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Grading Jim Harbaugh's Assistant Coaching Hires At Michigan
Mike Zordich: A+
One of only two coaches original to Harbaugh's staff in 2015, no one has consistently fielded as strong of a unit as Zordich, who has mentored average cornerbacks into viable starters (Channing Stribling, Jeremy Clark, Vincent Gray) and capable covermen into standouts (Jourdan Lewis, David Long, Ambry Thomas).
Don Brown: A
Sure, there have been a few clunkers, and Brown has not solved Ohio State, but other than the Buckeye contests of 2018-19, his defenses have allowed just 267.1 yards and 16.6 points, on average, in Michigan's other 50 games since 2016.
Ed Warriner: A
In the three years prior to Warriner's arrival, Michigan's offensive line featured one first-team all-conference performer, four second-team selections and a third-team honoree, for a total of six recognitions. In his two seasons: eight All-Big Ten honorees, including three first-team Wolverines and two second-team picks.
Greg Mattison: A
A noted recruiting savant, Mattison agreed to move from defensive coordinator to defensive line, and from 2015-18, his units were elite and deep. Think about these names: Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley, Ryan Glasgow, Maurice Hurst, Willie Henry, Chase Winovich, Rashan Gary, Kwity Paye, Matt Godin, Lawrence Marshall. Almost every lineman he coached reached his full potential.
Chris Partridge: A-
Plucked from the high school ranks, Partridge became a great recruiter, opening pipelines to New Jersey and Georgia. While his role as a linebackers and then safeties coach was average, Partridge distinguished himself as a superb special teams coordinator during his four years from 2016-19.
Jedd Fisch: A-
Ask Michigan fans what one coach they absolutely want back and most would say Fisch. The quarterbacks/wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator in 2015-16, he was known for his creative play-design and play-calling, and he got the most out of QBs Jake Rudock and Wilton Speight.
Josh Gattis: B+
Michigan hired Gattis to bring the offense out of the stone age, and as the season came to a close, it certainly looked like Gattis was well on his way to doing so. Gattis' work with the receivers helped produce top performances from rising junior Ronnie Bell, senior Nico Collins and sophomore Giles Jackson. Gattis is also among Michigan's best recruiters.
Brian Jean-Mary: B
On the surface, it's a really good get for Harbaugh. Jean-Mary has connections in Texas, Georgia and Florida, finding major success recruiting the Lone Star State for the Longhorns during his stint there. He, more than anyone else on the current staff, will be responsible for filling the void left by Partridge's departure.
Jim McElwain: B
Hire a former head coach to mentor a specific position group of burgeoning talent and what you get is a 2018 season that saw breakthroughs from wide receivers Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones. It would have been great to hold onto McElwain for another year or two, but he jumped back into the head-coaching ranks at Central Michigan in 2019.
Bob Shoop: B
Shoop comes to Michigan after largely successful stretches as the defensive coordinator as Mississippi State, Tennessee and Penn State. He's worked with safeties extensively since 2011 and should be able to get the best out of senior Brad Hawkins and sophomore Dax Hill in 2020.
Jay Harbaugh: B
For all the calls of nepotism, Harbaugh is lauded for his ability to connect with recruits and he did just fine as the tight ends coach (2015-16) while his work with the running backs led to a career year for Karan Higdon in 2018 and the development of Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins this past fall.
Sherrone Moore: B
Moore has been on the job for two years and already has a couple of huge recruiting wins (Dax Hill and OL Trevor Keegan among them). He's helped transform Nick Eubanks into both a reliable blocker and a big-play threat in the passing game. His bona fides as a position coach will unveil itself one way or another as redshirt sophomore Luke Schoonmaker and sophomore Erick All look to contribute.
Tyrone Wheatley: B-
After starring at Michigan as a running back, Wheatley just didn't seem to fit with the Wolverines over his two seasons (2015-16). A bit hamstrung by the lack of talent, he didn't produce a dynamic rusher in those years. He was a good recruiter but not a great one.
Al Washington: C+
He should be higher on this list because he's a rising star with big-time recruiting chops but how do you give much love to a guy that bolted after one season for a chance to coach at Ohio State?
Tim Drevno: C+
After establishing himself as a top-flight offensive line coach at Stanford and with the San Francisco 49ers, Drevno was handpicked to transform Michigan's OL and handle its running-game coordinator duties. Neither job proved fruitful, however, and Drevno moved on after four seasons to pave the way for Gattis' arrival in 2019.
DJ Durkin: C
One can't really argue with his performance as defensive coordinator in 2015, his defense ranking fourth nationally in total yards allowed and sixth in points allowed per game, but Durkin left a bad taste when he interviewed for the Maryland job the week of the Ohio State game, and it's hard to look past his actions with the Terrapins.
Shaun Nua: C
On the edges, Michigan was as good in 2019 as it has ever been, but the interior of the line was a huge disappointment this past year, and he was unable to develop depth, getting very little out of Donovan Jeter, Luiji Villain or U-M's two redshirt freshman linemen. Plus, heralded rookie Chris Hinton played sparingly and four-star classmate Mazi Smith was a no-show.
Greg Jackson: C-
A terrific talent developer, Jackson had success in 2015 but he left after one year to return to the NFL and was a square-peg-round-hole addition.
Anthony Campanile: C-
Reportedly chosen by Brown to complement the coordinator as both a linebackers coach and a recruiter on the East Coast, Campanile looked like a strong hire but then left Michigan under odd circumstances after the program had gone to great lengths to raise his salary and profile for 2020.
Greg Frey: C-
Frey was brought in as a "fixer" for the offensive line in 2017, recently proving himself in a six-year run at Indiana. But there was reportedly bad chemistry between Frey and Drevno and the former left Ann Arbor in a hurry, taking a job with Florida State after just one season with Michigan.
Pep Hamilton: D
It's possible we have completely misjudged Hamilton, but the passing game regressed during his two seasons as a co-coordinator and there were considerable frustrations in his handling of Michigan's quarterbacks. Following the 2018 season, U-M happily encouraged him to take a gig elsewhere.
Brian Smith: D
Another hire from the NFL, Smith spent two years coaching Michigan's safeties in 2016-17 and helped the continued maturation of Dymonte Thomas and Delano Hill his first year. Faced with fresh starters, 2017 was not a banner year for the Wolverines' safeties, and he left to take over as defensive coordinator for Rice in 2018.
John Baxter: D
A famed special teams guru, Baxter just didn't work out and he exited as soon as he possibly could, departing after one season to rejoin his previous team: Southern Cal.
