Michigan RB impressed with new position coach: ‘I love him’

ANN ARBOR – Donovan Edwards is expected to take over the lead role in Michigan’s backfield in 2024, and he also will have a new coach leading the running back room.

First-year head coach Sherrone Moore dipped into enemy territory and hired Ohio State longtime running backs coach Tony Alford earlier this month. Alford replaces Mike Hart, who was not retained after three seasons with his alma mater.

“The guys love him, I love him,” Edwards said of Alford this week during a spring football media session with reporters. “He tells us the same thing. It’s great to have Coach Alford here because he’s really detailed in the game. We love Coach Hart, and it’s unfortunate that he’s not a part of this team anymore, but he will always be because he’s a Michigan legend. My relationship with both of them will continue to grow.

“I think Coach Moore did a great job in hiring Coach Alford, so this team is just going to continue to thrive.”

Edwards has known Alford since his high school days at West Bloomfield, where he was among the most coveted recruits in the country as a top-50 prospect in the 2021 class.

When Edwards chose Michigan during the early signing period, OSU already had two running backs in the fold, including the top-ranked prospect in TreVeyon Henderson.

“Obviously, he’s been a part of the rivalry but on the other side,” Edwards said. “He recruited me to Ohio State during my sophomore year of high school, and our relationship just continued to grow. It’s not about a rivalry to a certain aspect. You respect your opponents. That’s what Ohio State and Michigan are all about. We respect each other.”

Moore said Alford’s OSU allegiance to the Buckeyes for the past nine seasons wasn’t a deterrent when vetting candidates for the running backs coach vacancy.

“His resume speaks for itself – who he is as a coach, as a mentor, as a recruiter,” Moore said last Thursday. “But, more importantly, as a person. Known him for a long time. Obviously, he was on the other side — I don’t fault him too much for that. But as a person, you just get to know him as a person outside of that. He’s an incredible human being, an incredible mentor, an incredible coach. We’re just super excited to have him on staff.”

Alford signed a three-year deal with Michigan and is receiving a raise to switch sides in the rivalry. He will earn $850,000 annually, according to his employment agreement obtained by MLive through a public records request.

The Ohio native earned $772,500 in 2023, which led all Big Ten running backs coaches, per the USA Today annual database. He was set to coach a stacked running backs room at OSU this year headlined by Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, an all-SEC selection who transferred from Ole Miss.

Instead, Alford inherits a group that lost star Blake Corum but includes Michigan’s other top two backs from last season in Edwards and Kalel Mullings.

“I’ve had a few people that have crossed paths with him, and he’s a man of great character,” Michigan offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell said earlier this month. “Great coach, great person to have in the room and a great recruiter. Excited for that. He’s obviously had great success in recruiting and on the field in production with his running backs. Super excited for the feedback I got from the people that have been close to him.”