Jim Harbaugh hiring Michigan DL coach Mike Elston to same position with Los Angeles Chargers

After accepting the head coaching position for the Los Angeles Chargers, former Michigan Wolverines national championship-winning head coach Jim Harbaugh has been working on putting together his coaching cabinet. And on Tuesday afternoon, the Chargers new head coach added an individual from his staff who worked with him to cultivate the Wolverine’s dominant defensive line.

According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Los Angeles has agreed to hire former Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston. With the Chargers, Elston is expected to fulfill the same role as he did with the Wolverines.

The former Michigan defensive line coach spent the last two seasons under Harbaugh and was a pivotal piece to their dominant defensive success, which resulted in the team finishing the 2023 season as undefeated national champions.

Prior to joining Harbaugh’s Wolverine staff, Elston spent 12 seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish under then-head coach Brian Kelly. With the Irish, Elson held a number of coaching positions, starting with defensive line coach in 2010 and, by the end of his tenure there, in 2021, assistant head coach.

Greg Roman to join Harbaugh’s Chargers staff

Jim Harbaugh is continuing to fill out his Chargers staff this week. Reports broke over the weekend that he is reuniting with former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, but Roman will not be calling the offense. He is reportedly joining the staff as a senior offensive assistant.

Roman and Harbaugh have had a long relationship. Roman was the associate head coach at Stanford for two of Harbaugh’s seasons there. He then followed Harbaugh to the NFL, where he became the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator.

Roman, however, did not follow Harbaugh to Michigan when he decided to go to Ann Arbor. Instead, he became the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator before later joining the staff with the Baltimore Ravens. That, of course, meant he was working for Jim’s brother John Harbaugh. From 2018 through the 2022 season, he was the offensive coordinator there.

In total, Greg Roman will bring more than 25 years of NFL experience with him to the Los Angeles Chargers. There, his job is going to be to work with Justin Herbert, one of the league’s most talented young quarterbacks.