What new Director of Recruiting Operations Albert Karschnia will bring to Michigan

Courtney Morgan was only at Michigan for about eight months, but made a significant impact on the 2022 recruiting class. When he surprisingly left to take a similar job at the University of Washington, fans were left wondering who could step in to replace the connections and relationship-building Morgan provided.

They got their answer a few days ago when Michigan announced the hiring of Albert Karschnia.

Karschnia, like Morgan, is a University of Michigan graduate. He worked for the program for two years after his graduation under Jim Harbaugh, then became Central Michigan’s director of player personnel for the past five seasons.

When discussing Karschnia’s impact on Michigan’s recruiting efforts, it’s important to remember that he is not a 1:1 replacement for Morgan. Their titles are different, as Morgan was the Director of Player Personnel, while Karschnia was announced as the Director of Recruiting Operations.

In fact, Harbaugh was apparently looking to hire Karschnia to the department before Morgan even left, inviting him to be on hand for the Ohio State game at the end of the regular season. As Director of Recruiting Operations, it looks like Karschnia will be on the more logistical side of things, keeping everything organized as Michigan scours the country for the best prospects.

Expect Michigan to make another hire similar to a player personnel job, which involves more scouting and maintaining the target board. This role will likely work under Karschnia in the recruiting umbrella, but will be one that has more day-to-day contact with players and a voice in evaluations.

Having Karschnia leading the charge for the whole operation looks to be a great move, though. He has nothing but glowing reports from people who follow Central Michigan and he clearly has a passion for Michigan football, as evidenced by the thank you letter he wrote Harbaugh a year after working on the job after graduation.

Michigan is in prime position to capitalize off this season and land a class that rivals the nation’s elite in 2023 and 2024. From all accounts, Karschnia is an excellent choice to help make that leap to the next level.