Tag: Mike Elston

Notre Dame football: Between Irish and longtime rival for top 2024 target?

Notre Dame and Michigan going at it again…just not on the field.

Notre Dame and Michigan may not play on the field often anymore but that doesn’t mean they’re not competing on the regular – especially for talented recruits.  According to one recruiting expert in the know, the biggest remaining target for Notre Dame in the 2024 class currently seems to have things between the Irish and Wolverines.

Of course we’re talking about five-star defensive tackle [autotag]Justin Scott[/autotag] of Chicago.  The St. Ignatius standout has long been connected to Notre Dame and is viewed by many, ourselves included, as the top remaining priority for the Irish in 2024.

“My latest intel suggests this is really a battle between Notre Dame and Michigan right now as the two schools that are at the top,” said Tom Loy of 247Sports, “obviously everyone else is in play: Miami, Georgia, Ohio State.”

“Right now my latest intel suggests the Wolverines and Fighting Irish are battling it out.”

Loy made those comments while talking with Allen Trieu of 247Sports following the official commitment of Brauntae Johnson over the weekend.

Michigan defensive line coach [autotag]Mike Elston[/autotag] has an incredible track record, something Notre Dame fans are plenty aware of.  It’ll be up to [autotag]Al Washington[/autotag], [autotag]Al Golden[/autotag], and [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] to overcome that and land the backyard five-star.

Loy went on to share that its believed that Scott will be on campus for Notre Dame’s showdown with Ohio State this September – as if you needed more reason to add to that game’s hugeness.

Landing Scott would go a long way in Notre Dame putting the finishing touches on a 2024 class that currently ranks fifth nationally but is behind Michigan.

See some of the best photos from Notre Dame and Michigan’s epic battles over the years below. 

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11 potential candidates to be LSU’s next defensive line coach

Who could the Tigers turn to in order to replace Jamar Cain?

With defensive line coach [autotag]Jamar Cain[/autotag] taking a job with the Denver Broncos, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has an opening on his staff.

It’s the middle of spring practice, and LSU has the support staff to work in the interim. So, a new hire might not be imminent.

We’re taking a look at who Kelly could turn to when the new hire is made. Predicting coaching searches can be tough due to all that goes into it — especially with a position coach.

Head coaches value different traits from each member of their staff. In Cain, LSU lost a guy who could recruit Louisiana and nationally. One would think Kelly will look for someone with similar recruiting prowess.

So let’s jump right in.

Mike Elston describes the challenge Michigan football will have with TCU’s run game

It might be a bigger challenge than most are anticipating. #GoBlue

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — When most think about the matchup between Michigan football and TCU, the Horned Frogs offense against the Wolverines defense is what tends to come to mind. Even more so, TCU’s passing game against the Michigan secondary.

But beyond that, TCU actually has a solid run game. It is ranked No. 25 in the country in yards per game. While the Horned Frogs don’t have the most vaunted passing attack that Michigan has seen, oddly enough, TCU does have the best rush attack on a per-game basis that the Wolverines have seen. Ohio State is ranked two spots behind TCU. Michigan has seen a more prolific runner, Illinois’ Chase Brown, but Kendre Miller has 1,342 yards this season and is ranked No. 21 in the nation.

Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston has been impressed with what he’s seen on film and told Wolverines Wire on Thursday about the challenge that the maize and blue will face in terms of stopping or stalling the run on Saturday.

“They’re committed to the run, they do a nice job, they got a big O-line,  really good running back,” Elston said. “Obviously the quarterback’s a threat to run the ball. The run game for a pass-happy conference — they’re really committed to running and they do a great job.”

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Why exactly has TCU been so good running the football in a pass-heavy league? In part, it’s due to the formations and schemes the Horned Frogs use, not to mention most teams have to respect the pass.

Elston spoke on being fundamentally sound as well as the ability to get off blocks as being the biggest keys when it comes to defending what TCU wants to do.

“The challenge is they have some quick formations where they try to empty out your box or keep you a guy short from stopping certain runs,” Elston said. “Our ability as a front to block destruct and stay square and get off blocks quickly (is crucial if) we can be effective in (stopping) the run game.”

Michigan football and TCU will kick off the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. EST at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN.

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Mike Elston says the D-line ‘can make a huge stride in game two’

Love that he is coaching the D-line!

The Michigan defense is coming off of a huge game against Colorado State where it sacked quarterback Clay Millen seven times and it also recorded 11 tackles-for-loss.

The Wolverines not only have a new defensive coordinator (Jesse Minter) but they hired Mike Elston to be the defensive line coach. Elston previously coached at Notre Dame where he achieved plenty of success.

On Wednesday, Elston talked to the media about losing both Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo from the 2021 team. While he didn’t coach them last year, he knows the type of production they brought to Michigan. The coach says there are guys that can fill the role, but it’s going to look different. It’s more of a committee approach rather than two individuals.

“The great thing is that there are guys here that can fill into those roles,” said Elston. “They’re going to look different, they’re going to be different, there’s going to become different opportunities for guys to get the production in a different way, let’s say. Like you saw on Saturday, we’re doing some different things up front to create some disruption and pressure, and hopefully, that continues to carry on, and we’ll continue to grow those things.”

“But yeah, it’s a huge challenge to replace the No. 2 overall draft pick and another first-rounder or, you know, early second-rounder,” said Elston. “But the challenge is there. And I think that as a staff, we’ve handled it really well. And I think as a group, the guys understand the expectations, and they’ve handled it well. And I think it’s only going to get better as we move forward.”

Elston said he was pleased in Week 1. He said that his unit played hard and physical. The defensive line coach commented about rotating players in and out. Elson said that he loves to do that to keep guys fresh. He believes that production will go up when Michigan is able to rotate.

“In game one, what we felt like we did well was played hard, ran to the football and played very physical up front, did a really good job of block destruction across the board,” Elston said. “Our substitutions, we rotate a lot of guys in and when you do that, sometimes on game one, you can have some mistakes and 10 guys on the field, 12 guys on the field. Our guys handled that really, really well. We had some drives that extended a little bit and we’re able to rally four new guys in, five new guys in, and I love doing that. I think that keeps guys fresh. I think production goes up for guys that are able to go out there and know they’re gonna play four or five plays, and then when the drive extends, we can get them out.”

What is scary, is that Elson believes his unit can take an even big stride in Week 2 against Hawaii. He wants to see them running to the football with a better effort and more of consistent block destruction off the ball. If the Wolverines can keep taking strides forward, then this line will be very scary when it has to play Ohio State.

“Things that we would like to see as improvements in Week 2 for the front would be an even better effort running to the football, we can improve there,” said Elston. “Even though we did a great job in game one, we can make a huge stride in game two. More consistent block destruction and in what we’re doing. Better get-offs — I feel like as the game went on, we were more concerned about trying to see what they’re doing and reading blocks, instead of just coming off the football and knocking guys back. So would love to see an improvement in that area, across the front.”

Elston said that he learned there are plenty of guys that can play winning football. He said his goal now in Week 2 is to build guys up to playing championship-level football. He reiterated that he loves rotating players and seeing what his unit can do, but at the end of the day, his goal is to make Michigan have a championship-styled defensive line.

“What we learned about the front, we got a lot of guys who can play winning football,” stated Elston. “We rotate a lot of guys in, and I think the next step as we get into game two, Week 2 is we’re trying to build guys that can play championship-level football. And when you go on the football field, you’re gonna be expected to do that. Early on it’s you’re seeing what guys can do and they’re out there and a lot of guys played very, very well. But you know, our goal is to be playing championship-level football as we get into the rest of the season.”

Michigan will host Hawaii this Saturday on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. EDT.

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Everything Mike Elston said about Michigan football defensive front in Week 2

Really, really good and really informative. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football turned heads all across the conference and the nation when, in the season opener, the Wolverines managed seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

The belief going into 2022 was that the defense as a whole would take a step back due to the departures of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo. While Colorado State isn’t exactly a big litmus test, it was still outperforming expectations.

The man coaching the defensive line in particular is Mike Elston, the former Wolverines player who spent his last decade at Notre Dame with Brian Kelly. But when Kelly went to LSU, Elston decided to return to his alma mater.

Speaking on Wednesday for the first time with the media, Elston shared his thoughts on the defensive line, ranging from the overall production, what they did well, what he wants to see more of, Eyabi Anoma joining the team, and much more. Here is everything he had to say.

Michigan football officially announces Mike Elston hire

Huge get for #Michigan football! #GoBlue

 

While we continue the wait for Jim Harbaugh to sign his proposed contract extension, he’s making moves in Ann Arbor as if he’ll be staying with the program.

It’s been days since reports surfaced that Michigan football was hiring defensive line coach Mike Elston, the former Wolverines linebacker, away from Notre Dame, but now it’s officially official.

The Michigan football program announced the move on Monday afternoon.

Full release

University of Michigan J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach Jim Harbaugh announced Monday (Jan. 17) the hiring of former Wolverine player Mike Elston as the program’s defensive line coach. Elston brings 21 years of full-time coaching experience in the Midwest back to Ann Arbor.

“I am excited to welcome Mike Elston to an already incredibly talented staff here at the University of Michigan,” said Harbaugh. “I’ve followed Mike’s work at Notre Dame for a while and have admired his ability to not only recruit great student-athletes, but also his proven track record in developing players for the NFL. Mike is a Michigan man so he will be able to hit the ground running. Help me welcome Mike and his wife, Beth, and their three daughters, Olivia, Sophia and Isabella back home to Michigan.”

“My family and I are beyond excited to return to the University of Michigan,” said Elston. “I would like to thank Coach Harbaugh and Warde Manuel for this incredible opportunity to join the athletic department and university community. I can’t get to campus fast enough to begin building relationships with the players, coaches, and staff within the football program.”

Elston spent the past 12 seasons at Notre Dame, where he has helped the Irish appear in 11 bowl games, including two College Football Playoff semifinal appearances and one BCS National Championship game. He worked with 12 NFL draftees at Notre Dame, including five players drafted in the past three drafts (2019-21). The Irish played in a New Year’s Six Bowl Game, BCS National Championship, or the College Football Playoff four times in his 12 seasons with the program.

Elston returns to U-M for his second stint as part of the coaching staff. A three-year letter winner for the Maize and Blue from 1993-96, Elston contributed 29 tackles over his final two seasons. He was part of teams that accumulated a 35-16 four-year record under head coaches Gary Moeller (1993-94) and Lloyd Carr (1995-95) and won postseason games in the Hall of Fame Bowl following the 1993 season and the Holiday Bowl following the 1994 season.

Elston has been part of the staff at Notre Dame since the 2010 season, working with the defensive line in 10 of 12 seasons and the linebackers during the 2015-16 campaigns. He was the team’s recruiting coordinator for four years (2015-17, ’21) and was the special teams coordinator for his first two seasons in South Bend (2010-11). Last season in 2021, Elston was also the defense’s run game coordinator. He was elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2018 season, the second time in his career he held that title.

Most recently in 2021, Elston helped direct a defense that ranked top-30 in five major areas, including pass efficiency defense (23rd), scoring defense (15th), interceptions (14th), sacks (13th), third-down conversion rate allowed (10th), and defensive touchdowns (seventh). The Irish played in the 2022 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and finished the year ranked eighth in the final edition of the Associated Press Poll and ninth in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll.

Following his playing days, Elston was a student assistant coach at Michigan for the 1997 National Championship season, and changed his duties to video intern for the 1998 season. He stepped into a graduate assistant role working with outside linebackers for the 1999 and 2000 seasons, then accepted the same position at Eastern Michigan in 2001.

Elston spent three years at Eastern Michigan, the latter two as recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach (2002-03) and then moved to the MAC West to work at Central Michigan from 2004-06. Elston began with the Chips as the defensive line coach and added the title of co-defensive coordinator in his second year. While leading the defensive line, he helped Dan Bazuin lead the nation with 26.5 tackles for loss and a MAC-record 16.0 sacks. Elston third year at CMU saw him coaching linebackers and he changed from co-coordinating the defense to being the team’s special teams coordinator. He helped guide two linebackers to earn All-MAC honors in 2006 including the league leader in tackles.

Elston would continue coordinating special teams units for the next five seasons; first at Cincinnati (2007-09), then at Notre Dame (2010-11). At Cincinnati, he worked with the tight ends his first two seasons and was the program’s recruiting coordinator. Elston’s last year with the Bearcats saw him elevated to assistant head coach while retaining special teams duties and coaching the defensive line.

Elston is the third former Michigan player on Harbaugh’s current coaching staff. Safeties mentor Ron Bellamy and running backs coach Mike Hart were both hired prior to the start of the 2021 season.

Elston and his wife, Beth, are the parents of three daughters: Olivia, Sophia and Isabella.

Sources: Notre Dame to hire Al Washington as defensive line coach

Solid hire for the Irish?

As if the Marcus Freeman connection to Ohio State wasn’t enough for Notre Dame’s 2022 season opener, how about some more former Buckeyes? Specifically, recent Buckeyes linebackers coach Al Washington. With Mike Elston having left for Michigan, the Irish suddenly had a vacancy for defensive line coach. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Irish are hiring Washington to fill that vacancy and also become their defensive run coordinator:

Although not nearly as consequential compared to the game in Columbus, senior day at Notre Dame Stadium promises to hold significance for Washington. On that day, the Irish will play Boston College, where he coached for five years. He spent two nonconsecutive seasons as the Eagles’ defensive line coach with three seasons as the running backs coach in between. During his first season with that program, he also was an assistant special teams coach.

It won’t be easy to replace Elston, but we hope Washington has an admirable attempt to do so.

Recruiting side of Notre Dame losing Elston to Michigan

Buckle up, this could be a bit of a rough ride for a little bit…

I was asked on Twitter if you could consider Notre Dame and Michigan true rivals since the two no longer play each other anywhere near annually.

To anyone in the know of either program the obvious answer is yes and Mike Elston leaving Notre Dame for his alma mater is the latest chapter in that rivalry that has been fought as much off the field as it has been on.  Notre Dame clearly takes a hit in terms of having a star coach on the defensive line but also a star recruiter.

Elston has been a successful recruiter for years but was key in two of the biggest commitments in Notre Dame’s top-ranked class of 2023:  defensive linemen Keon Keeley of Florida and Brenan Vernon of Ohio.

Related:  Meet Notre Dame’s star-studded 2023 recruiting class commitments

Like any good coach, Elston is successful in recruiting because of relationships he develops.  If you aren’t able to form relationships you aren’t going to succeed at the task, its as simple as that and obvious Elston does.

That means you can bet your bottom dollar that Elston will be quick to pursue both Keeley and Vernon in the days and weeks to come.  As hard as Notre Dame worked to get those commitments, Marcus Freeman and his staff will have to work just as hard and perhaps even harder to keep them.

The Elston news certainly wasn’t what any Notre Dame observer expected or wanted and it’ll leave a bit of a rough patch that will certainly need smoothing by Freeman and company.

Rivalry on, even if the head-to-head games aren’t.

Related:

Notre Dame football coaching staff tracker (updated 1.13.2022)

Joel Klatt’s ‘way too early’ top 10 for 2022 

Notre Dame star seemingly speaks on Elston’s shocking departure

Foskey has spoken and it’s all positive…

Just last week Notre Dame star defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey announced that he would be returning to school for another year, a huge win for the Fighting Irish defense.  What Foskey likely had no idea of at that time was that he would be playing for a new defensive line coach in 2022.

That surprising news came down Thursday afternoon as reports surfaced that defensive line coach Mike Elston is leaving Notre Dame for a similar position on Michigan’s coaching staff.

Related – Notre Dame football coaching staff tracker (2022)

Foskey took to Twitter on Thursday afternoon to share a tweet seemingly in regards to Elston’s surprising departure:

It’s a sign of staying positive for Foskey, who almost certainly was talked into staying another year by Elston.

Foskey recorded 10 sacks in 2021 and figures to be in store for another huge season in 2022.

Related:

Notre Dame all-time single season sack leaders

Breaking: Notre Dame loses key assistant to rival

Make no bones about it, this is a big loss for Notre Dame.

Some things are too good to be true.  The fact Marcus Freeman was able to retain Mike Elston as his defensive line coach after Brian Kelly’s departure came as a bit of a surprise due to the amount of time they spent together but Elston will now indeed be leaving Notre Dame, but it won’t be to coach the defensive line at LSU.

Elston is leaving Notre Dame to coach the defensive line at Michigan.

Elston had been at Notre Dame since 2010 when he came with Brian Kelly from Cincinnati.  In that time he’s helped turned Notre Dame’s defensive line into one of the best in the nation on a seemingly annual basis and has helped recruit the unit extremely well while also doing a fantastic job developing star talent.

Related – Notre Dame coaching staff tracker

Elston heads to his alma mater where he played linebacker in the mid-nineties.

It’s not to say that Marcus Freeman can’t find a stellar replacement at the position but this loss certainly stings as Elston is fantastic in his role.

Related:

An early look at Notre Dame’s 2022 schedule

Notre Dame 2022 transfer portal tracker