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Three B1G assistants make ESPN’s list of ‘most important new position coaches in CFB’
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Clemson has become a dominant program in the sport of college football over the last few years.
Part of it is Dabo Swinney. He’s a phenomenal coach. He recruits extremely well and he hires people that recruit extremely well. After all, if you’re going to win national titles, you have to have talent.
But Swinney hires great coaches across the board. Having a recruiting expertise or a schematic expertise — Swinney’s assistants have served him well, and that’s putting it lightly. Clemson also pays its assistants a lot of money to keep them there. Assistants typically don’t leave Clemson, which has been monumental to its success.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote about the most important new position coaches in college football. Of the 10 coaches he mentioned, three come from the Big Ten.
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Here are the three selections from Rittenberg:
- Defensive line: Shaun Nua, Michigan
Previous job: Defensive line coach, Arizona State
“Nua’s challenge is to keep Michigan’s line playing at an elite level despite losing valuable players like Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary to the NFL,” Rittenberg wrote. “The defensive line has been one of the more consistent position groups in coach Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines tenure. The key is to reload with players like Kwity Paye, Michael Dwumfour and Carlo Kemp, who started 12 games last season. Nua has quickly risen up the ranks, coaching Navy’s defensive line under Ken Niumatalolo from 2012 to 2017, before spending last season at Arizona State. He’s a former all-conference defensive end at BYU who played parts of four seasons in the NFL. Nua is much younger and less experienced than predecessor Greg Mattison but brings a new energy to a group where Michigan always expects big things.”
- Linebackers: Al Washington, Ohio State
Previous job: Linebackers coach, Michigan
“Much like with Briles and Clements, Mattison’s move is getting attention, but the man joining him at Ohio State could be a more significant Year 1 addition. Washington also moves across the sport’s most famous rivalry, and will oversee a linebacker group that needs a major jolt. Given the history, Ohio State’s linebackers should never look as ordinary as they did in 2018, when the defense routinely busted for big plays (21.8% of plays went 10 yards or longer, 104th nationally). Washington coached first-round draft pick Devin Bush, All-Big Ten standout Khaleke Hudson and others at Michigan last season, after working with defensive lines at Cincinnati and Boston College the previous two years. The Columbus native is charged with getting more out of returnees like Malik Harrison, Tuf Borland and Pete Werner, and younger players like Cade Stover.”
- Special teams: Joe Lorig, Penn State
Previous job: Special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach, Memphis
“Penn State wants to make pinpointed upgrades in its program to compete for Big Ten titles and the CFP. Lorig could provide one. He’s a veteran assistant who elevated the special-teams play at Memphis, which shined on kickoff returns, field goals attempts and especially coverage, not giving up a kick or punt return touchdown in the past three seasons. Penn State’s special teams struggled in most areas last season, as the Nittany Lions allowed five blocked kicks, converted only 16 of 24 field-goal attempts, had untimely gaffes and finished in the middle of the FBS in far too many categories. Lorig inherits some good pieces such as returner KJ Hamler and punter Blake Gillikin. Although he primarily has coached defense, he enters his fourth FBS special teams coordinator stop after UTEP, Arizona State and Memphis.”
To see Rittenberg’s entire article, visit ESPN.com (subscription).
Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.