Tony Alford is enjoying life on the other side of college football’s most intense rivalry.
After nine seasons as Ohio State’s running backs coach, Alford took the same job at Michigan this offseason. He recently reflected on his new job.
Speaking on the John McCalister Report, Alford said he’s working with “unbelievable people” in Ann Arbor. He’s “grateful” they welcomed a staffer from their Big Ten nemesis.
“I’m as happy as I’ve been in a long time, as far as in my coaching profession,” Alford said, via Eleven Warriors. “I’m really in a good place. I’m in a good place. And Sherrone Moore and that staff have been nothing but open arms and kind and great to me.”
While he’s enjoying his new surroundings, Alford has no animosity toward his former employer. He felt the relationship at Ohio State naturally ran its course for everyone involved.
“Nine years is like an eternity in the coaching profession, so I was very fortunate for those nine years. But I just think it was time,” Alford explained. “I think it was time for them and Ryan Day and Ohio State, and it was time for Tony Alford. I don’t think it was any one party saying, ‘Screw you.’ It was never any of that. I think both parties – I think we both knew it. It was just time.”
Alford left a stacked Buckeyes running back room featuring TreVeyon Henderson and star transfer Quinshon Judkins to help Moore’s new-look Wolverines offense in 2024. Donovan Edwards can return to a larger role with Blake Corum in the NFL.
Related: Longtime Ohio State Coach Tony Alford Finally Reveals Why He Left For Michigan