Michigan Football: 5 Candidates to replace D-line coach Shaun Nua

Vic So’oto (formerly USC)

The man Shaun Nua is reportedly replacing is a pretty well-regarded coach himself, Vic So’oto, but was apparently not retained by incoming head coach Lincoln Riley. He recently accepted a position as the defensive line coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, but coaches occasionally have switched jobs shortly after, and Michigan football is likely an upgrade over Colorado.

So’oto is a West Coast man, like Shaun Nua was as well, graduating from BYU before playing a couple of seasons in the NFL, largely bouncing from the practice squad to practice squad. He then got his first start in the coaching world with BYU in 2015, coaching against Harbaugh’s Wolverines that year (a 31-0 victory for Michigan).

He was subsequently hired by the Virginia Cavaliers, following Bronco Mendenhall to the East Coast, before making his way back to the West Coast in 2020, when USC hired him to become their defensive line coach.

So’oto is a solid recruiter, with Polynesian and Mormon ties, giving him a unique ability to connect with those specific recruiting grounds out West. He played a large role in landing five-star defensive end, Korey Foreman, to USC in 2021, and has landed a handful of other four-star prospects as well.