Coach’s Corner: Profile of the New Defensive Coaches

Posted at 8:00am — 2/14/2011

Coach’s Corner: Profile of the New Defensive Coaches

GBMWolverine readers here are some thumbnail summaries of Michigan’s new defensive coaches.

This material is based on our first hand experience with the new UM assistants, or the perception and opinion of people within the field we respect. You can read the typical press release bios elsewhere.

Well another “long” wait is over the defensive staff has been named. Here are some thoughts, observations, and history as related to the defensive staff.

University of Michigan New Defensive Coordinator – Greg Mattison

Resume:
Coach Mattison has 35 years of coaching experience, including 12 years as a very successful defensive coordinator. Coach, like many, started as a graduate assistant and worked his way up to the position of a highly respected NFL defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. Coach Mattison has also coached defensive line and linebackers during his storied career Coach Mattison has also been an assistant coach at Texas A&M, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, and the Baltimore Ravens.

Our Take:
Coach Mattison favors an super-aggressive style of play. He is an excellent teacher and a top-flight defensive line coach. Coach puts a lot of emphasis on toughness and fundamentals. Importantly, Mattison is also an excellent long snapper coach. Like many on the new staff players love playing for Coach Mattison and speak very highly of him.

Concerns:
Coach will be 62 years of age before the season ends. How long does he intend to continue coaching? Is this a legacy job coach is doing to set up the Wolverines for future success? A year or two down the road will coach be helping to determine his successor as defensive coordinator from within the current staff?

Bottom Line:
Home run hire. There cannot be many better people at this position Michigan could have hired, especially concerning his recruiting ability and tenacity. Take note: as we have stated coach will need more than teaching ability, he will need players who can play with the big boys of college football.

University of Michigan New Linebackers Coach – Mark Smith

Resume:
Coach Smith has over 20 years of coaching experience, including 10 years as a defensive coordinator. He started coaching at the high school level and also has experience as a special teams’ coach. Coach Smith has coached at Indiana State, Ball State and San Diego State. During his coaching tenure, Coach Smith has tutored multiple All-Americans.

Our Take:
Coach Smith is a good teacher and strategist. The positions (players as a group) he has coached have shown improvement each season. His position groups have shown strong fundamentals. Players like Coach Smith and want to play for him. We have no knowledge of his recruiting ability. Coach Smith has worked with defensive linemen as well as linebackers.

Concerns:
Coach Smith has never coached at the Big Ten level.

Bottom Line:
This is a coach that Coach Hoke is comfortable with. We like the fact that he has experience as a defensive coordinator and also that he is a stickler for fundamentals.

University of Michigan New Defensive Line Coach – Jerry Montgomery

Resume:
Coach Montgomery is a young and up-and-coming defensive line coach. Coach has 8 years of coaching experience. He started as a high school coach and has worked his way through the ranks. Coach Montgomery played at Iowa and the in Hula Bowl. In his brief career Coach Montgomery has also coached at Northern Iowa and Wyoming.

Our Take:
We have little personal experience with or knowledge of Coach Montgomery. We can tell you that people whose opinions we respect speak very highly of Coach Montgomery. He has coached multiple All-Conference players. His reputation is as an excellent recruiter.

Concerns:
A bit light on experience and has not coached at this level. But that happens to many coaches on the way up.

Bottom Line:
We like that Coach Montgomery has played DT at a Big Ten school. We also like that he has coached both 3 and 4 man fronts.

University of Michigan New Defensive Backs Coach – Curt Mallory

Resume:
Coach Mallory was born to coach, and has an excellent coaching pedigree. As many know, Coach Mallory comes from a family of football coaches, successful and highly thought of all. Mallory has close to 20 years of coaching experience, including 4 years as a defensive coordinator. Mallory played for Coach Bo at Michigan where he started out as a student assistant. Mallory has coached at Ball State, Illinois, and Akron. His experience includes linebacker and the secondary.

Our Take:
Coach Mallory is an excellent teacher. His players also show growth from year to year. He has coached multiple All-Conference players. Like many others on the new staff, Coach Mallory is a true players’ coach who stays in contact with his players and communicates well. Players like playing for him and he is a good recruiter.

Concerns:
Somewhere down the line Coach Mallory may want to try being a defensive coordinator again.

Bottom Line:
Coach Mallory bleeds blue and is a solid hire.

Defensive Staff: Total Bottom Line
The new staff values teaching and fundamentals, has experience that overlaps well with the other staff members, that is, if something is not going right there are others on board that can and will help. This group, like any major program, will need to recruit to get to the next plateau, back on the track that Michigan has historically enjoyed.

Written by GBMWolverine Staff

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