Assuming Lloyd Carr retires at the end of this year, which becomes less and less of an “if” each day, it seems, Michigan will be looking to hire a new head coach. One such option is former Michigan assistant Les Miles, who is now the head coach of the LSU Tigers. If Miles were named coach, what might his staff look like? Varsity Blue offers our (not necessarily informed on all points) opinions:
Current Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Lloyd Carr (Retires)
Defensive Secondary: Vance Bedford (Likely to leave)
Assistant Head Coach / Wide Receivers: Erik Campbell (Carr guy, but good coach. Status unknown)
Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends: Mike DeBord (Will likely be replaced, rumors of personal incompatibility with Miles)
Defensive Coordinator: Ron English (Will likely move on)
Associate Head Coach / Running Backs: Fred Jackson (Will likely stay, coached with Miles under Moeller)
Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler (Will likely stay, possibly promoted to OC, was a player when Miles was a coach)
Offensive Line: Andy Moeller (Will be replaced or moved to LBs)
Defensive Line: Steve Stripling (Will likely stay)
Linebackers: Steve Szabo (will likely retire)
Director of Weight Training and Conditioning: Mike Gittleson (Will be replaced)
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Kevin Tolbert (Likely to stay)
Les Miles’s Current Staff
Offensive Coordinator: Gary Crowton (Not likely to stay with Miles – first year together, he’s been on a downward slide (BYU HC to Oregon OC to LSU OC)
Defensive Coordinator: Bo Pelini(Not likely to join Miles – HC gig elsewhere)
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Josh Henson (May join Miles – been with him since OkSt, and DeBord will be replaced)
Defensive Line Coach: Earl Lane (Not likely to join – only second year with Miles, though he did go to college in Michigan)
Defensive Backs Coach: Doug Mallory (Likely to go with Miles – played for Bo at Michigan, been with Les since OkSt, has good players)
Wide Receivers Coach: D.J. McCarthy (Not likely to join – 1st year with Miles, no real connections)
Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers Coach: Bradley Dale Peveto (May join Miles, 3rd year with him, and LSU’s special teams have been decent, pulls double duty)
Asst. Head Coach/Running Backs/Special Teams: Larry Porter (May come – coaches a white guy right now, has multiple responsibilities, but Jackson is already around)
Offensive Line Coach: Greg Studrawa (May come – Ohio guy, though it is his first year with Miles)
Strength & Conditioning Coordinator: Tommy Moffitt (May not come – longtime LSU guy, and could want to stay, though LSU always has strong, conditioned athletes)
Hybrid Staff:
Head Coach: Les Miles
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler
Co-Offensive Co-coordinator/Offensive Line: Greg Studrawa
Tight Ends: Josh Henson
Defensive Coordinator:
Associate Head Coach / Running Backs: Fred Jackson
Defensive Line: Steve Stripling
Linebackers/Special Teams: Bradley Dale Peveto or Andy Moeller
Director of Weight Training and Conditioning: Tommy Moffitt
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Kevin Tolbert
The only space left empty here is the Defensive Coordinator. Would English be willing to stay on, and would Michigan be willing to take him? Otherwise, Michigan would have to go outside both programs to find a new name (which, in all reality, they are likely to do for one or more of the other positions as well).
Posted under Coaching
Tags: coaching, Football
LSU RB coach Larry Porter was named Rivals 2007 National Recruiter of the Year. I would definitely want him to be part of a hypothetical Miles recruiting staff. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Fred Jackson retire, anyway.
A request for you guys…
For those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to be able to attend Saturday, can you guys capture and post the sounds/sights of Mike Hart’s senior day reception? I want to see the love he gets…
Thanks!
I guaran-fuckin’-tee you that Mike Gittleson will not be “replaced” he will likely retire, or move to another sport. He coached Les, was hired by Bo, and is and was one of the best strength coaches to ever live. Not only that but is a good friend of Les’s. But you are right by default, :).
“Michigan’s director of conditioning is Mike Gittleson, who’s in his 30th season. He was the program’s first such coach in 1978, a Vietnam veteran who completed his master’s in exercise science on the campus where he works.
Gittleson may be the very best in his field, or he may not be. Who can tell in the world of reps, sets, sweat and supplements?
What’s obvious is, he’s a Michigan man, and Carr is never going to sell out one of his own for some flavor-of-the-month replacement.”
-quote from Bruce Hooley’s article “Carr handling Michigan’s struggles in stride”
Special to ESPN.com
arguably the best if not simply the best, but i’d say he’s done, he’s coached for a longgg time.
The VAST VAST VAST majority of complaints about Michigan are in relation to the Strength and Conditioning program. The only school still using Gittleson’s system is Penn State – and look how that is going for them. When nobody is untouchable, the weak link will definitely be touched. Gittleson will likely “retire” rather than being replaced but he is gone like a donut in the Notre Dame locker room.
if they replace mike gittleson, they are doing every young man who is yet to come through the michigan football program a tremendous disservice. Mike is a huge inspiration and an honor to work with, there is not a character like him in the rest of the world, and he’s the kind of coach who simply cannot fail when given the task of turning boys into men.
I’ve gone through mike and others, and he is simply the best.