Greg Mattison is Leaving for Ohio State
For the second time in his career, Greg Mattison is departing Michigan with a giant middle finger, and leaving a giant hole.
Michigan assistant expected to accept job at Ohio State https://t.co/j4wcjDyLDr
— WolverinesWire (@wolverineswire) January 7, 2019
After the 1996 season, Mattison, then Michigan's defensive coordinator, left to join Bob Davie in the same position at Notre Dame. Michigan's 1997 defense, which owed much to Mattison's recruiting and eye for talent, then won a national championship without him.
When he returned to Ann Arbor in 2011 Mattison was more heralded—justifiably so—than head coach and friend Brady Hoke. Greg inherited the worst defense perhaps in the history of the program, gave them an identity, and recruited the bulk of a unit that was, by 2015, once again among the nation's elite (except in the one game that matters).
That wasn't the last coaching transition Mattison helped to rescue here. Mattison planned to leave when Brady Hoke was fired—even boxing up his office. However Mattison had deep connections with the Harbaughs, earning his first coordinator job from Jack at Western Michigan in the mid-1980s, and serving as John's defensive coordinator for two years with the Baltimore Ravens. As he had when Davie was replaced with Tyrone Willingham in 2002, Mattison—still under contract—accepted a demotion to defensive line coach, keeping his room intact under Jim Harbaugh. For another four seasons, Mattison remained one of the top assistants in the nation in recruiting while producing elite defensive linemen, whether they came that way (Rashan) or had to be stolen back from the fullback room (Winovich).
At 70 with his contract expired, Mattison was expected to remain or retire as a Wolverine. While no official statement has confirmed it so far, it appears that new Ohio State head coach Ryan Day offered Mattison a chance to be defensive coordinator again. It was reported shortly after the Mattison news that current OSU DC Greg Schiano won't be retained, and Pete Thamel just reported that 49ers DB coach Jeff Hafley will be accepting a "co-" defensive coordinator role there. Hafley, like myself, is 39 and has never been a DC.
Impact: So, it's not a good look, either for Michigan nor Mattison, whose reputation shifts immediately from Septuagenarian of Swag to college football's worst Benedict Arnold. Losing an accomplished and well-known assistant to the very fine people in Columbus will be press released as exactly the kind of deep blow its orchestrators intended it to be. Superficially swiping your rival's 70-year-old assistant, however, creates as many questions about longevity tomorrow as petty high-fives today. Mattison's defensive line expertise is superfluous at Ohio State, who poached top DL coach Larry Johnson Sr. from Penn State when Franklin took over, so at best this is a temporary move for Ohio State while they groom Hafley.
Michigan could also be fine. Rising star OLB coach Al Washington would have been tough to retain this offseason; Washington, like Mattison, is a strong recruiter with deep Ohio ties and in fact was previously the Michigan coach rumored to be considering an OSU job. Mattison's departure instead should clear the way for Michigan to promote Washington up the assistant chain while returning him to his most natural coaching position; Washington was Don Brown's defensive line coach at Boston College and at most of his other stops.
That all of course depends on whether Brown himself stays with Michigan or accepts the Temple head coaching job that Manny Diaz just bounced from. Harbaugh will have to wait a few more tense weeks to have a good idea of who's going to be coaching with him in 2019.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:21 PM ^
and/or left the program....
January 7th, 2019 at 3:34 PM ^
I thought the DL underachieved this season but did not anticipate Mattison would be Drevno'd. I believe Harbaugh knew exactly what was going on and was fine with it.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:48 PM ^
There is NO doubt that DBush was central to our Defensive rushing stats, and also added to our sack rate. Maybe the Dline wasn't quite as good overall ... with the exception of Chase !
Go Blue!
January 7th, 2019 at 10:41 PM ^
Good points. Starting to feel a little better after some of the thoughtful comments here, including yours. Going to trust Harbaugh. Thank you.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:01 PM ^
I've always liked Mattison and the DLine has always graded as "Good" at worst ... but we have the talent and the coaching to keep the D humming, Go Blue!!
January 7th, 2019 at 3:02 PM ^
Um April Fools is still 2 and a half months away... This isn't funny
January 7th, 2019 at 3:10 PM ^
This is just really, really weird. On the other hand, at 70 it seems as if your shelf life in college football as well as your ability to relate to 18 year olds is questionable, so I am not getting too bent out of shape over it.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:10 PM ^
GOOD
January 7th, 2019 at 3:19 PM ^
Love me some basketball. Love it. Wonder what they can do with the land that the Big House sits on? More parking for Crisler??
January 7th, 2019 at 3:33 PM ^
When are we going to play an outdoor basketball game in the Big House, just like hockey?
That would be awesome.
A little cold and wnidy perhaps, but Big Ten basketball is hardly an artistic endeavor anyway.
January 7th, 2019 at 4:57 PM ^
well, didn't sparty and unc play on an aircraft carrier? it could be done. 3s don't go down as easy. i know that from my old playground experience at that park near Casey's Tavern in AA back in the day.
January 8th, 2019 at 11:16 AM ^
The weather in San Diego in Dec. is a little more favorable and predictable than it is in Ann Arbor. But it would be cool to see. Basketball is an outdoor game, started that way and should remain that way.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:20 PM ^
We all expected that Mattison was going to retire pretty soon. So Michigan starts next season without Mattison . . . just like we pretty much expected.
So this is not a real blow to Michigan. We just don't like where he's going.
But I'm not sure how much he adds to Ohio State. It seems like they could get pretty much any DC they wanted. Strange first choice.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:35 PM ^
My only legit guess is they are bringing him in to help groom Hafley into taking full responsibilities as DC in 1-2 years. So he'll be more of a mentor than anything. Then he will retire.
But that doesn't fully explain things...because what's so special about Hafley?
January 7th, 2019 at 3:48 PM ^
That seems to make the most sense. OSU may know something about Hafley that no one else does or they may just be unreasonably bullish on him, but that kind of situation is not that unusual.
I can't get worked up about a position coach leaving for a coordinator position at another school, even if it's OSU.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:22 PM ^
This hire does not make sense on its own, but it makes perfect sense when combined with the news that OSU is hiring a 39 year old with no prior DC experience to be co-DC.
Hafley is supposed to be a very good recruiter, and is a very good DB coach. Grooming him for 2-3 years to see if he can handle the role full time when Mattison retires makes a ton of sense.
Now, one could argue that the right thing to do was just go hire a great DC and skip the grooming process, and I think that would be a pretty strong argument. But *if* you've already decided that a young coach like Hafley is the way to go (maybe because more senior coaches would balk at working for a young coach like Day?), bringing in Mattison for his last few years might even be classified as brilliant.
Either way, I don't see this as a big loss for UM, just a little embarrassment for a few days.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:27 PM ^
Now, one could argue that the right thing to do was just go hire a great DC
Indeed.
You are Ohio freaking State. Why try to see if you can build your own iphone from tin cans and strings and 9 volt batteries when you can just go down to the Apple store and pick up as many as you want?
They are not some lower tier Big 12 school, this is an approach they don't have to take.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:37 PM ^
How can you possibly say he's a very good recruiter when his entire coaching career is in the NFL? I mean, he might be, and it's clear he was hired to help the recruiting pipeline in New Jersey. But...he has literally no experience coaching at the collegiate level (which is different than NFL in many ways), and OSU just hired him as a co-DC? Doesn't that strike you as odd?
January 7th, 2019 at 3:52 PM ^
Extremely odd.
Like pictures-with-sheep odd.
He never coached nor recruited in college and you are giving him the keys to the kingdom? Why? What's so unique about him that you can't replicate with an already established successful college DC hire?
OSU could pretty much do the same thing Michigan did when it got Don Brown. There is not a DC in college football that would not give a listen.
January 7th, 2019 at 4:06 PM ^
You're misinformed. He has 8 years of college coaching experience, including a year at Rutgers with Schiano, where he was considered to be one of their better recruiters.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:58 PM ^
It's actually a compliment (just one we hate right now). If indeed, Mattison is being brought in to OSU to help groom an up and coming young DC, that's a huge admission that Michigan does things competently and the right way. Why wouldn't they have Meyer be the mentor? Oh wait.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:24 PM ^
Don Brown considering a head coaching job is way more concerning than losing Mattison, for every game except the biggest games when we really need our defense.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:27 PM ^
Hilarious. Next time the fan boys talk about how special the coaches are, link to this.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:28 PM ^
Back when Harbaugh came in 2015 and brought Durkin with him, thereby demoting Mattison to DL Coach, I started a thread here about how it was a surprising move, and it looked like they were trying to marginalize Mattison's influence on the defense. I received dozens of downvotes, was flamed, and the thread was subsequently locked. Well, perhaps he has felt marginalized during the Harbaugh regime after all.
Say what you will, but Mattison could have gotten a job anywhere. He certainly sent a message to Harbaugh with this move.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:45 PM ^
Mattison was under no obligation to stay on at Michigan, and Harbaugh was under no obligation to retain him as DC (or at all, for that matter). If he really wanted to be DC, he would have left then and there. Instead he coached for 4 more years at DL coach. He was perfectly fine with it, to the point of rumors saying he would happily retire in AA in that capacity.
This sounds more like recent developments that have soured their relationship...and it could be as simple as Harbaugh not wanting to re-sign Mattison to a new contract while Mattison wasn't ready to retire. I mean, not many people (much less ego-maniacal football coaches) like to be forced into retirement, they'd much rather leave on their own terms.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:53 PM ^
Fair points.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:30 PM ^
What the actual fuck? Fuck you Mattison, just fuck you.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:32 PM ^
Hell, i just read an artilce in the Athletic about Mattison and how he loves UM and Ann Arbor and likes being so close to his children.
this is just a very weird for us and osu. something must have happened behind the scenes.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:39 PM ^
On the one hand, it sucks to be losing a good coach and good recruiter, especially to OSU.
On the other hand, if history is any guide, this means Michigan wins a national championship in 2019!
January 7th, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
How is this even a big deal? How many of us would turn down a pay raise and a chance for a promotion if the offer was from the largest competitor of your company? Being a coach is a career, part of a business, and a school isn’t a religion or a marriage.
Mattison gets one more shot at being a DC, which is obviously why he came to Michigan in the first place.
Michigan will find a fine D-Line coach, either from the current staff, or from outside.
Smart move on Mattison’s part. The hate is childish. As for the rest of the reasons, it’s pure speculation.
January 7th, 2019 at 4:08 PM ^
Disagree. He chose to make it personal by going to OSU. If he wanted "one more shot at being a DC," he could've had his pick of DC positions virtually anywhere in the country had he chose to leave any time between 2014 to now.
January 7th, 2019 at 4:46 PM ^
Obsessing on a message board about college kids playing sports is childish. So, by definition, we're all pretty childish here, even you BlueHills. College sports are a pastime, and a break from RL.
To answer your question, I, for one, would absolutely turn down a pay raise/promotion to go to OSU if I were in GM's shoes.
College sports is not the corporate world, and I can't think of a single corporate rivalry that compares to UM-OSU. Mattison is a 70 year old millionaire. Columbus sucks, and the OSU athletic department is unethical at best, and corrupt (morally and otherwise) at worst.
OSU is the ONE option that a Michigan supporter could reasonably expect a guy in GM's position not to choose.
January 7th, 2019 at 7:24 PM ^
But Michigan football is my religion!
January 7th, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
Ryan Day is making some risky and bold moves....he better hope he wins 10 games next year.
This could be the start of the slight dip for them...one can only hope...but i only see this as a "WTF kinda hire is that" move.
January 7th, 2019 at 4:11 PM ^
Agreed. I'm mystified at this move from Day's point of view, considering Ohio can pick and choose from the pool of assistants and DCs at any school in the country and the pros. Maybe it reflects a lack of confidence in Day's experience and judgement from the new Assistant AD/Business School prof in Columbus? Can a guy dream?
January 7th, 2019 at 5:13 PM ^
this is ALL meyers doing u know their history together at florida, right? day wouldnt sneeze without meyers approval right now
January 7th, 2019 at 3:42 PM ^
How many Big 10 titles with Mattison? And Washington/Partridge/Bush get bigger roles. Am I missing something? Now if only a couple guys on offensive side would leave. How about an OC? RB and WR coaches?
January 7th, 2019 at 3:42 PM ^
FUCKING BPONE
January 7th, 2019 at 3:42 PM ^
If he wanted to coach another 1-2 years, couldn't we have just made him passing game coordinator? Some people think that such a person has no influence on the offense ("It's all Harbaugh!"), and he would have been an upgrade as a recruiter.
January 7th, 2019 at 3:49 PM ^
Swipe Dan Enos back after tonight!
January 7th, 2019 at 3:57 PM ^
Anyone remember who the Co-DC and DL coach was for FLA in the 2008 Capital One Bowl? You know, the game where we all said to ourselves "where the hell has that offense been our entire lives."
January 7th, 2019 at 5:15 PM ^
I mean the head coach for that team was Urban, so not a great example if you're trying to inspire confidence for future results. It does show you what offensive creativity and breaking tendency gets you though
January 7th, 2019 at 6:09 PM ^
I think what he's saying is that Mattison's D got torched that day, so hope for more of the same next year.
January 7th, 2019 at 4:00 PM ^
The more I think about it the writing is on the wall. College football is rapidly morphing into NFL lite, and the NFL is a business. People leave for opportunities to make more money - players and coaches alike.
January 7th, 2019 at 5:02 PM ^
Agreed, YOLT. Money has turned college football into NFL-lite. Sadly, IMO.
I know I sound like a "get off my lawn" guy, but I fondly recall when Bo turned down big money to stay in Ann Arbor, and kids wanted to play as much college football as they could because they loved the experience, bowl games and all.
I sincerely believe college football would be much better and far closer to the ideals of the universities they represent, if the whole system were altered to emphasize education, lifelong connections between school and alumni and supporters, and a fun and enriching experience for athletes - NOT maximizing revenue.
Cap salaries, cap ticket prices, and negotiate TV deals that benefit the schools, teams and players, not profits.
Leave the big money to the NFL. If it results in a minor league for kids who aren't into college, so be it. And stay off my lawn!
January 7th, 2019 at 4:02 PM ^
On the PR front, this is catastrophic. Michigan is losing a highly-regarded coach with strong ties to the program to our archrival for a title and pay bump. There's no sugar-coating that.
On the field I suspect it will be more complicated, but the core of the matter is that most successful teams - and certainly our recently-successful teams - have been built on the lines, Mattison's specialty. Our 2011 success was fueled by a bunch of NFL players on both lines; when they left the offense cratered but the defense reloaded. That's in no small part due to Mattison's recruiting and development efforts. We must replace that or we'll fall further back.
On the flip side, Mattison is almost 70 and was not going to be here and effective for that much longer, so we would be facing this issue sooner rather than later. Assuming we bring in a top recruiter and can pick up the player development slack - and we have been able to attract top coaching talent! - this is not catastrophic on the field.
On the gripping hand, OSU appears to be betting on an NFL DB coach as their next DC and hiring Mattison to teach him his job. That's ... not a bad plan, but throwing dollars at an already trained DC seems like a better one, particularly if the NFL DB coach proves unable to adapt to college kids and recruiting.
TL,DR: Aside from the optics, this seems like something we can weather as long as we can continue to attract top coaching talent.
January 7th, 2019 at 4:09 PM ^
That's ... a bad plan
There must be more to this story than we are hearing.
January 8th, 2019 at 10:51 AM ^
We all watched Rashan, an amazing physical anomaly, fail to develop anything more than a couple (at most) basic pass rush moves. The interior DL looked bad this year. Not, "not good", they looked bad at times. Mattison isn't the recruiter he was a couple years ago, and I don't think he's the same coach he was either.
Besides Pep, I can't think of a less valuable coach that OSU could have poached.
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