3 thoughts on Michigan football hiring Kirk Campbell as OC
Michigan football has made one important staff move as Sherrone Moore has promoted Kirk Campbell to offensive coordinator according to Bruce Feldman and others.
Moore did an interview with Pat McAfee on Thursday and said that the coaching staff would be announced within the next week.
SOURCE: Michigan QB coach Kirk Campbell is expected to get promoted to become the Wolverines new OC. The 37-yr-old is very well regarded inside the program by players and staff. He had been the OC at Old Dominion for 2 years before coming to UM. @mzenitz first reported the hire.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 2, 2024
On Friday, Campbell was promoted to offensive coordinator. And while it wasn't announced that way, it seems like he will continue coaching quarterbacks just like Sherrone Moore did last season with the offensive line. Here are three thoughts on the hire for Michigan football.
A simple decision, but a good one
Sherrone Moore said he had someone in mind during his press conference last week and it feels like it was Campbell all along. Kirk has done a great job with the quarterbacks. He's also done a great job on the recruiting trail and this will help keep Carter Smith, the 2025 QB in the fold.
Beyond that, the offense will stay the same. My hope is that Campbell will open things up a little bit more. The Wolverines need to find a quarterback but Alex Orji was a four-star quarterback for a reason and the dude can do more than run.
It's up to the coaches to develop players and this is a quality move by Moore. Campbell has called plays before and frankly, this was a no-brainer.
Don't expect Campbell to re-invent the wheel
Campbell is probably going to have his own spin on the offense. It wouldn't shock me if things were opened up a little with Campbell calling plays, but Michigan football is still going to ground and pound. Like Moore said, Michigan will "smash."
The Wolverines are going to depend on strong offensive line play, even though there will be five new starters. Moore has been developing those guys and the pipeline is strong. So even though it's a new offensive coordinator, I'd expect the offense to rely on the same principles.
Lock up Mike Hart
Now that we know who the offensive coordinator is, the focus is on hiring a defensive coordinator. However, we shouldn't forget about Mike Hart and I'm sure Moore hasn't. Hart hasn't been recruiting but it also hasn't been reported that he is leaving.
Hart has been the run-game coordinator for Michigan football. Why not make him the co-offensive coordinator just like Sherrone Moore used to be when he first got promoted? Hart has had a huge impact since he returned and joined the coaching staff. Not just on the running backs either.
The winning culture established by Michigan wasn't just about Jim Harbaugh. It was about all the right guys coming together and keeping as many as possible is worthwhile, especially when they would be in demand as Mike Hart is.
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At the same time, if any Michigan coaches want to pursue better opportunities, they have earned that right, even if we don't like what it means for the Wolverines.