minutes.
I wasn’t saying you were puffing OG. Just to the paranoid fans who think he’s going to be a Trojan horse. Lounge
This was at least 90% a joke, simmer down, lol.
The remaining 10% is *gestures at the OSU-induced 'scandal' of a few months ago*
The word "underutilized" always comes to mind when I think of OSU's backs. They have always been somewhere between great and elite, it seems like. And at times I wonder why they don't run more. Their 3rd and short problems seem more to do with OL and physicality than anything related to the RB coach.
I think it's their OL and what their OL practices. The on-field evidence suggests they mainly practice pass pro because Day's philosophy is pass first. So when they need 2 yards in a high-leverage situation, of course they do the thing they've practiced.
It's just who they've chosen to be. It's not entirely bad; it certainly let CJ Stroud put up video game numbers against the likes of Maryland and Kent State, but it obviously comes with a cost when they face 4th and 2 with the game on the line in the Big House.
Funny thing is that Stroud was 6 scores away from beating us over two seasons. Not 6 firsts downs 6 scores. Im not even sure picking up a few 4th and 2s wouldve done much. This last year was competitive but CJs teams couldnt even compete.
Doubtless this is the funniest thing that could have resulted from Mike Hart's departure.
So true.
Maybe this coach just wants to go someplace where his backs and OL work together to show what they can do. With the current situation in Columbus, with the emphasis on trying to develop a pass heavy 3 five star wide outs each year, that simply won't happen. With the Wolverines, there will be a role for the RB and OL even if there is a superb QB like JJ McCarthy.
The bonus of course is that he might be a great recruiter. And there is a lot of tape on a great line with backs breaking 30 and 40+ yard runs. Even the most $ focused recruits can't miss the implications of that.
Just got to scrub off the Buckeye stink.
While it's a big f u back to OSU after taking Washington and Horseface, I'm bittersweet about it, and in general I don't like position coaches changing sides in the rivalry. However, when an assistant is becoming head coach in fine with, oddly....
Good recruiter, by all accounts a good coach and it hurts our biggest rival? Sign me up!
Maybe dallan hayden or quinshon comes with?
I wonder if he thinks he sees a team that might use their running backs and an o-line equipped for the task? What he saw two days into the Chip Kelly era didn't convince him. Wonder if he has any insight into last years' travails? I hope this makes Ryan's Day.
Ok so, right when the off-season started, there were rumblings that no offensive coach other than Hartline was safe. Then there was word that the new OC would have a say in who would be kept and who wouldn’t. Frye and Alford were the ones people were speculating about, but it makes sense that Frye came from Kelly’s staff at UCLA to OSU and Alford wasn’t extended past this coming year. Not sure how good of an RB coach he was, but he had some recruiting wins and some close losses due to some schools slipping a bag at the last second (we all thought he had Bijan Robinson in the bag). He will probably kill it recruiting-wise at UM. Sucks to see him go, but this wasn’t totally unpredicted. The destination was though…
"... slipping a bigger bag at the last second ..."
FTFY. :)
Yeah these days you dont exclusively share the National High School Draft 1st round with:
Georgia and Bama + SEC flavor of the week, Miami and A and M
Without following a certain pattern from this same group. And that is not even sour grapes if I was in charge of UM recruiting Id pay the damn kids and join the exclusive club.
One reason Alford might have come to Michigan: Connections are everything for a coach's career. There are now three head coaches in the pros with significant connections to the Wolverines who he might meet. Maybe he's hoping at some point to join one of them.
Should we be careful that Alford is not going to steal our signs??? I wouldn’t put it past Buckeye nation to have a mole…
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