Tony Alford addresses decision to leave Ohio State for Michigan: ‘It was time’

Coaching staffs change all the time in college sports, even when continuity is the goal. Because of that, fans often don’t realize when position coaches move from one team to another. However, that wasn’t the case with Tony Alford.

After being the Ohio State running backs coach since 2015, Alford made the jump to Michigan where he will have the same role. That move, from one rival to another, caught plenty of people’s interest.

Now, with Spring ball in full swing, Tony Alford explained that he felt it was time to move on from Ohio State when he made the decision to go to Michigan.

“I just thought it was a great opportunity for me,” Tony Alford said. “For my growth and professional growth and things of that nature, I thought it was a great opportunity, and I have so much respect for Sherrone [Moore]. I’ve known him for quite a while. I just thought it was time. Might have been time for both parties, I don’t know, but I thought it was time. It was a good opportunity.”

An Ohio native, Tony Alford played running back at Colorado State and got into coaching shortly after his playing career ended. Since 1995, he’s been a college coach every season at the college level. That included stops at Notre Dame, Louisville, Iowa State, and Washington.

For the last nine seasons, Alford has been on the staff at Ohio State, under both Urban Meyer and Ryan Day. Now, he’s working to adjust to a new side of the rivalry.

“I don’t know. We’ll see. It’s going. It was a little weird putting on this blue. That was a little weird. I hadn’t done that since my Notre Dame days almost nine years ago. You know what it is going into it. So, I’m just hopeful that I’m able to add value here and go from there. Yeah, I know what it is.”

There are staff changes at both Ohio State and Michigan this year, with Chip Kelly coming in to run the Buckeyes offense while Michigan is turning to Sherrone Moore as its new head coach. Tony Alford didn’t get too deeply into how those changes impacted his decision. However, he did explain what went through his mind when he made the decision.

“Duck,” Alford joked.

“Again, first of all, I’ve got so much respect for Ohio State and the Ohio State community and what they’ve presented to me and my family through the years. So, it was not an easy decision, obviously. I think anytime you were somewhere I was, for nine years, there’s some roots that have set in. Not just professionally but personally as well. That was difficult. At the end of the day, it was something I couldn’t pass up,” Alford said.

“Everyone is asking why and what are all the intimate details of it. The people that need to know, they know. At the end of the day, you make moves professionally that you feel are in your best interest and whatever those reasons are. That’s what I did so here we are.”