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After winning the Big Ten and making it to the College Football Playoff, many hoped that Michigan football would be able to keep the proverbial band together for another run this next year. Of course, players will come and go, but it seemed likely that the Wolverines could get to next season without any coaching attrition — assuming Jim Harbaugh stays, of course.
However, perhaps one of the more unlikely candidates to leave appears to be on their way out.
In 2021, Jim Harbaugh overhauled the defensive staff in particular, but there was one coach that he retained in defensive line coach Shaun Nua. So, save for defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, it seemed that it would be unlikely that Nua would be one to depart for a lateral job. However, this year we’ve seen all kinds of coaches moving laterally, so it makes sense that assistants might, as well.
On Wednesday, Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel reports that Nua is leaving Michigan to join Lincoln Riley at USC.
Sources: USC is hiring Michigan’s Shaun Nua to be the defensive line coach. Nua coached Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, who project as Top 15 picks in the NFL draft.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 5, 2022
Nua came to Ann Arbor in 2019 to replace Greg Mattison, the longtime coach who departed Michigan for rival Ohio State. It will be interesting to see who the Wolverines hire to replace him, given that the maize and blue have had a lot of consistency at the position, as it’s been the overall best at getting players into the NFL over the last decade.
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