Michigan Football Defensive Coordinator Candidates

Nov 28, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford students and fans celebrate on the field after the Stanford Cardinal defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 38-36 at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Lance Anderson

Lance Anderson also worked with Harbaugh at Stanford, though at the time he was coaching defensive tackles and outside linebackers. He was also the recruiting coordinator for the Cardinal from 2007-13.

Anderson is now in his second season as Stanford’s defensive coordinator.

In 2014 Stanford ranked 2nd in scoring defense (16.4 points per game), 3rd in total defense (282.4 yards per game), 7th in rushing defense (104.5 yards per game) and 8th in passing defense (177.9 yards per game). Stanford was one of three teams in the country to finish in the top 10 nationally in all four categories, and that was while facing six ranked opponents, four of which were on the road.

Stanford’s defense has dropped off quite a bit this season but is still performing very well for having lost nine of its 11 starters after last year.

The only problem with Stanford’s defenses for the past few years is they haven’t been able to create turnovers, which has also been a problem at Michigan. The Cardinal rank 114th in that category this season.

Anderson is another strong assistant who has good history with Harbaugh.

Next: Greg Mattison