Outlook on Michigan football RB Recruiting With Tony Alford

Sherrone Moore made a splash hire by stealing Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford from right under Ryan Day's nose. What does that say about Ohio State's culture? That's for another time. What I'm here to talk about today is how Tony Alford will impact recruiting, specifically in terms of running backs.

At Ohio State, Alford signed numerous elite running back recruits. He was a key recruiter for the Buckeyes. Now, how much of that success was because of the Ohio State brand remains to be seen, but you'd imagine that it should be easier to recruit running backs to come to a more run dominant team in Michigan football.

Before Alford's departure, Ohio State was in on a handful of top running backs in the 2025 class. Mike Hart, for whatever reasons (personal or whatnot), had not been in contact with many recruits. Because of the acquisition of Alford, I expect Michigan to become a player in the recruitment of many top running backs. Let's take a look at some backs that Michigan will be targeting.

Bo Jackson (OH)

No, not that Bo Jackson. I think. Ranked as the #3 running back in the nation, Bo Jackson is one of the top targets who could be swayed by Alford's departure. Jackson is currently predicted to go to Ohio State, but who knows what could change with Alford being on Michigan's side now.

Jackson is a guy that Michigan football has been interested in. They stole an elite running back from Ohio with Jordan Marshall in 2024, can they repeat that in 2025? Only time will tell. Jackson will be a very tough pull, and this could definitely be a national recruitment.

According to ON3, the current top contenders for Jackson are Ohio State and Penn State. With hard work, Michigan could definitely crack the list. I don't love where Michigan currently stands, but we'll see how this develops.