Albert Karschnia replaces Matt Weiss on the recruiting trail, sees top target

Michigan recently parted ways with co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss following “a report of computer access crimes” that took place at Schembechler Hall in December.

With Weiss no longer on staff and the contact recruiting period ongoing, Michigan is allowed to have a staffer hit the road and see prospects in-person. Last year, Michigan did just that when graduate assistant Dylan Roney traveled during the spring evaluation period following the departure of defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

This time around, Michigan elected to replace Weiss with Director of Recruiting Operations Albert Karschnia.

Karschnia made his way out to Idaho this morning and saw On300 wide receiver Gatlin Bair, who is a top target in the 2024 recruiting class. Michigan safeties coach Jay Harbaugh is the area recruiter in Idaho and also saw Bair last month.

Bair is ranked as the No. 119 overall prospect in the country and runs a blazing 10.46 100-meter. Michigan is in his top group along with BYU, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Utah, Washington and a handful others.

”It’s the best public university as far as academics are concerned,” Bair recently told The Wolverine. “They’re also one of the top teams in the nation, and they provide their players a great opportunity to go to the NFL. A lot of resources are given to players, which is always a big plus.” 

Bair plays at Burley (Idaho) High under Cameron Anderson, who coached star Michigan tight end and fellow Idaho native Colston Loveland.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Karschnia continue to make his way around the Pacific Northwest, where he is well-connected thanks to his special relationship with Marcus Griffin of Ford Sports Performance, a Seattle-based training and club 7-on-7 organization — FSP churns out DI level talent, including Loveland and four-star 2024 U-M tight end commit Hogan Hansen.

Prior to his time at Michigan, Karschnia served as Director of Player Personnel at Central Michigan, where he recruited Griffin as a transfer from Arizona.

“Albert and I have a rare relationship,” Griffin said. “He’s more than a colleague in this industry. He’s a big brother and mentor. He’s a diverse human being. He does a great job of listening. He’s not into the smoke and mirrors. He’s going to give you a direct answer.”

Karschnia has also been working behind the scenes in California, establishing bonds with key recruiting figures in the state such as Matt Villasenor, an assistant coach at La Puente (Calif.) Bishop Amat, recruiting director for Premium 7-on-7 and one of the most plugged-in guys in Southern California in general.

“I’ve known Albert for a while,” Villasenor said. “I saw him at Central Michigan a couple of years ago. I think he’s doing a good job. We communicate about different guys often and talk about life. He’s a good guy.”

Karschnia completed his first year with the Michigan program in December. He previously worked as an intern with the football program in 2015-16 before spending the next five years at Central Michigan.