The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
78 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 W hen spring practice begins for the Wolverines, junior quarter- back Shea Patterson will have a new position coach. After the departure of Pep Hamilton to the XFL, Ben Mc- Daniels was officially announced as new quarterbacks coach Feb. 5. McDaniels worked as an offen- sive analyst for U-M during the 2018 season and was elevated to interim wide receivers coach before the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl when Jim McElwain left to become the head coach at Central Michigan. "Ben has been an excellent addition to our football staff, and we look for- ward to his elevated role as our quar- terbacks coach this year," head coach Jim Harbaugh said in a press release. "Ben is a talented, experienced coach who brings great knowledge and en- thusiasm to our offensive coaching staff and the quarterback room. "Michigan football appreciates the contributions that Ben and his wife, Kyle, as well as their children, Kin- ley and Brooks, have made and will continue to make as members of our university family." McDaniels came to Michigan after spending two years with the Chicago Bears, where he was an offensive as- sistant under head coach John Fox. He worked with the wide receivers in 2016, while he helped mentor the tight ends in 2017. Prior to working with the Bears, McDaniels was on the offensive staff at Rutgers. He started as wide re- ceivers coach in 2014 before being elevated to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2015. In 2014, the Scarlet Knights finished sixth na- tionally in passing yards per comple- tion. Wide receiver Leonte Caroo had 1,086 receiving yards and a program record-tying 10 touchdowns in 2014. He finished as the school's career leader in receiving touchdowns (29) and third in yards (2,373). Before his time with the Scar- let Knights, McDaniels spent the 2012-13 seasons in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an offen- sive assistant. The team set franchise records in passing yards, total yards and points scored while he was part of the coaching staff. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson and running back Doug Martin both made the 2013 Pro Bowl. In addition to serving as an assis- tant coach on the high school level, McDaniels also spent time at Co- lumbia as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and worked with his brother, Josh McDaniels, for the Denver Broncos. He started as an offensive assistant in Denver dur- ing the 2009 season before becoming the quarterbacks coach in 2010. That season, the Broncos had the NFL's seventh-ranked passing offense with quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow combining for 4,307 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. McDaniels started his coaching ca- reer with his father, Thom McDaniels, who was the 1997 USA Today National Coach of the Year and is a member of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. McDaniels then spent two years as a graduate assistant at Minnesota before returning to the high school ranks. With the Golden Gophers, he worked with the wide receivers in 2004 and the defensive backs in 2005. After his time with Minnesota, he returned to his alma mater, Canton McKinley High School, as quarterbacks coach for 2006 and 2007, before becoming the quarterbacks coach at Jackson High School for the 2008 season. — Andrew Hussey CHRIS EVANS IS NO LONGER ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM Michigan senior running back Chris Evans is no longer on the Wol- verines' football roster… at least not right now. Rumors of Evans' removal from the squad started in early Feb- ruary, and U-M confirmed them in a statement released Feb. 5. "Chris Evans is not a member of the football team at this time," David Ablauf, associate athletic director for football communications, confirmed. "Privacy laws prohibit us from com- menting further." Evans was U-M's leading returning rusher and was expected to play a big role in the backfield this fall. He ran for 423 yards and four touchdowns last year, and also caught 18 passes for 148 yards and another score. Evans took to Twitter to say he planned to be back at some point. "I am going through some aca- demic issues right now," he wrote. "I'm working through it now. I will still continue my career at the Uni- versity of Michigan." Assuming Evans doesn't return MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Ben McDaniels Becomes U-M's Quarterbacks Coach Ben McDaniels has coached for multiple teams in the NFL and was Rutgers' offensive coordina- tor and quarterbacks coach in 2015. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY