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Michigan RBs coach dishes on group: Donovan Edwards teases him about OSU 'every day'

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Michigan RBs coach dishes on group: Donovan Edwards teases him about OSU 'every day'


Tony Alford On Why He Chose To Leave Ohio State For Michigan, Why Sherrone Moore Is ‘Special’

The Michigan Wolverines are breaking in a new running backs coach, Tony Alford, this spring, who comes over after nine years at Ohio State. The run game is much more of an emphasis and part of the team’s identity in Ann Arbor, and Alford has plenty to work with.

Meeting with the Michigan media for the first time on Wednesday, Alford ran through what he’s learned so far about the group he has to work with.

“A great group of young men,” Alford said. “They want to be coached, they want to learn. So anxious to learn. They play hard. And I think that’s the culture that’s been built here, a culture of toughness. And so to watch them practice to where they go about their daily business, really good. So I’ve enjoyed that. So that’s kind of thing I’ve seen — just a culture of toughness. I think they want to learn and they play hard.”

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Michigan’s running back group is projected to be led by Donovan Edwards, who torched the Buckeyes to the tune of 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns – from 75 and 85 yards out, respectively – in the 45-23 win during the 2022 season. And the soon-to-be senior teases Alford every day about it.

“He’s quick to tell me pretty much daily. ‘Coach, I’ve never lost to you,’ and I’m like yeah, I got it, onto the next,” Alford said. “He’s a great kid. I’ve known him throughout recruiting, obviously recruited him. I have known him and his dad for a long time. Much respect for him. He’s had a nice career up to this point and hopefully, we can continue that on his last season here. But he’s been a joy to be around and work with. So we’ve always got along so it’s good. It’s good to have him.

“Again, he’s just like everybody else. He’s trying to learn and get better. He’s a leader of this football team, one of the leaders of this football team that I’ve seen thus far, and kind of the alpha male leader in our room, so to speak. So it’s been really good to work with him thus far.”

Edwards chose between Michigan and Ohio State, among others, on the recruit trail and Alford played a major role in that pursuit. It did not go his way the first time around, but he is grateful for the chance to coach him now.

“He is what I kind of thought he’d be,” Alford said. “He’s a dynamic player and there’s still some things we need to work on. And he will tell you that as well. Continue to progress and become a complete player, which we also desire for him to be — more so he desires to be. So there’s still some work to be done. But yeah, he’s what I thought he was. He’s bigger than I thought he’d be, you know, as far as weight and things of that nature. But, he’s a highly, highly competitive kid. Always kind of knew he was, but he’s about what I thought he was going to be. He can make plays.”

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The Michigan backs could take the form of another two-man duo at the top of the depth chart with Kalel Mullings filling out the other spot. Alford is expecting a ton from him in an expanded role as he continues to hone his craft.

“I think he’s a dynamic player,” Alford said. “I think the guy’s got an opportunity to make a lot of plays. He’s a smart, smart player. Still learning the running back trade per se. Works hard. He’s an extremely talented player. He has to work to continue to show — another guy that is a leader in his own right. A little different than Donovan, maybe not as vocal, but very dynamic personalities.”

The rest of the guys will position themselves for playing time from there, and Alford ran through the other guys that he has worked with this spring in Ann Arbor:

You’ve got Tavierre [Dunlap] — a good player. Continue to get to know these guys. These guys all a little different. He’s a little longer, striding guy. Works his tail off and I know he’s worked his tail off on special teams throughout the years. So continue to work with him and he’s been a joy to work with.

Benjamin Hall — he redshirted last year. And big body — he’s 230, 235 pounds. He’s had a good spring. He’s had a little history as far as running vertically, he’s tough to tackle. But he’s (big), he runs hard. It’s hard to get a solid hit on him, because there’s a lot of surface area to hit.

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Cole Cabana — still evaluating him. He missed some time — nothing major, just some nagging pain. But again, another kid we haven’t had an opportunity to evaluate a lot. Obviously he’s hungry and we’re gonna see what he can do for our team.

Henry Donohue, he’s a walk-on that makes plays all the time. It’s kind of wild to see he’s always making plays. We’ve got Bryson — Bryson’s another young guy that’s walked on but he’s earning his stripes.

The work will continue as spring ball rounds into its final form.

“I’ve been very impressed with all of them,” Alford said. “They’re good kids, they work really hard. We are still in an evaluation process, so to speak. They can say it or not, but they’re still evaluating me as a coach. They came here under Mike who’s obviously very well-renowned, has done a great job throughout his whole career — as a player and as a coach, you know, has done so many good things for this place. So they’re still kind of evaluating me and I’m still in the evaluation process, seeing who’s who and what guys can do. And we’re still going through the learning curve, so to speak.”

Camp concludes with the spring game in Ann Arbor on April 20.

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Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore

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Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore


WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering, just days after being fired from his position.

The 39-year-old coach, who has no prior criminal history, was terminated by the university on Wednesday following an investigation that uncovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that occurred after the victim, a University of Michigan staff member, ended her relationship with Moore on Monday (Dec. 8).

Following the breakup, Moore allegedly made numerous unwanted calls and texts to the victim.

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The situation escalated on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2025, when Moore allegedly forced his way into the victim’s Pittsfield Township apartment.

Prosecutors say he grabbed kitchen utensils and threatened to take his own life, allegedly telling the victim, “My blood is on your hands.”

“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating. She was terrorized, your honor,” a prosecutor told the court during Friday’s arraignment.

Defense attorney Joseph Simon pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that Moore could be a threat to public safety.

“My client’s 39 years old, with zero prior criminal history, zero prior contact with the criminal justice system in any fashion,” Simon stated.

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Attorney Todd Flood, who practices both criminal defense and civil litigation, said the fallout within the university could continue depending on when the organization was first alerted about the relationship and how university athletic officials first responded.

“What did they know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it when they found out? Those are going to be the three major questions,” Flood said.

“The university could possibly have some culpability there, that they didn’t put a stop to this,” noted Flood, adding that the victim may have grounds to pursue action against both the university and Moore.

Flood said the stalking charge against Moore likely stems from a documented pattern of harassment.

“When there is a position where he is harassing, either via text messages, harassing via telephone calls, social media content, or showing up at a place where he doesn’t belong,” Flood said. “Those stalking charges are ones where you can show that pattern of conduct.”

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“He’s ultimately going to probably plead this case out, under some sort of either misdemeanor, or something that gives probation,” Flood said.

Moore posted his $25,000 bond Friday.

As part of his bond conditions, he must wear a GPS tether, undergo mental health treatment, and have no contact with the victim.

He is scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 22.

–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond

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What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors

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What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors


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With the firing of Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Michigan football is on the hunt for a new head coach.

It’s extremely late in the hiring cycle, with nearly every Power Four squad with an opening already having made a hire. But the Wolverines’ maize-and-blue brand could be strong enough to restart the coaching carousel, with several established coaches considered potential candidates for the U-M job.

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It’ll be athletic director Warde Manuel’s call on the hire (with the usual inputs from donors and regents), despite rumors swirling on social media of his firing.

Here’s the latest on the Michigan football coaching search:

A former Notre Dame QB as Michigan football’s next head coach?

It’s possible.

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Michigan football is reportedly interested in talking to Rees, according to Cleveland.com, who starred as a quarterback at Notre Dame. He moved up the coaching ranks fast, getting his big break as offensive coordinator with Notre Dame in 2020, where he served in the role for three years before moving to Alabama to be the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in Nick Saban’s last year. He has spent the last two years with the Browns, first as a passing game specialist and then as offensive coordinator this year.

Rees also reportedly talked to Penn State before the Nittany Lions landed on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.

It’s an interesting proposition, as Rees is seen as an up-and-coming young coach, but it can be wonky trying to hire NFL coaches into the college game due to the schedule. But in this circumstance, it just might work. The Browns are out of playoff contention so their season should drag out, and Michigan is in a position to wait longer than normal because early signing day for recruits is over and the transfer portal won’t open until January.

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It’s early.

Michigan still has time to make a case.

But according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, there’s “no indication” that Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, one of the hottest names in connection to the Wolverines, has an interest in taking the job in Ann Arbor.

DeBoer, who has Alabama in the 12-team College Football Playoff, was also briefly connected to Penn State earlier this offseason and quickly shot that down.

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But never say never in college football in 2025.

If Michigan is looking to swing big for its third head coach in four seasons (or seventh, if you count the interims who served during Moore’s and Jim Harbaugh’s suspensions), the Free Press’ Tony Garcia broke down four big names, including a couple with established ties to Ann Arbor, one who couldn’t quite beat the Wolverines and another who’s the darling of the college football world.

Check out that list of candidates here.



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Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator

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Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator


A fan-favorite Spartan is coming back as an assistant coach.Max Bullough, a former MSU linebacker who has spent the past two seasons coaching linebackers at Notre Dame, is coming back to East Lansing to be a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Bullough confirmed in a biography change on X (formerly Twitter).

The move is a promotion for Bullough, who was a linebackers coach at Notre Dame the past two seasons. Bullough will serve alongside incumbent MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, who The Detroit News confirmed last week is staying on Pat Fitzgerald’s first staff in East Lansing. Fitzgerald replaced Jonathan Smith, who went 5-19, 4-14 Big Ten in two seasons.Bullough, 33, played for Michigan State from 2010 to 2013, under head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. He played immediately as a freshman and appeared in 53 college games, logging 284 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions.

He missed his final game — the 100th Rose Bowl against Stanford in 2013 — because of an unspecified violation of team rules. He never spoke publicly on the issue, though he was asked at the NFL Combine.Michigan State went 42-12 in Bullough’s four seasons with the Spartans, and 25-7 in Big Ten play, including the conference title in 2010 and 2013.After a brief NFL career with the Houston Texans and, in 2018, a stint on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, Bullough got into coaching. He served as grad assistant for Cincinnati in 2019 under Luke Fickell, Alabama from 2020 to 2022 under Nick Saban (winning the College Football Playoff in his first year) and Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman in 2023. Freeman kept Bullough on as his linebackers coach last year, a season in which the Irish made it to the national championship game before losing to Ohio State.

Earlier this season, Bullough went viral in August for a video of him describing his detail-oriented approach during fall camp, citing knee bend and square tackling “when the s—‘s hard.”

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Notre Dame finished the season 10-2, on a 10-game win streak, when it was left just outside the College Football Playoff bracket. Freeman and his team opted out of a bowl game, after terse words on the snub from AD Pete Bevacqua.Bullough coached a number of NFL draft picks in his career, including Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings), Christian Harris (Houston Texans), Henry To’oTo’o (Houston), Drew Sanders (Denver Broncos) and Jack Kiser (Jacksonville Jaguars).

Bullough won’t be the first in his family to coach at Michigan State. His grandfather, Hank, was an MSU guard and linebacker who won a national championship in 1952. Hank was also a well-regarded assistant coach on Duffy Daugherty’s staff from 1959 to 1969, including the national title teams in 1965 and 1966. He then went onto a pro coaching career that included stops with seven teams, including a head coaching tenure with the Buffalo Bills from 1985 to 1986.

After a year as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator in 1993, he finished his coaching career with a homecoming to Michigan State, where he was an assistant on George Perles’ final team. He died in 2019.

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

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