There have been rumors of an assistant leaving Michigan football for Ohio State but the decision by Greg Mattison to join the Buckeyes is shocking. With the lack of loyalty that exists nowadays, it’s hard to be surprised by anything. However, when it was reported by Wolverines Wire that Greg Mattison is leaving Michigan football to become the defensive coordinator at Ohio State, it was shocking. Of course, the fact that a Michigan football coach is leaving for Ohio State isn’t stunning. At least it shouldn’t be, as there have been rumors circulating about it for weeks. Yet, many thought it would be Al Washington, who had connections to Ryan Day, the Buckeyes new head coach. Instead, long-time Michigan football assistant Greg Mattison, who was the defensive coordinator under Brady Hoke and who has coached the defensive line under Jim Harbaugh, has decided to become a turncoat, leaving the good guys to join the dark side. In other words, Mattison is a traitor. Breaking: Greg Mattison Leaving Michigan for Ohio State… also according to @BillBankGreene, Greg Schiano is OUT at OSU – https://t.co/3woQOHA9MD pic.twitter.com/guLe9OeeBE — Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) January 7, 2019 I understand his contract is expiring and that he has to do what’s best for him, but there is still something pretty low about leaving the Wolverines for the Buckeyes. Of course, this isn’t the first time Mattison has left Michigan football to work for a rival. He did the same thing in the 90’s when he left the Wolverines to be the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. Now, it looks like Mattison will take over as defensive coordinator for the Buckeyes. The timing seems a little strange considering Mattison could have had a chance to take over the same position at UM, provided Don Brown takes the head-coaching job at Temple, which still seems like a possibility. Instead, Mattison decided to become a turncoat. How he could look his fellow coaches in the eye and tell them he is leaving to be a top assistant with arch-rival Ohio State is beyond me. The fact that anyone ever considered Mattison a “Michigan Man” at any point in time is sickening. When Mattison left the Baltimore Ravens back in 2011 to join Hoke’s staff, it was a great move for the Wolverines. He has also did a fine job, by all accounts, of coaching the D-line under Harbaugh and while his return wasn’t guaranteed, it was assumed. There didn’t appear to be any rift between Mattison and Harbaugh and outside of Chris Partridge, he would have been a top candidate to coordinate the defense if Brown left. At any rate, any coach that would spend 13 years on the sideline with the Wolverines, only to turn around and take a job at Ohio State is someone Michigan football shouldn’t want — period. And at the end of the day, regardless of how many years Mattison spent in Ann Arbor, he threw that all away Monday. Now, he should be known forever to Michigan football fans as nothing but a no-good, back-stabbing, turncoat. Mattison is a traitor, Benedict Arnold, and from this moment on, he deserves nothing but pure hatred from every true Wolverines fan.<doc-sep>Michigan defensive line coach Greg Mattison, who once left the program to coach rival Notre Dame, has left again, this time for the Wolverines’ biggest rival, Ohio State. Mattison, 69, will join first-year OSU coach Ryan Day’s staff as co-defensive coordinator, the school confirmed Monday. Mattison will share the job with San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley. There has been no comment from Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh or a program spokesman. "I love the idea of having two coordinators on defense,” Day said in a statement released by Ohio State. “I like having a diversity of opinion, but even more I like the expertise and experience that Jeff has in the secondary coupled with the expertise that Greg brings to the front seven. “Jeff is a rising star and highly regarded as one of the best secondary coaches in the country. His NFL knowledge coaching the secondary is only going to enhance and improve what has become a marquee area for the Buckeyes. Greg is a terrific coach. His experience as a coordinator and his knowledge of the Big Ten is extremely important to me. “These are two outstanding coaches and they will provide stability, wisdom and a fundamental approach to everything they teach. They will add to our culture while proving to be excellent coaches and mentors for the young men in our program.” Mattison and Day overlapped on Florida’s staff. Mattison was there from 2005-2007 and Day was graduate assistant in 2006. Current Michigan defensive linemen Michael Dwumfour and Donovan Jeter took to Twitter to express their thoughts on Mattison’s departure. “Business is business,” Dwumfour wrote. “Smh lol business is business,” Jeter wrote. Harbaugh apparently called each of the lineman earlier today ahead of the news of Mattison’s departure broke. Still, there was a ripple of shock waves among former players. Former Michigan defensive lineman Chris Wormley tweeted: “Say it ain’t so Matty!” Mattison’s contract at Michigan was expiring this week. He made $525,000 each of the last two seasons. He returned to Michigan in 2011 as then-head coach Brady Hoke’s defensive coordinator, a role he held four seasons. When Harbaugh took over as head coach, Mattison became defensive line coach and took a $200,000 pay cut. Mattison distinguished himself at Michigan as a tireless recruiter and a coach who developed NFL-caliber linemen. “Coach Mattison wasn’t only a great coach, he also molded young 18-year-old kids into men,” Ryan Glasgow, now with the Cincinnati Bengals, said in a text message. “He helped turn me into an NFL player. He was one of the first people to call me after I tore my ACL this year. “For so many of his players, the relationship between them goes far past player and coach. I always thought he would retire a Wolverine, but I respect his decision to move on.” Chris Hutchinson, a former defensive lineman at Michigan in the early ‘90s, was coached by Mattison. His son, Aidan Hutchinson, was a freshman defensive lineman last past season. “For a coach that’s been a part of my life and my family’s life as long as Greg and (wife) Ann have, it’s obviously disappointing, but I understand where’s he’s coming from,” Hutchinson said. That Mattison is moving on to Ohio State, Michigan’s rival that has dominated the series the last decade and a half, has been tough for some to grasp. “It’s definitely interesting with Coach Mattison being with the Michigan program," said Wormley, a who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens. "Those two stints, but he went and coached at Notre Dame, so it’s not like something shocking if you know the history of Coach Mattison. It’s not like he’s doing it out of spite and malice. At the end of the day he has to do what’s best for himself and his family. “On the surface it hurts a little bit, but at the end of the day, coach Mattison is someone who has helped me in my career and helped me grow as a football player and a person. He was at my wedding seven months ago. Does it hurt? Yeah, but you take a step back, and realize this guy’s looking out for himself.” Wormley said Mattison, having been a defensive coordinator, taught the players not just their positions, but he wanted them to understand how all 11 worked in unison each play. So he taught them what every player was doing so make them smarter players. “I’ve been talking to Taco (Charlton), Glasgow, all the guys on the team. It’s a weird situation. If any of us thought there was going to be something for coach Mattison, I thought he would retire maybe after this year. But it’s that drive coach Mattison has to be great. Maybe he wanted to be a defensive coordinator again and this opportunity arose. It’s probably the best defensive coordinator’s job that opened for him. “On a personal level, coach Mattison is still a mentor and someone I text for advice. I wish him the best but that last weekend in November (when Michigan plays Ohio State), I hope he takes a big fat L. That’s as mean as I can be about it because of the relationship we have.” achengelis@detroitnews.com Twitter: @chengelis<doc-sep>Michigan defensive line coach Greg Mattison will be taking his talents to the team down south. Per reports on WolverinesWire and Michigan Insider, Mattison has accepted a job on the Ohio State coaching staff and it looks like he will be their defensive coordinator. This development comes after reports surfaced that Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano won’t be returning in 2019. Per WolverinesWire: “After speaking with two people close to the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, we’re told that Mattison is expected to accept a position at Ohio State, coaching in an unspecified role. Current defensive line coach Larry Johnson is still remaining on staff in his current position, we’re told. Mattison informed the current players as well as the signees on Monday of his intentions.” More context from Mike Sullivan and Sam Webb: From what I've heard, Greg Mattison called his defensive linemen yesterday and told them he's leaving to go coach at Ohio State. He had an expiring contract and told them Jim Harbaugh and Don Brown chose not to renew it. He'll be the DC at Ohio State. — Mike Sullivan (@MikeSullivan) January 7, 2019 Also, I'm told any rumor about Greg Mattison not being renewed by #Michigan is "completely false." - @michiganinsider — Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) January 7, 2019 While it’s a blow to the Michigan psyche, it’s an easy decision for Mattison. He just got a promotion at 69 years old and will be coaching for one of the best programs in the nation. We’ll have more information as the story develops.<doc-sep>
Longtime Michigan football assistant coach Greg Mattison is headed to the team's most hated rival. According to two sources with knowledge of the situation, Mattison — who has been head coach Jim Harbaugh's defensive line coach at Michigan since 2015 and on staff with the Wolverines since 2011 — will join head coach Ryan Day's staff at Ohio State. Ohio State confirmed the move later in the afternoon, announcing Mattison as a co-defensive coordinator with new hire Jeff Hafley. Mattison's position duties are unclear, as the Buckeyes have also retained defensive line coach Larry Johnson. Ohio State is not retaining defensive coordinator Greg Schiano. "Greg is a terrific coach," Day said in a released statement. "His experience as a coordinator and his knowledge of the Big Ten is extremely important to me." [ After 4 years, Jim Harbaugh still searching for Michigan 'cathedral' ] A Michigan spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But it seems like a sizable blow to Michigan's coaching staff, as Harbaugh has lost another assistant coach — one of the most loyal Michigan has had over the past decade — and this time to the program's biggest foe. Mattison will become the 11th assistant coach to leave Harbaugh's program since the head coach took over in 2015. Mattison was in his second stint with the program, as he was originally a defensive assistant with the Wolverines from 1992-96. Brady Hoke brought Mattison back to Michigan in 2011, after he had served as an assistant with John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens. Under Hoke, Mattison served as the program's defensive coordinator from 2011-14. He was retained by Harbaugh as the program's defensive line coach. He ultimately served as an interim defensive coordinator for Michigan's Citrus Bowl game to close the 2015 season. The Wolverines then hired defensive coordinator Don Brown prior to the start of the 2016 campaign. Mattison was in the final year of his most recent two-year deal with Michigan. He made $525,000 last season. His deal was set to expire Thursday. Mattison's deal with Hoke's staff paid him $725,000 annually as the program's defensive coordinator. Mattison, 69, was known as the top recruiter on Hoke's staff during the first half of his most recent stint, and his defensive lines under Harbaugh produced plenty of talent. Michigan has had five defensive linemen drafted since 2016 — Ryan Glasgow, Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley, Maurice Hurst and Willie Henry — and Mattison was instrumental in recruiting and developing all of them. The Wolverines are also expected to see former defensive end Rashan Gary get drafted in the first round of the upcoming 2019 NFL draft. Mattison was a key part of that recruitment as well. Chase Winovich, another Mattison project, is also expected to be drafted. In terms of his ties with Ohio State, Mattison has been a long-time friend of now former Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer. He worked on Meyer's Florida staff from 2005-07, helping the Gators win a national title in 2006. Day was a graduate assistant on that Florida staff in 2005. Mattison's departure comes roughly two weeks after Harbaugh told reporters after a disappointing Peach Bowl loss he didn't anticipate any further coaching turnover this offseason. "I think we're going to take what we have and reload. A new season and tighten up," Harbaugh said. "But keep working. Keep working to put it over the top." Mattison is the second staff departure from the 2018 staff. Wide receivers coach Jim McElwain left to become Central Michigan's head coach prior to the bowl game in December. More:Jim McElwain signs 17 at Central Michigan, pulls in former SEC QB More:Stop picking on Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, it's been better than you think Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickBaumgardner. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!