Run game coordinator Mike Hart to stay at Michigan after interviewing with Western Michigan
According to a report from The Detroit News’ Tony Paul, Michigan Wolverines football running backs coach and run game coordinator Mike Hart interviewed for the Western Michigan head coaching vacancy after U-M’s 43-22 win over Purdue in the Big Ten championship game. However, Hart will stay at Michigan, according to Paul.
Western Michigan fired head coach Tim Lester, who went 5-7 in 2022 and 37-32 over six seasons in Kalamazoo, Nov. 28.
Hart coached running backs at WMU from 2014-15 under then-head man P.J. Fleck. He got his start at Eastern Michigan (2011-13), before taking a step up to Syracuse (2016), Indiana (2017-20) and eventually Michigan (2021-present), his alma mater.
Paul also revealed that while Michigan co-offensive coordinator and line coach Sherrone Moore was on the Broncos’ wish list for their head-coaching job, he turned down the opportunity to pursue the position.
Paul believes Western Michigan is down to three finalists — Cincinnati offensive coordinator Gino Guidugli, Louisville offensive coordinator Lance Taylor and West Virginia offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. He expects the position to be filled “relatively soon.”
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Since Hart arrived at Michigan, the Wolverines’ running backs have performed at an extremely high level.
Hassan Haskins set the program’s single-season record with 20 rushing touchdowns, while adding 1,327 yards, in 2021. He earned second-team All-America honors by the American Football Coaches Association and was a third-team pick by the Associated Press.
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Michigan junior Blake Corum is injured and out for the season, but he has recorded 1,463 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns this season, a snub from being a Heisman Trophy finalist. He became the first Wolverine to ever score at least one touchdown in 11 different games during the course of a season. Corum was named first-team All-Big Ten and will be up for All-America honors.
Sophomore Donovan Edwards is fifth in the nation this season with 7.5 yards per carry, and he’s stepped up in Corum’s absence the last two games, rushing for 401 yards in that stretch. He has 872 rushing yards on 117 carries and has shown big strides over the course of his young career, under Hart’s tutelage.
“He’s just a real good coach,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said this season. “Really good football coach. He works extremely hard at the game. Contributes in so many way — game day, day-to-day coaching guys in the run game, and in the passing game.
“Always has really good, sound ideas. Really good teacher, communicator. Expert at protections and blitz pickups. Coaching the guys how to play the running back position, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s a lot more than just coaching a position. Go-to-guy for me and the rest of the staff. He’s really good at what he does.”
