Assistant coaching hire of the week goes to Michigan
The addition of a 10th on-field assistant job at FBS schools means plenty of assistant coaches are still on the move.
In the latest installment of our series, we rank the best assistant coach hires at Power Five programs from the week from a recruiting perspective and name our assistant coach hire of the week. Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell also weighs in on each of the week’s best hires.
NOTE: Not all hirings have been officially announced, but have been reported by multiple outlets.
HIRE OF THE WEEK: Ed Warinner, Michigan (offensive line)
Warinner was actually already employed by Michigan, but the departure of offensive coordinator Tim Drevno paved the way for Warinner to join the staff in an on-field position. He came to the Wolverines after a one-year stint at Minnesota, but he’s best known for his time at Ohio State, where he was part of the Buckeyes' 2014 national championship staff. Warinner was also a one-time assistant at Michigan State.
Local take: “Ed Warinner comes to Michigan with a phenomenal reputation as an offensive line coach. He was billed as one of the best while at Ohio State and climbed the ladder up to a coordinator position. That didn’t work out, so well so he headed to Minnesota and now he’s at Michigan doing what he does best — coaching offensive linemen.
"He’s probably more known as an on-field coach than he is as a recruiter but he’s solid there too. He has good connections in Ohio and New Jersey and current Michigan commit Nolan Rumler out of Akron Hoban thinks quite highly of him. He might not have a reputation as a dynamic recruiter, but while at Minnesota, Warinner was able to ink four-star offensive linemen Daniel Faalele and Curtis Dunlap out of IMG Academy. He had a lot of success while at Ohio State as well and should be able to replicate that at Michigan.” – Brandon Brown, TheWolverine.com
Farrell’s take: “Warinner brings a ton of experience to Michigan and has recruited at a very high level for a long time. Ohio State fans were frustrated a bit with his stint as offensive coordinator, but there can be no complaints on the recruiting end of things and of the progress made from the offensive linemen.”
BEST OF THE REST
Washington State – Steve Spurrier, Jr. (wide receivers)
The son of legendary Florida and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier, Spurrier Jr. comes to the Cougars after a stint at Western Kentucky. Prior to that he spent one year at Oklahoma in an off-field role but is best known for his time spent coaching wide receivers under his father at South Carolina. Spurrier Jr. was also very involved in the Gamecocks' recruiting efforts in his time in Columbia, adding the title of recruiting coordinator in 2011.
Farrell’s take: “A huge name who has learned under his famous father and recruited at a high level at South Carolina, he’s energetic and the name alone will help recruiting.”
UCLA – Justin Frye (offensive line)
Frye comes to the Bruins from Boston College, where he helped develop the Eagles' offensive line into one of the ACC’s best units and helped pave the way for 2013 Heisman Trophy finalist Andre Williams. He also coached at Temple and was a standout offensive lineman as a player at Indiana in the early 2000s.
Farrell’s take: “A well-respected offensive line coach who can spot talent, recruits well and is a very good teacher. He will find some diamonds in the rough as well as recruit some big names.”
Miami – Jess Simpson (defensive line)
Simpson comes to the Hurricanes after a one-year stint as the defensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons. But he’s best known for his time as the head coach at Buford (Ga.) High School, where he built the program into one of the best in the Southeast. He coached several current and former Division I players while at Buford, including 2016 five-star tight end Isaac Nauta.
Farrell’s take: “The ties to Georgia high school football are evident here and he has some NFL experience to sell now. He’s known as a high energy guy, so he should hit the ground running as a recruiter who can relate well to high school kids.”
Illinois – Gill Byrd (safeties)
Much like several members of Lovie Smith’s staff, Byrd comes to the school after a long stint in the NFL. Last season he was the defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills and he and Smith have a long history together, having worked with one another in St. Louis, Chicago and Tampa Bay.
Farrell’s Take: “NFL experience and experience with Lovie Smith should help this transition. Kids love to hear about how they can get to the NFL and what it takes to get there and he can sell that.”
Baylor – Frank Okam (defensive line)
Okam comes to the Bears after a stint at Rice, his first on-field coaching job. He’s best known in the state of Texas for his time as a player at Texas, where he helped the Longhorns win a national championship. He also has the distinction of being ranked as a five-star himself in the class of 2004 and has an impressive NFL resume as well.
Farrell’s take: “Okam is a former elite high school player who has NFL experience and is young enough to relate well to recruits. He’s stepping up his game with each move and should be a key to Baylor’s success on the recruiting trail from the start.”