New D-line coach is a slam dunk for Michigan football

The way that Greg Scruggs left the Michigan football program was less than ideal. But Sherrone Moore, who did a hell of a job replacing Mike Hart, wasn’t fazed.

Moore seems to be the man with the plan and on Friday, he made another solid hire, replacing Scruggs with Memphis co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Lou Esposito. This is according to a report from Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports.

Michigan is expected to hire Memphis’ Lou Esposito as its new defensive line coach, sources tell @247Sports.

Was previously defensive coordinator at Western Michigan. Led the way for the MAC’s No. 2 ranked scoring defense in 2022 and has developed players like current… pic.twitter.com/Th76gqoOGk

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) March 29, 2024

Esposito spent last season at Western Michigan before taking the job at Memphis. He was at Western Michigan for seven years and in 2022 he coordinated a defense that was the second-ranked unit in the MAC. He’s also got a strong recruiting background and was able to get Braden Fiske, Andre Carter, and Marshawn Kneeland to Western Michigan. All three of those guys will end up playing in the NFL.

Michigan just got the defensive line coach who recruited Braden Fiske, Andre Carter, and Marshawn Kneeland to Western Michigan https://t.co/uEgFEJi0jJ

— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) March 29, 2024

That’s a strong selling point for his hire but there are some others and here’s some instant analysis on the new defensive Michigan D-line coach.

Breaking down the new D-line coach Lou Esposito for Michigan football

As much as I liked the hire of Scruggs, it feels like there won’t be a drop-off. Heck, this might even be an upgrade on the recruiting trail. On the coaching side of things too. Esposito has been a defensive coordinator before and was about to take over at Memphis. That will add some valuable experience.

It also means that each of Wink Martindale’s assistants on defense — Lamar Morgan, Brian Jean-Mary, and Lou Esposito — have defensive coordinator experience. To me, that’s extremely valuable.

All three have proven to be solid recruiters too, meaning Michigan football is getting the best of both worlds. The fact that Esposito has ties to Michigan and coached in the state for over a decade is another huge positive.

It might be crazy to think, but I sort of like this hire better than Scruggs. They both have their strengths but in the end, Sherrone Moore made another great move, one the players should be able to get behind.

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