The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
keeping a close eye on Michigan- Ohio State in the near future. "A friend of mine, who was our special teams captain at USC, the first thing we texted each other when Coach Baxter was hired was, 'Wow, I can't wait for Coach Baxter to go up against Urban Meyer,'" Negrete said. "It's about the players, but it's going to be great for the game of college football, the Big Ten, for the rivalry, because Coach Baxter is going to do everything he can to give Urban Meyer more than he can handle." So it goes, right on down the line. While Durkin coaches linebackers, Greg Mattison will take over the de- fensive line and provide the perfect stabilizer between the players he worked with the last four seasons and the new staff. Mattison has done it all in college football and with the Baltimore Ra- vens, and knows precisely what the Wolverines are going to face in Big Ten offenses. He'll bring all of that knowledge to the defensive staff room. Defensive backs coach Greg Jack- son directed two NFL All-Pro hon- orees and five Pro Bowl selections while working with Harbaugh at San Francisco from 2011-14. He played 12 seasons in the NFL himself, and helped coach Wisconsin to an 11-2 re- cord and No. 7 final ranking in 2010 before joining the 49ers. Mike Zordich — fresh off coaching at Youngstown State in 2014 — will join forces with Jackson and guide U-M's defensive backs. Zordich was an All-American safety at Penn State who later performed in the NFL. Michigan's new running backs coach needs no introduction, but Tyrone Wheatley is far more than the blur from the backfield Michigan fans recall. He's made several college coaching stops, and spent the past two seasons with the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. Ryan Murray of CuseConfidential. com (a Syracuse website) noted of Wheatley: "Tyrone really got that room to buy into what Syracuse was doing at the time. Those kids fed off Greg Mattison will take over the defen- sive line and provide the perfect stabilizer between the players he worked with the last four seasons at U-M and the new staff. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN