Michigan RBs coach Tony Alford: 'I'm as happy as I've been in a long time'

In a rare situation, Michigan Wolverines football running backs coach and run game coordinator Tony Alford coached multiple Ohio State spring practices before departing to Ann Arbor to work for new head coach Sherrone Moore. Alford has been on the job for over three months, after spending nine seasons in Columbus.

There are no hard feelings from Alford’s side, though his move to leave for a bitter rival stunned and disappointed the Buckeye fan base. On the ‘John McCallister Report’ podcast, Alford discussed his feelings on heading to Michigan.

“Two things. One, I’m deeply indebted to Ohio State and the Ohio State community,” Alford began. “Without that opportunity, the nine years that I spent at Ohio State, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to have gone to Michigan. So I make sure to put that out, that I’m deeply indebted for that, and it was a great nine years, it was a good run for me and my family.

“My children were raised here, for the most part, in their formative years, right here in Dublin, Ohio, in the Columbus region and area. It was amazing, and people have been so good to my family and my sons in particular.

“But as far as the job went, it was just time. And sometimes this is such a transient job that we have, and we all know that going into it. Nine years is like an eternity in the coaching profession, and so I was very fortunate for those nine years, but I just think it was time. I think it was time for them and [head coach] Ryan Day and Ohio State, and it was time for Tony Alford.

“I don’t think it was any one party saying, ‘Screw you.’ It was never any of that. I just think for both parties, I think we both knew it. It was just time, and I can tell you I’m as happy as I’ve been in a long time, as far as my coaching profession. I’m really, really in a good place.”

Alford has known Moore for some time, with both having coached at Louisville (though at different times). He’s been welcomed in by Michigan’s head coach and the rest of the staff and players.

“Sherrone Moore and that staff have been nothing but open arms and kind and great to me,” Alford continued. “Really good people — I mean, unbelievable people — and I’m grateful for them for embracing me from a ‘rival,’ if you will, in the way that they have.

“But I just think it was time for everyone involved — I know it was time for everyone involved. Not think, I know. And here we are.

“It’s another chapter in my coaching career and life, so I’m blessed with the things that have been afforded and presented to me.”

McCallister, who directs a college recruiting service that evaluates high school football players in Ohio, has watched Alford coach and said he appreciates the way he communicates with his players.

“You just can’t scream and holler all the time, and it falls on deaf ears and then if you’re always doing that, what’s really important and what’s not, because it’s the same tone all across the board?” Alford said.

“But I think kids are a little different now, too. I just think of my own sons versus how I was raised. Talk to ‘em a little bit and tell them, ‘Hey, here’s why you’re doing what you’re doing, and here’s why, as a coach, I want you to do this.’ And I think when people understand the ‘why,’ they’ll be more adept to do that. Instead of saying, hey, here’s why, here’s how I fit in the equation and do my job really well, here’s what comes as the result of that.

“And I think that there’s a way to get things from people, but I also believe this, too, that every person is motivated differently. If you have seven running backs in a room or however many players you have in the room or how many people might work under you in the corporate world, every one of them is going to be motivated differently. And you, as a leader, have to figure out what motivates each person individually. Maybe it is screaming at them. Maybe another guy it’s just talking to them.

“So the way I talk to my three sons is vastly different, but what is the same is where we’re going and what we’re trying to achieve. How we get there may differ.”

Here are some more highlights from the Michigan assistant’s appearance on the podcast:

On wanting ‘tough, productive and reliable running backs

“I would echo those things once again. I think you gotta find guys that are tough guys. And I don’t mean tough like fighting tough like that, but I’m talking guys that have a tough mindset, that every play’s not gonna pop. There are some plays you gotta take a dirty 2 or 3 yards, as we like to say.

“But a guy that’s just relentless that just keeps coming back and coming back. I prefer three-down guys that can be in on third down and block if need be or catch the ball in space if need be. But also get tough yards, be able to get the tough yards.

“I want guys that are reliable, and a lot of that is being able to be available on the field, injury-free. There’s a mindset with that. I think there’s a thing that they gotta take care of their body away from the field, as far as eating habits, sleeping habits and just take care of themselves so they are available. And tough-minded guys.

“And I want to have guys like me. I want to have guys that really love the game and they love being around their teammates, to help lift their teammates, they’re selfless people. I used the word other-centered instead of self-centered. But obviously, if the skill sets aren’t there, we wouldn’t recruit you anyway, so the natural skill sets have to be [there], as well. But I want guys that really love the game and love their teammates and are tough-minded guys.”

On McCallister’s advice that high school players should spend time on the kickoff team and put those plays on their highlight reels

“And I think playing on special teams shows a lot. It shows your unselfish character. And when people say, ‘I want to play,’ well, that’s a play. Or do you only want to play only exactly the things that you want to do? But I’m a firm believer that special teams is such a critical piece of the game, and I don’t think a lot of young people realize that those are reps that can change games. That’s an unselfish player that can run down on kickoff.

“You can imagine, I’ve had players. [Wide receiver] Xavier Johnson at Ohio State, I think it was against Notre Dame, he scores a touchdown and then he runs back down on that kickoff and makes a tackle on the kickoff team. Those are unselfish players. Those are the type of guys that you want on your team.”

On what makes an excellent football player, regardless of position

“I think the first thing is attention to detail, the attention to detail of their position. When we say you have to step at a 45 [degree angle] or get your thumb right down the sternum or whatever the verbiage is. I use running backs just to talk about perfecting your trade. If you talk about how to take a handoff, there are certain things that I teach about how to take a handoff. How to carry a ball, right? So the attention to detail of your trade.

“And I think there are so many things, and you talk about the running back position, let’s talk about pass protection. Well, you can use pass protection for a running back versus a blitzing linebacker or a safety, but that can translate over to being on the front line of punts, it can translate to now a receiver on a release. Maybe that translates into a guy covering a punt, or it translates into a running back missing a guy miss in space. That transitions into covering a kick where you have to avoid a blocker.

“So all these skill sets we talk about being ‘all ball.’ So all the skill sets that you’re learning can be applied in other positions throughout football. There are some basic fundamentals that all players need to continue to perfect their trade. How they punch, where their hands are at, how they strike, how they release off of a block and things like that. So I think just overall looking at guys that can maybe do multiple things, those are always good guys to have.”

On an athlete’s public image being ‘important’

“Every day, you have to be very intentional and purposeful about how you’re building your name, your brand. What you put on social media matters, because employers — college recruiters are kind of like employers — are going to try to dive into everything that you do.

“When we recruit a running back to the University of Michigan, we’re not allowed to miss. You can’t miss. If you miss on a player, eventually that’s going to get you fired. So we have to know who they are, so you dive into their social media, you’re going and you’re asking people at the high school — young girls, janitors, principals, secretaries, teachers — ’hey, tell me about this kid because I have to know about him.’

“When guys go into the draft, they do a deep dive into who these kids are and how they grew up, because they want to know what they’re getting. Is their attitude, is their brand, is their name synonymous with something that is positive and good?

“So I would challenge people to really, really think about that. I use the words ‘intentional’ and ‘purposeful’ about how you’re building your name.”