Sherrone Moore discusses Tony Alford hire, addresses Mike Hart's departure
Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore finalized his staff on the offensive side of the ball last week by hiring running backs coach/run game coordinator Tony Alford from Ohio State, adding another dimension to the many layers of the rivalry.
Of course, this was not just a standard transition during the offseason coaching cycle. Alford had been part of planning for spring practices in Columbus and even went through a pair of practices with head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes before switching to Michigan.
Moore discussed the Alford hire on Thursday afternoon and explained why Alford was the man for Michigan.
“His resume speaks for itself, who he is as a coach, mentor and recruiter,” Moore said. “But more importantly, as a person. I’ve known him for a long time. Obviously, it was on the other side [of the rivalry]. Don’t fault him too much for that. As a person, you get to know him. He’s an incredible human being and an incredible mentor and coach. Super excited to have him on staff.”
Alford figures to help Michigan on the field while also ramping up the team’s recruiting efforts in Ohio. From a coaching and recruiting perspective, Moore felt that a different type of voice would be an asset in building out his vision.
“It’s really just the experience he has, what he’s done and his perspective,” Moore said. “It’s always good to get a different perspective. You don’t always have do things the way you did it. Sometimes you have to change a couple of things here and there, but it’s always good to have another perspective and another viewpoint of how somebody has done things. Just because you did it one way before doesn’t mean it’s gonna work. Because you always have this way, doesn’t mean you can’t do it another way. So just having that perspective is good for us.”
Alford spent the last nine seasons at Ohio State as the team’s running backs coach and assistant head coach on offense under Urban Meyer and Ryan Day. During his time there, he coached four 1,000-plus yard rushers in Ezekiel Elliott, Mike Weber, JK Dobbins and Treveyon Henderson. He was expected to lead a Buckeye room this year that featured Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, who many expect to be the best running back duo in the country.
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Before his time at Ohio State, Alford spent six seasons at Notre Dame. Other stops in his coaching career included Mount Union, Kent State, Iowa State, Washington and Louisville. He is considered one of the best recruiters at the position in college football, and is a potential home run addition for Moore’s staff.
“Tony is an elite running backs coach who is an outstanding mentor and example for young men in all aspects of football and life,” Moore said in a statement after the hiring. “I know that he will have a profound impact on our running back room and football program. We are excited to have Tony and his wife, Trina, and their boys join the Michigan Football Family.”
Alford’s hiring also came as a bittersweet ending to the Mike Hart era, who had his contract expire at the end of the season and cleaned out his office at Schembechler Hall earlier this month. Moore was asked to explain his departure but kept it brief.
“Mike did so much for this university and was an integral part of what we did here, from the coaching staff and as a player,” Moore said. “That’s all I’ll comment on that.”
Michigan’s spring camp kicked off on March 18 and runs through April 20, culminating in the spring game at the Big House.
