Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has officially announced the hirings of Maurice Linguist and George Helow to his defensive coaching staff. Linguist will serve as defensive backs/co-defensive coordinator and Helow will coach the safeties for the Wolverines.
“Maurice and George are outstanding additions to our defensive coaching staff,” Harbaugh said. “They are highly regarded and well-respected coaches who have worked with some of the top defensive minds in college football. Their experience at some of the top programs in the country will benefit our team and student-athletes. Michigan Football welcomes Maurice, George and their families and look forward to them joining our football family and university community.”
Linguist joins the Michigan football staff as defensive backs/co-defensive coordinator after spending the 2020 football season as the defensive backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Prior to joining the Cowboys staff, Linguist was the cornerbacks coach at Texas A&M for two seasons (2018-19).
In Dallas, Linguist directed a secondary that forced 10 interceptions while allowing the fifth-fewest passing first downs in the league (180). The Cowboys were also ranked in the top half of the league in pass yards allowed (11th), completion percentage against (10th) and takeaways (ninth).
“I have always had an appreciation and an admiration for Coach Harbaugh and his accomplishments at the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan is full of college football's best traditions, and I cannot wait to get started,' Linguist said.
"I look forward to leading and serving the young men in the program, developing life-long relationships, and competing at the highest of levels on the field. My family and I look forward to getting to Ann Arbor, and we are beyond excited to join the Michigan family. Go Blue!”
Linguist, considered an elite recruiter, has worked with college secondaries at eight programs. Most recently, he coached cornerbacks at Texas A&M (2018-19), defensive backs at Minnesota (2017) and safeties at Mississippi State (2016).
At A&M, Linguist's secondaries limited opportunities for opponents and played tight coverage in key situations. Teams converted just 31.2 percent of third down tries (102-of-326) over his two seasons and A&M ranked ninth nationally in that category in 2018. The Aggies intercepted their opponents 19 times in his two seasons.
Helow (pronounced He-LOW) joins the Michigan football staff as safeties coach after spending the 2020 season as the special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach at the University of Maryland. Helow has been a member of two national championship teams and worked with some of the college football’s top defensive minds.
He spent four seasons at Colorado State University (2016-19) prior to joining the Terrapins staff. Helow coached the safeties during his final two seasons on staff, after working with the outside linebackers as a defensive quality control coach and graduate assistant during the 2016-17 seasons.
“I am incredibly excited and grateful to be joining the Michigan Football program, a school with a rich tradition and history of winning," Helow said. "I am looking forward to developing great players who are also upstanding citizens.
"This is an outstanding opportunity to work with Coach Jim Harbaugh, one of the best in the business, and the great coaching staff that he has assembled at Michigan. I can’t wait to get to work. Go Blue!”
Helow has coached at some of the nation’s top programs during his career, with stints at Alabama, Florida State and Georgia. Helow helped the Seminoles win a national title in 2013 as a defensive graduate assistant coach. He also spent two seasons as a defensive graduate assistant at Georgia (2014-15) where he worked with the safeties.
In 2012, Helow broke into the college coaching ranks as a member of the Alabama staff under Nick Saban.
Finally, Harbaugh announced that the program reached an agreement on a contract extension with Shaun Nua to continue as the team’s defensive line coach. Brian Jean-Mary will work with the linebackers.
Those personnel moves complete the defensive coaching staff for the Wolverines under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.
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