The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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68 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2026 BY ANTHONY BROOME F ormer U-M defensive lineman Chris Wormley has a unique place in pro- gram history — he was recruited by one coaching staff, then played for two others. From a Rich Rodriguez courtship to a Jim Harbaugh finish, he saw a bit of every- thing. The Toledo, Ohio, native grew up a Michigan fan but initially was not sure if it was going to be a fit for him as a col- legiate player. "I remember going to a game, and I think that season they were pretty abys- mal," Wormley said. "But I loved the Wol- verines. I would go to games with my dad growing up. I was still very interested in playing for the Wolverines. "I remember leaving that recruiting trip and being like, 'I don't know if I can go to a school like this.' They didn't re- ally play a defense that I think I would've thrived in. They were playing a 3-3-5 de- fense at the time. "That was probably my earliest mem- ory of being recruited by Rich Rod and that staff." That 3-3-5 system would not wind up being an issue. Rodriguez was fired in 2010 and replaced by Brady Hoke, who added Wormley to his first full recruiting class as a pledge in summer 2011. Wormley did not see game action in 2012 but played in 25 games over the next two seasons with six starts under Hoke. Another coaching change was made in 2014, leading to Harbaugh's arrival in Ann Arbor. The change in tone was clear from the jump. "The people that Harbaugh brought in were just above and beyond what was on the staff with Coach Hoke," Wormley said. "They kept defensive line coach Greg Mattison, and I think that was the right decision. He's one of the best defensive minds I've been around, and one of the best defensive line coaches that I played for. "But across the board, we noticed an immediate upgrade in the coaches that Harbaugh had brought in for those two years that I was there." Wormley thrived under the Harbaugh regime, twice earning All-Big Ten honors, along with grabbing a second-team All- America nod from The Sporting News in 2016. U-M won 20 games in those first two years under Harbaugh and was a bad spot in Columbus away from competing for a Big Ten championship and the Col- lege Football Playoff in Year 2. Harbaugh's program would eventually reach those heights in 2021 and pay it off with a national title in 2023, but those 2015-16 teams helped set the tone for what the program was going to be moving forward. "We talk about that a lot with the guys who laid that foundation for what was to come for this program," Wormley said. "Coach Hoke's last year, we were 5-7. Then the first two years with Harbaugh, we were 10-3. We never got to beat Ohio State or win a Big Ten championship, but we saw that foundation being laid. "Then they went through a rough time for a few years up until the COVID year. There was a lot of struggle. Some 10-3 seasons, but some eight- and nine-win seasons. Then COVID was a rough time for the program. But we could see that what Harbaugh was doing was working. His track record speaks for itself in terms of how he's able to lead a program, de- velop men, and get the most out of them. "To see them win that championship in 2023 and those back-to-back-to-back Big Ten championships was gratifying for the guys that were there before. "But we are a little jealous, a little envi- ous of those guys that were able to beat Ohio State and win those Big Ten cham- pionships. That's the goal when you go to Michigan, and I wasn't able to do that." ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Former Football Star Chris Wormley Recalls Transition To Harbaugh Era Wormley was a two-time All-Big Ten selection at defensive tackle for Michigan (2015, '16). He also earned second-team All-America honors from The Sporting News in 2016. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY