Michigan's Coaching Carousel: Who's Leaving, & Where Are They Headed?
Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh gave his staff a complete makeover this offseason, with five full-time assistants on their way out of Ann Arbor. Most of them have since landed on their feet and already found new jobs, but not all.
Below is a quick recap of how each of the five departing staff members performed during their time at Michigan, and what the future now holds for them.
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Don Brown (Defensive Coordinator)
Time at Michigan: 2016-20
Quick U-M Career Recap: Harbaugh hired him from Boston College prior to the 2016 season, and Brown's tenure in Ann Arbor began with a bang. Each of his first three defenses at Michigan were elite, with his debut unit finishing tied with Alabama as the game's best defense (in yards allowed per game), his 2017 squad finishing third nationally and his 2018 crew checking in second.
Brown's defense took a slight step back in 2019, but still finished an impressive No. 11 in the country. The bottom fell out this past season, however, with the Wolverines' defense struggling mightily all season long en route to a dismal No. 84 national finish.
A drop in talent level and an unwillingness to adapt significantly were two of the primary reasons that led to Brown's unsurprising dismissal at season's end.
Where he's Headed: Arizona. He will serve as the Wildcats' defensive coordinator under new Arizona head coach and former co-worker Jedd Fisch.
Ben McDaniels (Quarterbacks)
Time at Michigan: 2018-20
Quick U-M Career Recap: He served as an offensive analyst for Michigan in 2018, before being upgraded to quarterbacks coach for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Simply put, the results were not pretty under McDaniels.
Shea Patterson regressed as a senior in 2019 under McDaniels' tutelage (64.6 completion percentage in 2018 and just 56.2 the following year), before quarterback play hit what felt like rock bottom this past year under redshirt sophomore Joe Milton.
Harbaugh will now coach the club's quarterbacks following McDaniels' departure.
Where he's Headed: He has been hired by the Houston Texans as an assistant quarterbacks coach.
Bob Shoop (Safeties)
Time at Michigan: 2020
Quick U-M Career Recap: His time at U-M was short, with 2020 being his only season in Ann Arbor. Shoop didn't even coach the club's safeties this past year, due to an off-the-field situation that kept him away from the team for much of the season.
George Helow was hired from Maryland in January to serve as U-M's new safeties coach.
Where he's Headed: Miami (FL). Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz hired Shoop in late January as an off-the-field defensive analyst.
Ed Warinner (Offensive Line)
Time at Michigan: 2018-20
Quick U-M Career Recap: He engineered a masterful turnaround of U-M's offensive line in his debut season on the job, turning what had been a dreadful unit in 2017 into an excellent group in 2018.
Warinner saw four of his starting linemen get drafted following the 2019 season (Jon Runyan, Ben Bredeson, Mike Onwenu and Cesar Ruiz), and will likely have another one selected this April in Jalen Mayfield.
The veteran offensive line coach's departure was perhaps the most surprising of all the staffers on this list, thanks to the outstanding reputation he had built as one of the best in the industry at his craft.
Where he's Headed: Florida Atlantic. Owls head coach Willie Taggart hired Warinner as his run game coordinator, and offensive tackles and tight ends coach.
Mike Zordich (Cornerbacks)
Time at Michigan: 2015-20
Quick U-M Career Recap: He had been with Harbaugh for all six years in Ann Arbor, and produced an amazing track record along the way. Zordich's cornerbacks consistently performed at an elite level, with Jourdan Lewis, Channing Stribling, Lavert Hill and David Long, most notably, all fitting the bill.
U-M's pass defense also finished in the top 10 nationally each year from 2015-19. The play at the position dipped immensely this past season, however, with redshirt sophomores Vincent Gray and Gemon Green never able to get on track.
U-M's secondary wound up finishing 90th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game as a result.
Where he's Headed: No destination yet.
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