Lou Esposito becomes 2nd holdover from the current Michigan staff to stay, along with running backs coach Tony Alford, under Kyle Whittingham.
New Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham said his intention was to keep a handful of coaches around from the previous staff for continuity. The second of those individuals is now known.
Lou Esposito, the Wolverines' standout defensive line coach, is staying in Ann Arbor, a person with knowledge of the situation but not permitted to speak publicly since the deal is not formally announced, confirmed to the Free Press on Friday, Jan. 2.
Esposito joins running backs coach Tony Alford, who was the first of Michigan’s assistants retained ahead of the 2026 season. Esposito has been on staff the past two seasons, hired away from Memphis after U-M's initial choice for the job, Greg Scruggs, was arrested for driving while intoxicated. So far, it's worked out quite well for U-M getting Esposito in the fold.
Esposito was also seen as the No. 3 recruiter in the nation when he was on a heater last summer and finished in the top 10 in the nation per 247Sports composite rankings. He's helped develop a number of NFL players in just the past few years including Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Josaiah Stewart - more could be added to that list this year.
“I feel like the biggest thing here is, once you get a guy to come here and see this place and be around the people, it doesn’t compare to anywhere else,” Esposito said of Michigan over the summer. “That’s the truth. There are great places everywhere, but it’s just different here. The block ‘M’ is different. Michigan is different. The people we surround you with are different. The opportunities you’re going to have after football are different here.
“Some places might have really, really good football, really, really good academics, and people who will help you in your career afterward. But the combination of all three—there aren’t many schools that do that, and we’re one of them.”
Esposito will reportedly be joined by Lewis Powell, who is leaving Utah to take over the edge room in Ann Arbor, previously manned by Pernell McPhee. The Wolverines staff is nearly complete - still needing a linebackers coach, secondary coach and special teams coach in addition to analysts and assistants.
Defensive coordinator Jay Hill was the first new hire formally announced by the team on Friday, Jan. 2. More announcements are expected throughout the day.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football keeping defensive line coach Lou Esposito on staff
Category: General Sports
