After nine years at Ohio State, running backs coach Tony Alford traded in his scarlet and gray for the winged helmet of “That Team Up North.”
Alford was named Sherrone Moore’s run game coordinator at Michigan last month after proudly serving the school’s hated Big Ten rival for the better part of a decade.
Asked about what led to that decision, Alford told The Athletic: “I just thought it was time. Might have been time for both parties.” Adding that he felt he had done all he could with the Buckeyes and a change of scenery was what was best.
Alford was welcomed with open arms to Ann Arbor by the Wolverines’ first-year head coach.
“Tony is an elite running backs coach who is an outstanding mentor and example for young men in all aspects of football and life,” Moore said in a statement on the hire. “I know that he will have a profound impact on our running back room and football program. We are excited to have Tony and his wife, Trina, and their boys join the Michigan Football Family.”
Alford helped develop six 1,000-yard backs during his time at Ohio State; sending several to the NFL.
It’s a great hire for a UM team that’s been known to pound the rock. We’ll see how Moore and the Wolverines are able to fare post-Jim Harbaugh in 2024.