Michigan football adding former NFL assistant to Jim Harbaugh's staff
Michigan football is adding another familiar name to the support staff in the form of former NFL special teams coach and program alum Mike Mallory. He appears in the university directory and will be an analyst assisting with the special teams, coordinated by Jay Harbaugh.
Michigan adds Mallory after spending last season as an assistant special teams coach with the Denver Broncos. Prior to that, he was with the New Orleans Saints (2008-12) spent 2013-20 with the Jacksonville Jaguars as their special teams coordinator (2013-16) and assistant special teams coach (2017-20). He has over 20 years of college coaching experience with stops at Indiana, Kent State, Eastern Illinois, Rhode Island, Northern Illinois, Maryland, Illinois, Kansas and Louisville.
Mallory played for Michigan from 1982-85 and was the Most Valuable Player on the 1984 team at linebacker. He co-captained the team and was an All-Big Ten performer in 1984-85, leading the Wolverines to a 10-1-1 record and No. 2 ranking in the final AP Poll after a Fiesta Bowl win over Nebraska.
His brother, Doug Mallory, works for Michigan as a defensive analyst and joined the program in 2021. Their younger brother, Curt, is the head coach of the Indiana State football team. All three brothers played for Michigan. Their father, Bill, is the winningest head coach in Indiana Hoosiers history.
Michigan football and the NFL
Michigan football has been in the storylines this offseason with both head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter getting looks from the NFL. The Denver Broncos attempted to court Harbaugh for their head coach opening, while Minter interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles for their defensive coordinator job.
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Harbaugh sees the interest from the NFL – in addition to adding former NFL staffers to his operation – as a strength for the program.
“It’s an ongoing thing,” Harbaugh said during a spring football press conference last week. “Something that we treat as a really positive thing, that NFL franchises, NFL teams have a lot of interest in all of our personnel — coaches, players, staff. If somebody in our organization feels like that’s going to benefit them professionally and personally, then we say have at it. We don’t hold anybody back. I think for the players, it’s got to be so many over the last eight years. It’s gotta be in the 80s or 90s over eight years — players that are in the NFL.
“Coaches — I think I’ve lost count how many coaches have gone to the NFL from here. Staff members, same. We just don’t hold them back. Calls come in. Calls come in; calls are taken; those conversations are had. There’s a few coaches on our staff that those calls came in and they decided to stay here at Michigan. I’m one of them.”
