The coaching carousel keeps on turning. With the last NFL head coach being hired in former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak taking over the Las Vegas Raiders, it should be slowing down at some point, right? Not so fast... With Oklahoma losing its defensive backs coach Jay Valai to the Buffalo Bills, guess where LaMar Morgan is going to be coaching next year? He is off to Norman.
Oklahoma acted as swiftly as it could to replace Valai with Morgan leaving Michigan after two years...
BREAKING: Oklahoma is expected to hire LaMar Morgan to be its defensive backs coach.
— The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman (@OK_Breakdown) February 11, 2026
Morgan was Michigan's Defensive Pass Game Coordinator & Defensive Backs coach the last two seasons. Morgan was highly sought after by top CFB programs and several NFL teams.
Morgan had been in Ann Arbor on both of Sherrone Moore's Michigan staffs. Prior to that, Morgan served as his alma mater's defensive coordinator of Louisiana-Lafayette for two years. He had also worked at other programs previously such as Houston, ULM, Western Carolina, and Vanderbilt. Clearly, Morgan was a priority to be added to Brent Venables' staff. Kyle Whittingham must adjust...
Not only does Michigan host Oklahoma this year, but the winner of that game may make the playoff.
Michigan loses LaMar Morgan to Oklahoma in a battle for the playoff
If you care to remember last year, Michigan battled with Oklahoma in Norman during an early-season, non-conference game. This was John Mateer's coming out party in some way, shape, or form. This early win by the Sooners at home helped propel OU into the expanded College Football Playoff field for the first time since joining the SEC. Michigan effectively came up one game short of making it in.
So with this year's game being in The Big House, there is even more of an emphasis on Michigan getting the thing done vs. the visiting Sooners. If Michigan wins the second game of the home-and-home, that could provide enough positive momentum to beat either Indiana, Oregon, or Ohio State to make the playoff at 10-2. Michigan and Oklahoma are right there at the way-too-early cut line for it.
Overall, Venables was able to replace a guy that Valai's former Wisconsin teammate wanted in Jim Leonhard with another well-respected defensive backs coach that had some NFL aspirations in Morgan. With Whittingham coming in, coaches like Morgan were ripe for the picking. Then again, Whittingham cut his teeth coaching up defenses in Utah for decades. He knows what he is doing...
As far as making the playoff is concerned, it is a paramount goal for both programs. For Michigan, the Wolverines desperately need to get back after missing the last two after making it three years in a row from 2021 to 2023. As for Oklahoma, while the Sooners have still yet to win a playoff game, they cannot let last year's positive mometum go to waste. It is why Venables needs to win right away here.
For now, the Morgan departure will add even greater emphasis on this year's game vs. Oklahoma.