Head coach Jim Harbaugh<\/strong> made a number of changes to his staff following the 2017 season. Necessity drove some changes. Others were made in response to departing assistants. None\u00a0 caused as much controversy as the hiring of former University of Florida head coach\u00a0Jim McElwain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The highest-profile departure from the Michigan coaching staff was Greg Frey.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0He returned to his alma mater,\u00a0Florida State University. 2017 was Frey\u2019s<\/strong> second stint with the Wolverines. He also coached in Ann Arbor under Rich Rodriquez.<\/strong> He coordinated Michigan\u2019s run game and coached tackles and tight ends.<\/p>\n Frey also rerouted his two pipelines between Tampa, his hometown, and Indiana, where he coached between stints at Michigan, to Ann Arbor. Two of the Wolverines\u2019 early enrollees hail from Florida and four-star linebacker Cameron McGrone<\/strong><\/a> calls the Hoosier state home. Frey\u2019s time on Harbaugh\u2019s staff was brief but his impact will likely be felt for some time.<\/p>\n Michigan also lost safeties coach Brian Smith. <\/strong>He is now defensive coordinator at Rice.\u00a0Smith was brought on the Wolverines\u2019 staff by defensive coordinator Don Brown. <\/strong>Smith played for Brown\u00a0<\/strong>at Boston College. His departure cannot be understated. Michigan\u2019s pass defense ranked first in the nation in both 2016 and 2017, where he played an integral role in Jabrill Pepper\u2019s<\/strong> best and final season. How safeties fare in 2018 will something for Wolverines fans to monitor.<\/p>\n One of the three assistants Harbaugh added to the staff was Sherrone Moore.<\/strong> He joins the Wolverines\u2019 coaching staff as the tight ends coach after four years at Central Michigan University. Moore started as the Chippewas\u2019 tight ends coach and later added recruiting coordinator and associate head coach to his job title. The single recruiting class Moore shepherded to Mount Pleasant was average. However, he shined as tight ends coach. A number of his proteges are on NFL squads and the last three years saw Chippewa tight ends awarded all-MAC honors.<\/p>\n The second addition to the coaching staff is former University of Cincinnati defensive line coach Al Washington.<\/strong>\u00a0 Most importantly, Washington spent a number of years at Boston College. During a few of those years he overlapped with current Michigan defensive coordinator Brown who was Boston College\u2019s defensive coordinator. Washington now coaches the Wolverines’ linebackers.\u00a0The shared history between the two certainly cannot hurt the state of the linebacker corps going forward. Michigan\u2019s linebackers were one of the best in the country. With Devin Bush<\/strong><\/a> and Khaleke Hudson<\/strong><\/a>, first and third all-Big Ten respectively, returning, Washington is well positioned to prove himself.<\/p>\n With Dan Enos’ departure from Michigan last month, Ed Warinner<\/strong> is now joining Harbaugh’s staff. Warinner spent last season under P.J. Fleck<\/strong> at Minnesota as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Before that, he coached offensive line and coordinated the offense at Ohio State for four seasons. Warinner\u2019s exact role has yet to be determined. However, his hiring is a major win for Michigan whose offense struggled mightily last year. In his tenure with the Buckeye\u2019s, the offense set Big Ten records for points scored twice, and rushing yards, as well as a number of school records.<\/p>\nDepartures<\/h2>\n
Additions<\/h2>\n
Jim McElwain: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?<\/h3>\n