The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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66 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2023 M ichigan is coming off back-to-back Big Ten titles with different coordi- nators each season, proving Jim Harbaugh knows what he's doing when it comes to hiring assistant coaches. The Wolverines' head coach will head into the 2023 season with a staff shakeup for a third straight season, including a third combination of offensive coordinators in as many seasons. Matt Weiss, last year's quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator with offensive line coach Sherrone Moore, was terminated Jan. 20 after being put on leave Jan. 17. He was reportedly being inves- tigated for a "report of computer access crimes" allegedly committed in Decem- ber at Schembechler Hall. Days later, athletics director Warde Manuel announced his removal. "After a review of university policies, the athletic department has terminated the appointment of co-offensive coordi- nator/ quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss," Manuel said. "Consistent with university policy we will have no further comment on this personnel matter." It was reported Feb. 13 that Weiss alleg- edly "inappropriately accessed computer accounts of others at the school," acts that drew police attention. Harbaugh conducted a national search before promoting analyst Kirk Campbell to quarterbacks coach. The former Old Dominion offensive coordinator had a big hand in last year's offense, per sources, and is well-respected by quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy, Davis Warren and others af- filiated with the offense. "Last year, I was in charge of all first- and second-down pass game for the game planning. I would present all of that to the coordinators as we would go into the game plan," Campbell told former Michi- gan All-American Jon Jansen on the "In the Trenches" podcast. "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 mak- ing sure that we're flowing in and out of the huddle and lining up fast. I made 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 said Feb. 15 he had already had a fair share of interaction with the quarterbacks, including Indiana graduate transfer Jack Tuttle. "I am 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," he said. "I'm 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." As for the offensive coordinator duties … they're all Moore's now, the program confirmed in a Feb. 17 tweet. Fox analyst Joel Klatt, who called several Michigan games this year, believes the job is in good hands. "Sherrone Moore really was the guy that should have had the reins as the play caller all the way," he said on one of his podcasts recently. "He probably did most of the time as we got into the back half of the season. "Sherrone Moore is an absolute su- perstar. I think he's one of the best young coaches in all of college football. I know who he cut his teeth under; I know he learned the game incredibly well. He's very bright. I enjoy my con- versations with him. As far as the of- fense goes, I just don't sense they are going to miss a beat because they are missing Matt Weiss." Finally, Harbaugh completed his of- fensive staff by hiring two analysts, in- cluding Josh Sinagoga. Sinagoga joins the Wolverines' staff after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Youngstown State. Sinagoga worked with the Penguins' quarterbacks in 2022 after coaching the receivers during the previous two sea- sons (2020-21). He also served as the Penguins' recruiting coordinator during his entire tenure and helped lead YSU to its highest-rated recruiting class in school history in 2022. Prior to joining the YSU staff, he was an offensive quality control coach at Cincinnati during the 2019 season. The other new analyst, Nick Gilbert, MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Jim Harbaugh Shuffles His Offensive Staff For 2023 Now in his sixth season at U-M, Sherrone Moore will take sole control as the offensive coor- dinator in 2023 after two years as a co-coordinator. He also is entering his third season as offensive line coach, with two Joe Moore Award trophies to his credit. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL