The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542609
28 THE WOLVERINE ❱ FEBRUARY 2026 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE AND ANTHONY BROOME OFFENSIVE STAFF Kyle Whittingham not only brought coordinator Jason Beck with him from Utah, but also three others from that of- fensive staff in Jim Harding (offensive line), Micah Simon (wide receivers) and Freddie Whittingham (tight ends). Plus, Michigan will have the benefit of three full-time analysts working with offensive position groups. Koy Detmer Jr., who was with Whit- tingham in Salt Lake City, will help de- velop the quarterbacks. Previously, he worked as an analyst with Beck at New Mexico (2024) and Syracuse (2022-23). Marques Hagans will be working with Simon and the wide receivers after three seasons as the primary wide receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordina- tor at Penn State. Previously, he was the receivers coach at Virginia (2013-22). Offensive line analyst Mike Lynch joins the U-M staff after spending the past two seasons at Nevada. Prior to that, he was a member of the Syracuse coaching staff for eight seasons (2016- 23). Running backs coach and run game coordinator Tony Alford was retained from the previous U-M staff, as was re- cently hired coordinator Kerry Coombs on special teams. Here's a look at the offensive assistant coaching hires: JIM HARDING, OFFENSIVE LINE T h e M a u m e e , Ohio, native and former first-team All-MAC honoree a s a n o f f e n s i ve lineman at Toledo ( 2 0 0 0 ) co m e s to Michigan with 24 yea rs o f c o l l e ge coaching experi- ence, including the last 17 as an offen- sive line coach. Harding was with Whittingham over the last 12 seasons, including two as co-offensive coordinator (2015-16) and nine as assistant head coach (2017- 25). He's sent 13 offensive linemen to the NFL, including six draft selections, and 11 players achieved first-team All- Pac-12 or All-Big 12 honors under his tutelage. Harding was the offensive line coach at Wyoming from 2009-13, prior to ar- riving at Utah. That came on the heels of a run as a coach at Troy (Mich.) Ath- ens High School, where he spent four seasons, three as defensive coordina- tor and one as head coach. Harding was a graduate assistant at Missouri from 2002-04, his first opportunity in coaching after earning an undergradu- ate degree in secondary education at Toledo in 2001. MICAH SIMON, WIDE RECEIVERS T h e 2 8 - y e a r - o l d S i m o n w a s Utah's wide receiv- ers coach in 2025, helping Ryan Da- vis earn All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition with 62 receptions for 725 yards and 4 touch- downs. Not only did he work with Beck there, but he was also his wide receivers coach at New Mexico in 2024. Simon helped Luke Wysong to second-team All-Mountain West honors after he fin- ished in the top 10 in the MWC in recep- tions and receiving yards per game and ranked No. 19 in the FBS in receptions per contest. Prior to his time in Albuquerque, Si- mon was the wide receivers coach at Northern Colorado in 2023, after one year as an analyst (quarterbacks, wide receivers) under Beck — then the quar- terbacks coach — at Syracuse in 2022. Not far removed from a standout ca- reer at BYU (2015-19), Simon played in 36 college contests, hauling in 89 recep- tions for 1,109 yards and 5 touchdowns. He graduated from BYU with an exer- cise science degree in 2019. FREDDIE WHITTINGHAM, TIGHT ENDS T h e y o u n g e r brother of Michi- gan's head coach, Freddie Whitting- h a m wa s U ta h 's tight ends coach for the last 10 years. Over the last six years, Utah's tight e n d s a c c o u n t e d for 36 percent of the team's receiving yards, with a tight end leading the team in receiving yards in three of the last New Football Assistant Coaches Bring Plenty Of Experience 2026 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL ASSISTANT COACHING STAFF Name Position Last Team Jason Beck Offensive Coordinator Utah Tony Alford Running Backs Michigan Koy Detmer Jr. Quarterbacks (Analyst) Utah Jim Harding Offensive Line Utah Mike Lynch Asst. Offensive Line (Analyst) Nevada Micah Simon Wide Receivers Utah Marques Hagans Asst. Wide Receivers (Analyst) Penn State Freddie Whittingham Tight Ends Utah Jay Hill Defensive Coordinator BYU Lewis Powell Defensive Ends/Edges Utah Lou Esposito Defensive Line Michigan Alex Whittingham Linebackers Kansas City Chiefs Jernaro Gilford Cornerbacks BYU Tyler Stockton Safeties Boise State Kerry Coombs Special Teams Coordinator Michigan