Breaking News: Louisiana DC LaMar Morgan Stuns with Surprising Move to Michigan’s Football Elite
Though there has been some back-and-forth on multiple fronts, the Michigan football team appears to have its defensive coaching staff together for the 2024 season. Friday morning, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that Louisiana defensive coordinator and safeties coach LaMar Morgan has accepted a job as Michigan’s new defensive backs coach, covering both safeties and cornerbacks.
Morgan’s agreement comes after back-and-forth from two potential assistants who ultimately chose the NFL. First, Steve Clinkscale appeared committed to a fourth season in Ann Arbor, even telling players as much before ultimately opting last Saturday to instead join Jim Harbaugh with the Los Angeles Chargers. Then, it appeared that the Wolverines would take former Michigan analyst and Houston Texans safeties coach Stephen Adegoke, before the Texans upped their offer in an effort to keep the first-year positional coach.
As a result of both decisions, Michigan turns to Morgan, who himself has carved out a solid coaching resume, has coached both cornerbacks and safeties extensively, and comes recommended by former Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Morgan has spent the last two seasons as the Ragin’ Cajuns’ defensive coordinator. His defense ranked 35th in yards per play allowed last fall and 25th in plays of 20 yards or more allowed, while going 6-7 as a team.
Prior to returning to his alma mater in Lafayette, Morgan spent the 2021 season coaching with Minter at Vanderbilt, coaching cornerbacks. He prior career stops also include a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at Vanderbilt (2012-13), two years as defensive backs coach at Western Carolina (2014-15), two years as Louisiana-Monroe’s safeties coach (2016-17), one season at Houston coaching safeties (2018) and then two years coaching defensive backs at Louisiana, his alma mater (2019-2020).
Throughout his career, Morgan has been touted for his ability to get defensive backs to generate turnovers; the Ragin’ Cajuns have ranked third, 13th and 26th in interceptions in his four seasons coaching there, and Vanderbilt was 33rd in the category in 2021.
He also is credited by players for his compassion and ability to mentor players, as opposed to just coaching them.
“He cares about his players,” Ragin’ Cajuns linebacker Kris Moncrief told The Advocate in 2022. “He’s a godly man. I respect him for that. You don’t see too many coaches who care for their players. Him, coach Des, the whole staff, they care for us. They’re going to look out for us. Football will be there, but once you get a coach that cares for you when you’re out of here — out of football — that’s a whole another level of respect.”
Added then-defensive end Andre Jones in the same piece: “He’s going to try to help everybody get to where they want to be. … He’ll say, ‘You’re good?, How have your parents been doing?’ That means something to me — I don’t know about everybody else, but that means a lot to me.”
Of course, Michigan will ask Morgan to produce on the field immediately, as the Wolverines are coming off a national title. Morgan will take over a room with returning starters in Will Johnson, Rod Moore and Makari Paige. But with Mike Sainristil, Josh Wallace and Quinten Johnson (combined 1,623 defensive snaps in 2023) departing and Keon Sabb entering the transfer portal Friday, Morgan will be tasked with developing players like Ja’Den McBurrows, DJ Waller, Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry and others in their place.
Johnson, Moore and Paige can help with that mentorship, but Morgan’s position group has high expectations for new faces to step up after the last three seasons.
Morgan will join a defensive staff headed by longtime NFL defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, that also includes veteran linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary (previously at Tennessee) and defensive line coach Gregg Scruggs (previously at Wisconsin). Morgan has the least power-five coach and NFL coaching experience of the three, but pushed himself above a crowded short list for defensive backs coach thanks to his time with Minter.
“Sources say Morgan comes highly recommended by Minter, knows the Ravens scheme, and would undoubtedly bring southern recruiting ties thanks to having also coached safeties at Houston in 2018 and Louisiana Monroe 2016-17, and the secondary at Western Carolina 2014-15,” The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb wrote in his defensive backs coaching hot board. “He’d also be another coach with play-calling experience and could be a potential understudy to Wink Martindale.”
Michigan suffered its first major transfer portal entry following the hire of Sherrone Moore after safety Keon Sabb entered, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer reported Friday morning. Sabb, who collected 28 tackles and two interceptions last season, was penciled in to start in the Michigan secondary in 2024 even with veterans Rod Moore and Makari Paige returning.
Sabb made six tackles in Michigan’s national championship win over Washington to lead all defensive backs. The Wolverines are in the process of searching for a defensive backs coach after Stephen Adegoke decided to remain with the Houston Texans this week despite overtures from Moore. The Michigan Insider reports Louisiana defensive coordinator Lamar Morgan is “now on deck and the courtship process won’t take long,” per TheMichiganInsider’s Sam Webb.
One of the first items on the agenda for Michigan’s next coach in the secondary will be trying to keep Sabb in Ann Arbor. Moore’s done an impressive job keeping his roster intact ahead of spring practice after he was promoted to head coach following Jim Harbaugh’s departure to the NFL last month.
Michigan players have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal given the coaching change. Per Hummer, Moore’s ascendance was not a shock. His status as next in line has been among the worst kept college football secrets this season. That’s a good thing, too, because Moore’s presence is a huge reason why sources told 247Sports Michigan’s roster was to remain largely together with minimal attrition, at least during this window.
Michigan’s players know Moore. He was the program’s interim head coach for four games this year while Harbaugh served suspensions, including a three-game stretch against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State to end the regular season.
The portal is an online database that players will enter their name into if they decide to pursue a transfer. Players notify their current school’s compliance office that they wish to put their name into the portal — typically, players’ names show up within 48 hours. Coaches have access to the database and can contact any player who has entered.
Technically, players can enter the portal at any time. But unless they do so within their sport’s official “windows,” they will have to sit out one season. College football has two windows: one following the regular season and one following spring practice. The fall portal window opened Dec. 3, one day after conference championship games and remained open for 30 days, closing at the end of the day on Jan. 2, 2024.