Michigan QBs coach Kirk Campbell describes his analyst role last season, philosophy, goals for spring ball

Michigan Wolverines football head man Jim Harbaugh promoted Kirk Campbell to quarterbacks coach Jan. 27 ahead of spring practices, which begin Feb. 20. Campbell, who was Old Dominion’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2020-21, had a hand in the Wolverines’ offense last season as an analyst.

“Last year, I was in charge of all first and second down pass game for the game planning, so I would present all of that to the coordinators as we would go into the game plan,” Campbell said on the In The Trenches podcast with host Jon Jansen. “But I was also in charge of a lot of things behind the scenes. I would script a lot of the practicing, I would be in charge of our operation on a daily basis, as far as making sure that we’re flowing in and out of the huddle and lining up fast. Making sure, organizationally, we’re aligned.”

Michigan was ranked 16th nationally with 9 yards per pass on first and second downs, per Sports Info Solutions.

Campbell worked some with Michigan’s quarterbacks last season in an off-field capacity but has been connecting with the group — which includes graduate Jack Tuttle, an Indiana transfer who enrolled in January — over the last three weeks.

“Since I got promoted, we’ve had a fair share [of interaction],” Campbell said of he and Michigan’s quarterbacks. “Hitting the ground running with a newcomer like Jack Tuttle, trying to get him to know the offense so when we get to spring ball, there’s nothing to hold back there. Meeting with each quarterback individually, trying to go over what their goals are in the spring, what we need to make sure that we step forward with and the areas that we need to improve.”

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Michigan has a returning starter in junior J.J. McCarthy, but the depth chart is unsettled behind him. Junior Davis Warren, a former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship this offseason, earned the No. 2 job last season and will compete with Tuttle.

“That’s gonna be a great question we need to get answered here in the spring,” Campbell said of Michigan’s quarterback depth. “Davis Warren is an extremely talented player. We’ve got to continue to have him take strides. Jack Tuttle — excited to see how he’s going to do this spring.

“But we have young guys in that room. The freshman class, we had four guys in there — Jayden Denegal, Alex Orji, to name a few. The depth is going to be something we need to figure out — who’s going to take over the backup role, the two and the three role coming out of spring.”

Another goal of spring ball is figuring out the style in which Michigan will take on in the passing game.

“We know that our identity, we’re a running football team, and we’re going to be able to do that based on the returners we have,” Campbell noted. “But we have to make sure we come out, what is our identity through the throw game? Is it going to be a ball control pass game, is it going to be a play-action team? And make sure that we get all those details cleaned up and put them in the best situations to succeed on Saturdays.”

Relationships are important to Kirk Campbell

Campbell said he’s a demanding coach, wanting his group of quarterbacks to be the “most prepared unit in the country,” but that he wants to build strong bonds with his players, too.

“Relationships in life and in coaching are extremely important to me,” the Michigan assistant said. “The one thing I always tell my guys is, I’m going to coach them hard, but I’m going to love them too.

“I’m going to make sure that they get the information and make sure we do it right, and if we’re not getting it right, they’re going to get coached hard. But at the end of the day, if I’m too hard on a guy, I’m going put my arm around a guy and make sure they know how much I love them and how much I care about them, because at the end of the day, I treat them like a family.”

The starting quarterback job at Michigan is one of the most scrutinized positions in college football. With that comes pressure on the position coach, but Campbell is confident in his abilities.

“For me, it’s just being myself,” he said of handling the pressure. “I just worry about making sure that they’re the most prepared player in the entire country. And if I do that, I know the rest will take care of itself.”

He was on the sideline for Michigan’s games last season, and is excited for the opportunity to coach at The Big House.

“There are no better fans in the entire country than here, so that experience is second to none,” Campbell raved. “Being able to go out there in front of the largest crowd, winning every football game in front of those fans, it’s something special. Seeing the players run out of the tunnel, touch the banner, there’s really nothing better.”

Michigan will hold its spring game April 1 and begins its season Sept. 2 against East Carolina.