Notre Dame’s coaching loss was Jim Harbaugh and Michigan’s to gain on Thursday afternoon.
A stunning coaching departure took place on Thursday. Longtime Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston is reportedly leaving South Bend to join Harbaugh’s staff in Ann Arbor.
To make matters worse for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish, Elston isn’t even getting a promotion at Michigan.
The defensive line coach had repeatedly sought after the defensive coordinator position at Notre Dame. He thought he’d get it on Freeman’s new staff, but the young head coach has gone a different direction. Elston is now heading to Michigan to get a fresh start.
“[Mike] Elston was repeatedly passed over for the defensive coordinator role at ND, which is looking for a DC right now, too,” reports ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “Could certainly see Ball State DC Tyler Stockton, a former Fighting Irish defensive lineman, being a good replacement for Elston.”
Perhaps far more significant is the fact Elston’s departure from Notre Dame to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff is a clue that he’s staying in Ann Arbor.
Harbaugh is reportedly tempted to leave Michigan for another opportunity in the NFL. But if he persuaded a well-known defensive coach to join his staff that may be all we need to know about Harbaugh’s future.
“Unless Brian Kelly is leaving LSU to come to #Michigan — which he’s not — I would say this is a good clue that Harbaugh is staying,” one fan said.
“Along with a couple of other things that have happened, this sends another strong signal Jim Harbaugh is staying at Michigan,” a fan commented.
“If Harbaugh is leaving, why is he still assembling staff at Michigan?,” one fan asked.
The latest Michigan coaching news is clearly significant on multiple levels.