Michigan Football to Face Former Coach in 2026 Who Will be Coaching Oklahoma

When Oklahoma travels to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in Week 2 of the college football season, the Wolverines are going to see a pair of familiar faces on the Sooners' sideline. Linebacker Cole Sullivan transferred to Oklahoma, and most recently, the Sooners are expected to hire former Michigan defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan to fill the same position.

Morgan coached two seasons for Michigan. He came over to Ann Arbor in Sherrone Moore's first season as the head coach of the Wolverines. Morgan was the defensive coordinator at Louisiana before coming to Ann Arbor.

BREAKING: Oklahoma is expected to hire LaMar Morgan to be its defensive backs coach.

Morgan was Michigan's Defensive Pass Game Coordinator & Defensive Backs coach the last two seasons. Morgan was highly sought after by top CFB programs and several NFL teams.
— The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman (@OK_Breakdown) February 11, 2026

Morgan's time in Ann Arbor saw mixed results

Prior to Morgan coming to Ann Arbor, Michigan had a top-27 passing defense from 2021-23. In Michigan's 2023 national title season, the Wolverines had the third-ranked passing defense and Michigan's secondary was too much for most offenses to handle.

Granted, the team changed, but Michigan's passing defense took a step back in Year 1 of LaMar Morgan. The Wolverines had the No. 63 passing defense in 2024, allowing over 216 yards per game through the air. Teams passed the ball on Michigan — almost at will — since the Wolverines' run defense was suffocating with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant on the line.

Michigan defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan reacts to a play against Washington. — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This past season, Michigan had the No. 54 passing defense, allowing over 211 yards per game through the air. Michigan's defense — under second-year defensive coordinator Wink Martindale — was better overall from the 2024 season, but it was mixed results.

Elite recruiter

While the on-field play was inconsistent under Morgan, he was an excellent recruiter. Morgan was arguably one of the most valuable recruiters that Sherrone Moore had on his staff. You can make an argument that players might not have developed the way they could've in the two years under Morgan, but there is no doubt he was able to get players to Ann Arbor.

Shamari Earls makes a tackle. — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the 2025 cycle alone, Michigan landed some talented defensive backs like Shamari Earls, Jayden Sanders, Jordan Young, Elijah Dotson, and Kainoa Winston. The trio of Sanders, Young, and Dotson saw a ton of playing time during their true freshmen season, but the Wolverines lost both Sanders and Dotson to the transfer portal.

With Kyle Whittingham taking over the program, he only kept three coaches from the previous regime on his staff and Morgan was one of the coaches who was let go of. It now appears he is headed to Oklahoma, where he will work alongisde defensive minded head coach Brent Venables.