This season, the No. 16 Michigan football team welcomes a host of new faces to Ann Arbor in the form of on field talent and skilled coaches alike. And while these names may be new to the Wolverines’ fans, they aren’t necessarily new to one another.
Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham spent the last 21 seasons at Utah, and during his tenure he crossed paths with a multitude of talented individuals. When building his coaching staff for the Wolverines, Whittingham brought together branches from throughout his coaching career, attempting to put together his most fruitful program yet.
Of the 26 coaches on Whittingham’s staff, just nine don’t have an easily traceable connection to the head coach. For the vast majority, Michigan represents a homecoming of sorts as coaches come together and reconnect from various stages of their respective careers.
Offensive coordinator Jason Beck follows Whittingham directly from Salt Lake City after serving the same position with the Utes in 2025. Prior to his tenure there, Beck spent one season at New Mexico, two at Syracuse and five at Virginia. In that time, he amassed a key crew of supporting coaches who now join him in Ann Arbor. Beck recruited quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer in high school and briefly played under him at BYU. While the two didn’t overlap for long with the Cougars, they remained in touch and eventually reconnected in New York with the Orange. Though Detmer was merely a graduate assistant there, he began building key skills through working primarily with quarterbacks.
Three other coaches were also caught in Beck’s wave and have now joined him with the Wolverines this season. Inside wide receivers coach Marques Hagans overlapped with Beck during his time with the Cavaliers, while assistant offensive line coach Mike Lynch and wide recivers coach Micah Simon both connected with Beck at Syracuse. Simon has since followed Beck to every program after the Orange and has seen the tangible impact of his coaching take effect on many occasions.
“Our relationship has continued to grow, and we love working together,” Simon said Aug. 17. “We think alike, but also different. And I think that’s the best kind of compliment you can get with coaches that you work with daily.”
On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Jay Hill also brings with him his fair share of support staff. Like Beck, Hill spent time with Whittingham at Utah, but his most recent stint was at BYU. From their connection at the Cougars, Hill brings cornerbacks coach Jenaro Gilford to Michigan. Gilford’s tenure at BYU actually outweighs Hill’s, as he spent the last 10 seasons with the Cougars, just the third program he coached for and his longest stint by far.
Hill’s pull was strong enough to not only secure Gilford from Provo, but also called upon a former player in now-assistant cornerbacks coach Eddie Heckard. Heckard played under Hill during his time at Weber State, where the two secured four Big Sky Championships. 2026 isn’t the first season where Heckard is following Hill though, as Heckard cashed in his final year of eligibility to play under Hill in 2023 at BYU, ultimately appearing in 12 games with 10 starts at a Power Four program.
Besides the Whittingham lineage, another family name is prominent in the 2026 Wolverines’ program. The Alfords have four members on the Michigan team, split into two players and two coaches. Running back coach Tony Alford and offensive assistant Eli Alford seemingly don’t have a simple connection to Whittingham, as Tony returns in his third year with the Wolverines and Eli joins from the University of Mary. In reality though, Eli’s dad and Tony’s brother Aaron Alford spent time coaching with Whittingham for the Utes in the early 2000s.
Even for coaches who don’t have a connection to Whittingham though, the unity of this administration is tangible.
“It’s been pretty cool, man. I love it here,” defensive tackles coach Larry Black said Aug. 17. “We got a really, really great staff. We all connect and I’ve been blessed, man. I’ve been blessed to be a part of this coaching staff here.”
The 2026 Michigan coaching staff is certainly an eclectic amalgamation. But by Sunday morning, fans will have a better idea of whether Whittingham’s kin looks more like a family reunion or an icy thanksgiving dinner.
