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Michigan reportedly hiring new DL coach away from Notre Dame

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

After losing defensive line coach Shaun Nua to USC, Michigan has found a replacement.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic is reporting that Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston is heading to Michigan for the same role with the Wolverines. Elston is a Michigan graduate and played linebacker for the program from 1993-96.

Elston has been with the Fighting Irish since 2010, primarily working with the defensive line. He also had a brief stint coaching linebackers and has also served as the recruiting coordinator for the program at times during his 12 seasons in South Bend.

The hiring of Elston might be an indicator that head coach Jim Harbaugh plans to stick around Ann Arbor rather than take a job in the NFL. There was no mention of Harbaugh’s future plans, but it would be hard to imagine Elston would leave Notre Dame after more than a decade if there were thoughts on a move from the head coach.

Immediately after his playing career, Elston spent 4 seasons at Michigan on staff, primarily as a student and graduate assistant. He’s also had pit stops at Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Cincinnati before landing the gig at Notre Dame.

Nua arrived at Michigan in 2019 and spent 3 seasons as the defensive line coach before taking the job at USC.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB