Michigan to hire Notre Dame’s Mike Elston as next d-line coach, per report

With Shaun Nua making a lateral move to become USC’s next defensive line coach, Michigan had to find a worthy replacement, and it looks like they’ve found one in Mike Elston — who most recently served as the recruiting coordinator, defensive line coach, and run game coordinator at Notre Dame. Elston was also Notre Dame’s associate head coach.

Elston is a Michigan alum, playing linebacker for the Wolverines from 1993-96. His coaching career began a year later at Michigan, starting out as a student assistant before working his way up to a graduate assistant coaching the linebackers. In the years following, Elston became a reliable contributor to various programs led by head coach Brian Kelly. Elston was at Central Michigan with Kelly from 04-06, at Cincinnati with Kelly from 07-09, and at Notre Dame with Kelly from 09-21. It was perceived that Elston would head to LSU with Kelly, but he’s choosing a new path instead.

Elston has coached tight ends, special teams, the d-line, and linebackers throughout his coaching career, and his recruiting background had to be appealing to Michigan as well. Elston was Notre Dame’s recruiting coordinator from 2015-21.

We’ll have more on this hire in the coming hours and days, but these seems like a big get and something Irish Illustrated called a “tough blow for Notre Dame”.

“This is a great opportunity for Elston and his pursuit to be a coordinator eventually and then a head coach down the road,” Tom Loy of Irish Illustrated said.

For Elston’s full coaching history, Click Here.