Tag: George Helow

Why Nick Saban hired former Michigan coach George Helow at Alabama

The Rose Bowl can’t come fast enough. #GoBlue

Michigan football has constantly had obstacles to overcome in 2023.

First, it was no Jim Harbaugh the first three games of the season. Then the last, with it being just an hour before Penn State that it was realized he wouldn’t be able to coach. Then, Chris Partridge was fired on the eve of the Maryland game. And then it was simply trying to beat Ohio State despite the team being banged up and without its head coach.

Now the Wolverines are set to face Alabama in the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal and will see a familiar face on the other sideline: former linebackers coach George Helow.

Helow was a casualty of Harbaugh deciding to bring the now-departed Partridge back to the program. But he’s been hired by Nick Saban to help the Crimson Tide prepare for the team Helow recently left.

Earlier this week, Saban discussed why he chose to hire Helow, noting that he cut his teeth in Tuscaloosa as a defensive intern in 2012.

“George has been here before. He was with us for a long time. Knows our system,” Saban said. “I think every year that we’ve been in the playoffs we’ve tried to bring somebody in, primarily because we spent two weeks really on the road recruiting. So somebody to do a little extra work that has good experience. And when we get off the road, being able to give us a good scouting report of what we need to know.

“So that’s the purpose, just to add sort of a special assistant to me, whatever you want to call it to when I come off the road be able to get me up to speed on what’s happening. So that’s the reason we’ve always done that.”

Helow’s former star player, Junior Colson, spoke about his joining the enemy ranks earlier this week, and sixth-year linebacker Mike Barrett shrugged it off on Thursday.

“It’s just another obstacle,” Barrett said. “I feel like all year we’ve been facing challenges, things to kind of knock us back. And he’s just another obstacle in the way, honestly.”

Michigan keeps overcoming obstacles, and Alabama is certainly the biggest to date.

Michigan linebacker reacts to former position coach joining Alabama for Rose Bowl prep

Interesting reaction here. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was something of a shock on Thursday evening when it was revealed that former Michigan football linebackers coach George Helow was joining Alabama to help the Crimson Tide prepare for the Rose Bowl.

Helow spent two seasons in Ann Arbor before head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to bring back favored son Chris Partridge, which left the former Ole Miss player without a position to coach. Now, he’ll be joining Nick Saban, giving intel that could help eliminate his former team from the College Football Playoff.

Though it was a shock to some of his former players, junior linebacker Junior Colson was magnanimous about Helow joining the competition.

“Mike (Barrett) sent it to me, then Ernest (Hausmann). But just different. Just different — it’s like, they might be a little scared. But you never know. But he’s got a job, I’m happy for him. So, I’m excited for him. I’m happy — I’ll probably say what’s up to him after the game. So just you just gotta go out there and play ball.”

But what does he think about it potentially helping Alabama? Does it give the Tide an insurmountable advantage?

According to Colson, no, it’s more about player execution than anything.

“You can’t really have an advantage in football,” Colson said. “It doesn’t matter if you know somebody’s whole playbook, you’ve still gotta stop it. So you can’t really have an advantage in football. You’ve gotta go out there, play ball, and let the dice roll how it rolls.”

Michigan and Alabama will kick off in the Rose Bowl Game on January 1 at 5 p.m. EST as part of the College Football Playoff semifinal.

REPORT: Alabama adds former Michigan assistant to coaching staff ahead of CFP

Alabama makes an interesting hire ahead of the CFP semifinal matchup against Michigan

There has been a longstanding joke that during Nick Saban’s dynasty in Tuscaloosa, Coach Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide have been playing chess while everybody else is playing checkers.

On Thursday, even more evidence of that theory came to life with the report that Saban has hired former Michigan assistant George Helow to the Alabama coaching staff ahead of the Tide’s College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against the Wolverines.

Helow spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Wolverines in Ann Arbor before the two parties mutually split in February of 2023.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic was the first to report the news.

Helow has experience in Tuscaloosa as well, serving as a defensive intern in 2012. Helow’s new role in Tuscaloosa has yet to be announced publicly.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Alabama hires former Michigan football coach prior to College Football Playoff

Well, that can’t help #Michigan.

Michigan football will perhaps face a little more resistance from Alabama in the Rose Bowl than anticipated. Because someone with intimate and intricate knowledge of the inner-workings of the Wolverine defense will be joining the Crimson Tide before the two teams meet up in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Nick Saban is hiring former Michigan football linebackers coach George Helow to the staff, with the two-year former Wolverine joining the Tide before the two teams meet up on January 1.

Former Michigan linebackers coach George Helow is being hired by Alabama, a source briefed on the move told The Athletic on Thursday.

The 36-year old Helow is expected to begin work immediately as the Crimson Tide prepare to play his former team, Michigan, in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl.

Helow was with the maize and blue from 2021-22, working under both defensive coordinators Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter.

It’s unclear what Helow’s role will be and whether it will last into next year. Considering Alabama has no departing on-field coaches, it would appear that he’ll be joining the Tide in an advisory role to help Bama figure out what’s potentially the toughest defense Saban’s crew will have seen to date.

Report: Michigan football and LB coach George Helow part ways

Best of luck to him.

There had to be some kind of attrition with the Michigan football coaching staff considering the Wolverines added Chris Partridge back to the mix last week. And while there were a few who could have potentially departed, it long seemed as if there was but one odd man out, especially given Partridge’s role last time he coached in Ann Arbor.

According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Michigan football and two-year linebackers coach George Helow — who came to Ann Arbor via Maryland and Colorado State before that — have mutually agreed to part ways, thus likely paving the way for Partridge to return to his previous role as linebackers coach.

Whether or not LB coach ends up being Partridge’s role, it is disappointing losing a talent of Helow’s ability, especially considering he’s young and growing in the profession.

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What George Helow said about Michigan football’s linebackers entering Week 6

The group is really improving as the season goes on. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football’s defense has been something of a pleasant surprise thus far, still maintaining one of the top units in the nation. What’s been particularly impressive of late has been the run defense, on top of it.

Sure, some of the credit goes to the interior defensive line, but the linebackers are also responsible. Run-heavy Iowa only managed 35 yards on the ground in Week 5, evidence of the backers being there to clean things up when running backs get through the line.

On Wednesday, Michigan linebackers coach George Helow met with the media to discuss the state of the position group. Here is everything he had to say.

Expect more linebacker blitzing from Michigan football in 2022

This linebacking corps is going to surprise people. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Without Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo out on the edges, chances are Michigan football will look to get pressure on the passer from other vantages. That means enhanced responsibility for the linebacking corps.

New defensive coordinator Jesse Minter comes from the same mold as Mike Macdonald, as both worked under Wink Martindale in the Baltimore Ravens organization. The defense is predicated on frequently disguising the pressure, which the Wolverines did a year ago, though you generally had an idea of who was bringing it. Without the aforementioned tandem, expect a lot of different personnel packages with different players bringing the heat, instead of being as heavily reliant on the edge rushers.

For linebackers coach George Helow, he says bring it on, because he feels like his group can handle the challenge.

“When we hit a blitz, we’re going to hit it with speed and intensity and go. Jesse (Minter) calls it,” Helow said. “Other than that, I feel like we got guys that are trained and ready to roll. I know we lost some guys but there there are guys that were behind those guys last year that we lost it did really well, too. So just excited to go out there and watch these guys get an opportunity to play, go compete.”

One player who will be asked to do a lot more this season is Junior Colson, the second-year player out of Brentwood, Tennessee via Haiti. Colson got his first taste of college football a year ago, and he was honored for his play as a freshman All-American.

Helow anticipates that he’ll be a factor in the pass rush from the inside linebacker position, and he’s confident that he’ll show out at the position in general.

“He’s a big, powerful dude that can run so, if he’s hitting the pressure he’s going,” Helow said. “He’s good, he’s comfortable with all the closing of the front rules and setting the front. And every day I feel like he’s continuing to get better and more confident. The more reps he gets in practice and in games will allow him to get better at it, but really feel good about Junior.”

For Colson, Helow really likes what he’s seen, and not just on the field.

He’s witnessed a different level of studiousness, as well as leadership. And he’s a guy who learns quickly and is able to implement the coaching once he understands the concepts.

“He’s had an awesome camp and just like his energy,” Helow said. “He’s a big guy, big-chested dude, he takes really good notes. He takes stuff from the classroom and applies it onto the practice field all throughout fall camp. He knows what’s going on. Just really excited for Junior and looking forward to really see what he can do this year.”

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Everything George Helow said about Michigan football’s linebackers before the season opener

They’ve really improved year-over-year. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Perhaps it’s the least talked about position group in Michigan football, and that may be for a good reason rather than a bad one. Though the Wolverines lost starter Josh Ross to the NFL, there’s a lot of confidence in what the linebacking corps brings in 2022.

While there may be a new defensive coordinator in Jesse Minter, George Helow returns to coach the position for a second-straight year. He has something of a ringer in Junior Colson, who was a freshman All-American a year ago. He figures to improve, as do some of the players who got significant minutes a year ago.

So what does Helow think of his position group? He shared an update on Wednesday as the Wolverines prepare to take on his old school, Colorado State, on Saturday.

What George Helow said about Michigan football before Maryland

A lot of really good stuff here.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Among his many travels as a coach, George Helow’s last stop before he came to Michigan was his one year at Maryland as a linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. On Saturday, he’ll be returning to College Park for the first time in another school color.

The Terrapins offense is formidable, but Helow knows all about it having coached against it for a year. On Wednesday, he shared more about what the Wolverines can expect as well as many defensive philosophy points, including how to defend shallow crossing routes, linebacker blitz timing, and even why Hassan Haskins is such a good running back for the maize and blue.

Here is everything Helow said at his Wednesday press conference.

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What George Helow said about Michigan’s linebackers after Week 5

The linebackers have been beyond a pleasant surprise this year!

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s been a pleasant surprise, how Michigan football’s linebacker corps has rebounded after a not-so-good 2020 campaign. A lot of credit, obviously, goes to both linebackers coach George Helow and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

The position group went from a weakness to a veritable strength, and that was abundantly clear this last week when the Wolverines limited Wisconsin to a mere 43 sack-adjusted rushing yards running the football — its lowest total going all the way back to 2015.

On Wednesday, Helow met with the media to discuss his position group, the challenge that awaits in Nebraska and Adrian Martinez, Josh Ross’ leadership and more. Here is everything he had to say.

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