ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Last year, former Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh said that he was grooming then-tight ends coach Grant Newsome to be an offensive line coach for the Wolverines. Telling anyone who would hear, Harbaugh often said that Newsome was soon to be a head coach, and he’s quickly moved up the ladder in his short coaching tenure.
Now Newsome has moved from graduate assistant to tight ends coach to offensive line coach in just a few years — a whirlwind to be sure. So how is he acclimating to his new role?
He shared more on Monday about his ascension.
“Obviously, I’ve been blessed with some incredible opportunities here, it’s something Coach (Harbaugh) and I have talked about — if either Coach Moore were to get a head coaching opportunity here or somewhere else if offensive line coach was something I would be interested in,” Newsome said. “We had those discussions but very happy with how it worked out. Obviously, very excited and fortunate to have the opportunity that I do here.”
We’ve seen positive effects when coaches move to oversee the position they played in college. Newsome may have only had just over a year at the position given his gruesome career-ending injury, but now that he’s at his natural position, he feels like he’s taking off.
It was a similar scenario with Sherrone Moore who was coaching tight ends before moving to offensive line, himself — a position he played at Oklahoma. While Newsome is appreciative of the opportunity, he does miss working with the tight ends — where he got his bona fide start.
“It was bittersweet,” Newsome said. “Even though you’re moving a couple offices down the hall, I built a great relationship with those guys in the tight end room. Love the opportunity to see them practice and still be around them, still be a little bit involved in coaching them on the periphery now. Incredibly fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity, especially to be able to coach the position that I played. It’s an awesome opportunity.”
That said, Newsome knows he’s not reinventing the wheel here. His job is to be a steward of that which has already been built.
“I think the awesome thing that I have the opportunity to do is to come in and continue the standard that’s been set and the coaching style and the mentoring that’s been done by Sherrone,” Newsome said. “It’s not a deal where I have to come in and try to say hey guys, we’re flipping this entirely on its head. What we did didn’t work. It’s more of a, hey, we’re going to come in and we may have to teach something a little different or slow something down just like you do any year-to-year. Obviously, Coach Moore did a heckuva job establishing the standard and foundation amongst the entire offense but especially with the offensive line unit. There hasn’t had to be large-scale changes or a shift in mentality. Mentality has been whatever it’s been for the last so many years. We’re a physical, downhill operation that can protect the passer.”