Hoke anticipating football staffs return
Speaking at the UAW/Ford Child Identity Program today at Ford Field, head coach Brady Hoke said he expects his entire staff will be back next season and that Devin Gardner will return for a fifth year, according to reports.
"I anticipate the staff will be back," Hoke said, according to MLive.com's Nick Baumgardner. Hoke also indicated the staff will undergo the normal post-season review process.
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There has been considerable discussion about Hoke's staff in the past few weeks, especially offensively after the Maize and Blue averaged just 216.5 yards and 16.7 points in four November games preceding the Ohio State contest. U-M went 1-3 in those games.
Offensive coordinator Al Borges and line coach Darrell Funk have been the most scrutinized by fans and members of the media, but Hoke noted he expects the entire staff to return, again dependent upon thorough post-season evaluation.
Gardner, meanwhile, is eligible for a fifth year and while there was some talk early in the season that he would forego it for the NFL, that possibility seemed to diminish over the last two months as the offense and Gardner struggled.
However, both the offense and Gardner flourished last weekend, as U-M racked up 41 points and 603 yards of offense in the loss to Ohio State.
TheWolverine.com will have more on Hoke's comments later.