John Baxter, Wolverine

Tag: coaching changes

8Jan 2015
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John Baxter, Wolverine

John Baxter’s punt block drill

Former USC special teams coach John Baxter will be coaching the special teams at Michigan. Baxter was out of coaching this past season, but he had been at USC under Lane Kiffin and was Pat Hill’s special teams guy at Fresno State from 1987-2009.

Baxter went to high school in Chicago and then went to college in Iowa (at Loras and then Iowa State), so he grew up in the midwest. He started off coaching at Loras in 1981, and he has bounced around since then, like most coaches do. His stops include Iowa State, Arizona, Maryland, Tulane, USC, and Fresno State. At one point or another, he has coached every position except quarterbacks and offensive line. But where he has really made a name for himself is on special teams.

Some of his accomplishments as a special teams coach:

  • Top 15 in blocking kicks since at least 2008
  • Nelson Agholor averaged 19.0 yards/punt return with 2 touchdowns in 2013
  • Marqise Lee was Second Team All-Pac 12 and averaged 28.5 yards/kickoff return with 1 touchdown in 2012
  • Named Special Teams Coordinator of the Year by Football Scoop in 2011
  • Robert Woods was First Team All-Pac 10 with 25.6 yards/return and 1 touchdown in 2010
  • Fresno State scored 3 punt return touchdowns by 3 different players in 2008
  • A.J. Jefferson led the nation with 35.3 yards/return and 2 touchdowns in 2007 at Fresno State
  • Clifton Smith set Fresno State’s school record with 5 career punt return touchdowns in 2005
  • Bernard Berrian returned 3 punts for touchdowns and averaged 11.2 yards/return in his career at Fresno State
Baxter spent from 1994-2009 coaching tight ends or wide receivers in addition to his special teams duties, and he was the associate head coach at USC. At 51 years old, he’s been around the block and obviously has some respect in coaching circles. He landed an interview to be Colorado State’s head coach after Jim McElwain lit out for Florida (Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo got the CSU job instead).

Michigan averaged 6.3 yards per punt return last season, and that includes Ben Gedeon’s 32-yard return of a blocked punt for a touchdown; on actual return attempts, the number was more like 4.3 yards/return. The last time a Michigan punt returner scored a touchdown was Martavious Odoms against Purdue in 2008, Rich Rodriguez’s first year. Kickoff returns have been largely unproductive, too, with Michigan failing to score a touchdown since Darryl Stonum in 2009. Since Stonum’s return in 2009, Baxter’s kickoff return unit scored three times, and he didn’t even coach in 2014.

The other day I spent a fair amount of time perusing defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s special teams history (LINK), so he and Baxter should make a good combination. One guy who should be happy about this hire is senior Dennis Norfleet, the incumbent punt/kick returner who has yet to score a touchdown of any kind in his college career. Michigan also really struggled to get the right personnel on the field last season, allowing a Utah punt return for a touchdown with only ten men on the field. A dedicated special teams coordinator might rid the Wolverines of most of those issues.
7Jan 2015
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Michigan Assistant Coach Rumors (January 7)

Jim Harbaugh (left), Tyrone Wheatley (right), and some guy (middle)

Here are some updated rumors and speculation about the open coaching positions on Michigan’s staff.

1. Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach/Quarterbacks: Signed, sealed, and delivered (LINK). Next.

2. Tim Drevno, Offensive Coordinator/Offensive line: Drevno, the USC offensive line coach and run game coordinator, is coming to Michigan (LINK). He might be doing the whole line by himself, although he will probably get some help from a graduate assistant.
Other possibility: Andy Moeller or Todd Washington (offensive line)

3. Running backs: Former Buffalo Bills running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley flew into town last night and went to dinner with Harbaugh at Red Robin. He was supposed to interview for the running backs job yesterday, but his late arrival postponed the interview to today. No contract is done yet, but it would be quite a surprise if Wheatley didn’t get the job.
Other possibilities: Fred Jackson, Roy Manning

4. Wide receivers: Rumors appeared on New Year’s Eve that John Morton was expected to join Michigan’s staff, although there has been nothing confirmed yet. No, this isn’t the former Detroit Lions wide receiver, but San Francisco 49ers wide receiver coach Morton is out of a job. Morton grew up in Michigan and played wide receiver at Western Michigan, so he’s a midwest guy and would presumably have some connections in the area. San Francisco’s wide receivers weren’t spectacular, but he has worked with some pretty big names in Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree.
Other possibilities: Erik Campbell, Ronald Curry, Jeff Hecklinski

5. Tight ends: Vince Marrow decided to stay at Kentucky, and it’s been reported that Michigan has offered a job to San Jose State University offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty. Dougherty worked for Harbaugh at San Diego, and he also has experience coaching wide receivers and tight ends. Since it seems like Morton will be coaching the wideouts, Dougherty might find himself coaching tight ends. He may also get a “passing game coordinator” title, pairing with Drevno.
Other possibility: Kevin Koger

6. Defensive coordinator: Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is now Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin (LINK), and he has already started using his connections in the south to send out a couple offers (LINK).

7. Defensive line: Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison will be a holdover from the previous staff to this one. Mattison has family in the area, loves the University of Michigan, is a pretty good coach with NFL experience, and is a great recruiter. He also has connections to Harbaugh and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. It’s unclear which role Mattison will have, whether it’s working with the defensive line or linebackers.
Other possibilities: D.J. Durkin, Roy Manning

8. Linebackers: Michigan cornerbacks coach Roy Manning has been heavily rumored to be staying around on staff, and it was reported that he already interviewed for a job. Whether he gets that job or not remains to be seen, but it seems to make sense that he would work with the linebackers, a position he has previously coached. The cornerback thing didn’t go so well last year, but he has been perhaps Michigan’s best recruiter.
Other possibility: Peter Hansen, Greg Mattison

9. Defensive backs: San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach Greg Jackson reportedly contacted Louisiana defensive end Jalen Bates, a guy with a Michigan offer who committed to Arizona State. Bates’s cousin is former Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton. Unless this is like Vince Marrow contacting Chris Clark for no reason at all, it looks like Jackson will be coaching some/all of the defensive backs. Meanwhile, Michigan safeties coach Curt Mallory has been hired at Wyoming (LINK), so he’s not going to return.
Other possibility: Roy Manning

10. Special teams: Sam Webb tweeted out that Michigan would probably be getting a guy dedicated to special teams only. That guy could very well be Florida special teams coordinator Coleman Hutzler (LINK), who worked with Durkin last year and coached outside linebackers at New Mexico for a couple seasons before that. Michigan may find themselves splitting the defense up oddly, with a couple guys combining on the DL and a couple more combining on the LB spots. Personally, I don’t believe it’s wise to have someone who’s only devoted to special teams; if that happens, the special teams had better be awesome.
Other possibility: ???

11. Strength and conditioning: Stanford strength and conditioning coordinator Shannon Turley apparently agreed to come to Michigan and then rescinded. The next most likely option seems to be Kevin Tolbert, who had been Harbaugh’s strength and conditioning coach with the 49ers and for a couple years at Stanford. Tolbert is a Navy grad and former football player, and he also spent eight years working under Mike Gittleson, Michigan’s former S&C coach prior to Rich Rodriguez’s hiring.
Other possibility: ???

6Jan 2015
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D.J. Durkin, Wolverine

D.J. Durkin (image via GatorCountry.com)

Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin will join Michigan’s staff in an as-yet-unclear role. He is expected to be the defensive coordinator or at least co-defensive coordinator with Brady Hoke-regime holdover Greg Mattison. Durkin has coached defensive ends and linebackers in the past, so he would also likely take over one of those position groups.

Durkin is a 36-year-old who went to high school at Boardman (OH) Boardman before becoming a two-year captain at Bowling Green State University, playing defensive end and outside linebacker. After finishing his career in 2000, he joined Urban Meyer’s staff as a graduate assistant in 2001-2002. He then spent two years at Notre Dame under Tyrone Willingham (and with Greg Mattison), working as a graduate assistant with the defensive line. His first full-time coaching gig came back at BGSU working with the defensive ends in 2005 and then the linebackers and special teams in 2006. When Jim Harbaugh was hired at Stanford in 2007, Durkin joined him as the defensive ends and special teams coach. The year before Harbaugh left, Durkin headed to Florida to be their defensive ends/special teams coach, where he again worked under Meyer (2010) and then under Will Muschamp. Last season he was promoted to defensive coordinator and became the interim head coach for the Birmingham Bowl this season, which Florida won over East Carolina, 28-20.

As a defensive coordinator, Florida has allowed 21.1 points/game each of the last two years (tied for #19 in 2014, #15 in 2013), and they have been #15 in total defense (329.8 yards/game allowed in 2014) and #8 (314.4 yards/game allowed in 2013). This past year Florida was tied for 44th in sacks (32), tied for 29th in tackles for loss (87), and tied for 15th in interceptions (16). It should be noted that he was working with renowned defensive mind Will Muschamp, but there aren’t many better mentors to have. As a defensive coach in general, Durkin has coached up Justin Tuck (Notre Dame/New York Giants), Jelani Jenkins (Florida/Miami Dolphins), and Jon Bostic (Florida/Chicago Bears).

Hit the jump for much more on Durkin’s special teams and recruiting accomplishments.

As a special teams coach, Durkin has a good history. Some accomplishments during his tenure:

  • Chris Owusu had 3 kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2009, averaging 31.5 yards/return
  • Richard Sherman returned 1 punt for a touchdown (2009) and returned a blocked punt for a score (2008)
  • Florida returned 2 blocked kicks for touchdowns in 2010
  • Andre DeBose returned 2 kickoffs for touchdowns in 2010, averaging 28 yards/return
  • Chris Rainey returned 1 punt for a touchdown in 2011, and another blocked punt was returned for a score by linebacker Graham Stewart
  • Debose and Jeff Demps each returned 1 touchdown for a score in 2011
  • Debose (kickoff) and linebacker Jelani Jenkins (punt) both scored touchdowns on special teams in 2012
  • Punter Chas Henry averaged 45.1 yards/punt and won the Ray Guy Award in 2010
  • Kicker Caleb Sturgis was a First Team All-American in 2012 and a Second Team All-American in 2011, becoming a 5th round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2013
Overall, when Durkin has been in charge of special teams, his squads have scored 8 kickoff return touchdowns and 7 punt return team touchdowns (including returns on blocked kicks), albeit zero in his first two years as a coordinator in 2006-2007. If we look at that same span of success (2008-2012) at Michigan, the Wolverines totaled 3 punt returns and 1 kickoff return touchdowns. So Durkin’s teams scored 15 times, while Rich Rodriguez/Brady Hoke’s teams scored 4 times. Additionally, the Cardinal and Gators blocked 22 kicks during that five-year span. If Durkin is indeed the defensive coordinator and a position coach, he will almost certainly not be the team’s primary special teams coach, but he would undoubtedly have some input.
As a recruiter, Durkin was named the Rivals Recruiter of the Year in 2012 after reeling in two 5-stars (D.J. Humphries, Jonathan Bullard) and two 4-stars (Brian Poole, Jeremi Powell). He had another successful year in 2013, pulling in four linebackers – 5-star Alex Anzalone, two 4-stars, and a 3-star. His recruiting role seems to have diminished a bit once he was promoted to defensive coordinator at Florida, but he was able to reel in two 4-stars in the 2015 class (linebackers Jerome Baker and Adonis Thomas) before the season went south for the Gators, which led them to flip to Ohio State and Alabama, respectively. Four-star Georgia defensive end/outside linebacker Roquan Smith has said that he would want to check out Michigan if Durkin were hired, and Durkin was also the point man for 5-stars CeCe Jefferson (uncommitted) and Keisean Lucier-South (committed to UCLA but with potential if Jim Mora leaves for the NFL).
Outside of pipe dream hires (Nick Saban! Marvin Lewis! Norman Schwarzkopf!), Durkin seems like one of the best hires Michigan could make. Harbaugh reportedly failed to steal Lance Anderson from Stanford, but Harbaugh/Mattison/Durkin have a history, Durkin worked with some standout coaches (Meyer, Harbaugh, Muschamp), he’s an ace recruiter who will be one state away from his hometown stomping grounds, and his special teams acumen is a plus. He’s also a young, energetic guy whom the Florida players seemed to like, and he could be an heir to the program if Harbaugh decides to go back to the NFL at some point. One knock on him is that he has yet to produce an absolutely outstanding player. Regardless, it’s better to have a good unit than one stud and a bunch of stiffs, and he has been able to do that.
5Jan 2015
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Michigan Assistant Coach Rumors (January 5)

D.J. Durkin could be the next domino to fall in Michigan’s assistant coaching search.

Here are some updated rumors and speculation about the open coaching positions on Michigan’s staff.

1. Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach/Quarterbacks: Signed, sealed, and delivered (LINK). Next.

2. Tim Drevno, Offensive Coordinator: Drevno, the USC offensive line coach and run game coordinator, is coming to Michigan (LINK).

3. Running backs: Buffalo Bills running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley followed head coach Doug Marrone from Syracuse to Buffalo, and now Marrone has opted out of his contract for 2015. That likely means Wheatley is at least temporarily out of a job. Marrone is expected to interview for other NFL head coaching jobs, so Wheatley could follow him if Marrone gets a head job elsewhere. Wheatley wants to move up the ladder, but I would not expect Drevno and Wheatley to split offensive coordinator duties. The hiring of Drevno seems to dim the hopes of getting Wheatley to coach running backs, but the rumors have been persistent here; also, it would improve Michigan’s chances of landing 2015 tight end/defensive end Tyrone Wheatley, Jr.
Other possibilities: Fred Jackson, Roy Manning

4. Wide receivers: Rumors appeared on New Year’s Eve that John Morton was expected to join Michigan’s staff, although there has been nothing confirmed yet. No, this isn’t the former Detroit Lions wide receiver, but San Francisco 49ers wide receiver coach Morton is out of a job. Morton grew up in Michigan and played wide receiver at Western Michigan, so he’s a midwest guy and would presumably have some connections in the area. San Francisco’s wide receivers weren’t spectacular, but he has worked with some pretty big names in Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree.
Other possibilities: Erik Campbell, Ronald Curry, Jeff Hecklinski

5. Tight ends: Kentucky tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow has reportedly turned down Michigan’s offer, but he did an odd thing in the meantime – he called 2015 tight end recruit Chris Clark and told him that he could get him to the NFL, that he wanted to coach him, etc. Since Kentucky has no shot at getting Clark, Marrow – who did not mention a school – appeared to have been recruiting on behalf of Michigan. I’m leaving Marrow here, despite reports to the contrary. Also, there aren’t a lot of obvious options at this point.
Other possibility: Kevin Koger

6. Offensive line: Nebraska hired Harbaugh’s offensive line coach from San Francisco, Reggie Davis, so maybe Harbaugh didn’t plan to bring him to Ann Arbor, anyway. Now it would seem that Cleveland Browns offensive line coach Andy Moeller would be a strong possibility. Moeller was an assistant at Michigan under Lloyd Carr, played at Michigan, and is the son of former Michigan head coach Gary Moeller. Unfortunately, Andy has a history of run-ins with the law involving alcohol, so he’s not a perfect choice.
Other possibility: Todd Washington

7. Defensive coordinator: Florida defensive coordinator and interim head coach D.J. Durkin has been a popular name floating around for the past few weeks. He worked with Harbaugh at Stanford and has experience working with special teams, defensive ends, and linebackers, so he could help out in any of those areas. Brian at MGoBlog says this is a lock to happen as soon as Florida’s bowl game is done this afternoon (LINK). Stanford defensive coordinator Lance Anderson reportedly turned down Michigan’s overtures, which is not surprising.
Other possibility: Greg Mattison

8. Defensive line: Oklahoma defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery has been suggested as a possibility. Montgomery, of course, was at Michigan for the first couple years of Brady Hoke’s tenure and then left for a bigger paycheck in Norman. Montgomery was only ever in charge of part of the defensive line at Michigan, so the only real reasons to move back would be another pay raise and/or control over the whole position group.
Other possibilities: D.J. Durkin, Roy Manning, Greg Mattison

9. Linebackers: Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison might be a holdover from the previous staff to this one. Mattison has family in the area, loves the University of Michigan, is a pretty good coach with NFL experience, and is a great recruiter. He also has connections to Harbaugh and potential defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. Brian at MGoBlog says this is a lock, although Mattison can also coach defensive line (LINK).
Other possibility: Lance Anderson, Peter Hansen, Roy Manning

10. Defensive backs: San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach Greg Jackson will be looking for a job. He is from Florida and played college football at LSU, so his potential connections in Florida and SEC country could help Michigan’s recruiting efforts in difficult locations.
Other possibility: Curt Mallory, Roy Manning

11. Strength and conditioning: Stanford strength and conditioning coordinator Shannon Turley apparently agreed to come to Michigan and then rescinded. The next most likely option seems to be Kevin Tolbert, who had been Harbaugh’s strength and conditioning coach with the 49ers and for a couple years at Stanford. Tolbert is a Navy grad and former football player, and he also spent eight years working under Mike Gittleson, Michigan’s former S&C coach prior to Rich Rodriguez’s hiring.
Other possibility: ???

5Jan 2015
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Shannon Turley, Wolverine

Shannon Turley (image via StanfordDaily.com)

UPDATE: The below information may have been premature. Despite conformations that Turley was going to come, some outlets are now reporting that he will stay at Stanford.

Stanford strength and conditioning coach Shannon Turley has reportedly been hired by Michigan. He replaces Aaron Wellman, whom Brady Hoke brought with him from San Diego State.

Turley graduated from Virginia Tech and has since spent time at Missouri, San Diego, and Stanford. He worked for Jim Harbaugh at San Diego in 2006 and then at Stanford from 2007-2010; Turley stayed in Palo Alto when Harbaugh moved to the 49ers. Turley was Football Scoop’s Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2011, and he won the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s award in 2013. The guy knows his stuff.

One thing I have appreciated about watching Stanford is watching them win physical battles, especially up front. They have not been a team to get pushed around. Whether it’s the offensive line coach or the players or the head coach or the S&C guy, those linemen get underneath the opponents’ pads and set the line of scrimmage pretty consistently.

I was not impressed with Wellman. There are some guys who seemed to improve physically over the four years he was employed, but not enough. Not enough battles were won up front, and the skill guys just seemed to flat-out lack speed overall. I also thought the number of ACL injuries was abnormally high (Drake Johnson twice, Jake Butt, Jake Ryan, Russell Bellomy, Khalid Hill, etc.), although every team gets ACL injuries at some point or another. It’s very tough as an outsider to assign credit or blame to a strength and conditioning guy, but I do not feel Wellman was doing a great job for the Wolverines.

Regardless, Turley seems like a well respected member of his profession, and the results at Stanford over the last eight years suggest he knows what he’s doing. Stanford started getting some top-notch recruits a few years ago, but a lot of the guys beating up Pac-10/Pac-12 opponents were little known players coming out of high school. Turley is yet another guy who was a part of that.