Michigan football suffered another loss to Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday as defensive line coach Mike Elston will follow his former head coach to the NFL.
There have been plenty of rumors about the assistant coaches and as far as Elston, things haven’t been trending in the right direction. There was talk that he would have a decision last week and when it didn’t come, you knew it probably wasn’t going to be a good thing for the Wolverines
Elston has been on the staff for the past two seasons. Not only has he done an exceptional job as an on-field coach, he has been a tremendous recruiter too. Elston was key in landing guys like Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham, and player departures are among the biggest concerns in the aftermath of his departure.
In terms of the defensive coaching staff, as of right now, there isn’t a single confirmed coach who’s coming back. Steve Clinkscale hasn’t announced that he’s leaving or returning, but the Wolverines will need a new linebackers coach, defensive line coach, and maybe a new coach in the secondary.
Now, Michigan football defenders have lost their head coach, their defensive coordinator, and most, if not all, will have a new position coach. That’s an enviornment that’s ripe for players to depart via the transfer portal. It hasn’t happened yet, but there is still time in this window, plus the spring window.
If Michigan football loses Grant, Graham, Will Johnson or Colston Loveland — any of those guys — 2024 would suddenly feel like a rebuilding year and it’s starting to feel like continuity isn’t going to happen, in part, because the coaching staff is still being held back by the athletic department, again.