Key Michigan football coach set to leave for Syracuse

The Wolverines are losing one of their key coaches.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

According to multiple reports, Michigan football is set to lose offensive analyst Juan Castillo, who will sign with Syracuse as its new offensive line coach. He just completed his first year back with the Wolverines in 2025, after coming over from UCLA, where he was the Bruins' offensive line coach in 2024.

Castillo has a rich history of over 30 years of coaching. He was also with Michigan back in 2019 as an analyst.

Source: Syracuse is finalizing a deal to make Juan Castillo the school’s new offensive line coach. He’s a veteran coach with significant college and NFL experience. He spent last year as a Michigan analyst and the prior year at UCLA. pic.twitter.com/t9ELbo4Wyg

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 6, 2025

Michigan's offensive line struggled in 2024, after having a dominant stretch from 2021-2023, where the Wolverines won back-to-back Joe Moore Awards. Under Grant Newsome, Michigan saw a dip in production and Sherrone Moore wanted to bring someone to help the young coach. Castillo helped fill that void, and Michigan's O-line was up for the Joe Moore Award this season.

The Wolverines rank 16th in rushing, averaging over 213 yards per game on the ground. Michigan's pass pro. was dicey at times this season, but the Wolverines also had to start three freshmen along the offensive line. With Castillo and Newsome's help, the Wolverines' line made major strides.

This past summer, veteran Giovanni El-Hadi spoke about Castillo being back in Ann Arbor.

“Juan is the best. We have been with him every day since January,” El-Hadi said. “It’s like he lives here. He always wants to just help us get better. We love him so much and we wish we had him sooner.

“He’s always active and wants to make you better. You want someone to care for you and have love for you like that. We want (the coaches) to talk to us like they all do. He’s just a little bit louder, but we love it.”

With Castillo gone, it will be interesting to see if Moore goes after another veteran coach to help Newsome in 2026. If not, it might show that Moore fully trusts Newsome entering next season.

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