This bond between coach and player has been years in the making.
There was plenty of turnover on Michigan’s coaching staff this offseason following Jim Harbaugh’s departure to the NFL. One of the bigger losses was running backs coach Mike Hart, who was instrumental in Michigan’s ground game and the success of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards in recent years.
With the Michigan legend out the door, Sherrone Moore was able to reach into enemy territory to find a replacement. Tony Alford was hired as Michigan’s new running backs coach in March after he’d served the same role on Ohio State ’s staff since 2015, a big win for player development and recruiting.
One player who had some great things to say about Alford was Michigan’s star running back Donovan Edwards, who’s back for his fourth season and looking to take over as the workhorse.
“I think he’s gonna be a hell of a running backs coach at Michigan,” Edwards said of Alford. “He’s a tremendous coach — I see why he had so much great success as the running backs coach at Notre Dame and at Ohio State.”
Edwards is certainly right to point out Alford’s record as a coach, as he’s done a remarkable job of developing running backs throughout his career. While on the Buckeye staff, he oversaw the development of Ezekiel Elliott, Mike Weber, J.K. Dobbins, and most recently, TreVeyon Henderson. Even back at Notre Dame, Alford coached Theo Riddick and George Atkinson III, both of whom went on the be NFL players.
One reason though that Alford’s presence is significant is the role he plays in recruiting. He’s long been instrumental in Ohio State’s success on the recruiting trail, and even during that time Donovan Edwards maintained a relationship with Alford since his days as a high school recruit.
“I’ve always had a relationship with him since the recruiting process – he’s a hell of a recruiter,” Edwards said of Alford. Even though Edwards chose Michigan over Ohio State and other schools, the chance to play for Alford was something he was initially upset to be missing out on
“I really wanted to play for him,” Edwards said. “He’s a best friend for me and I really look up to him a lot”
Now, things have come full circle between player and coach, and it’s a combination whose fruits we’ll finally get to see play out on the field this year. Edwards mentioned that the transition between Hart and Alford hasn’t been too drastic thus far.
“It’s the same terminology, just different people — different personalities,” Edwards said. He even went so far is to compare the transition between Hart and Alford isn’t too far off from the transition between Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore , noting that the overall philosophies aren’t dissimilar.
It’s certainly encouraging for Edwards to be so comfortable and familiar with his new position coach, especially given the slow start he got off to last season. As one of the more experienced members of Michigan’s offense, as well as someone who’s expected to play a big role, it’s more important now than ever for Edwards to feel good about the team’s leadership.