Michigan shrugs off news of George Helow joining Alabama staff
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The news caught some inside Schembechler Hall off guard. Last Thursday, as Michigan returned to practice ahead of its Jan. 1 Rose Bowl game against Alabama, word emanated out of Tuscaloosa that Nick Saban had pulled off the ultimate coup.
The Crimson Tide head coach went out and hired George Helow, an unemployed college football assistant coach with ties to Alabama, the SEC and — more importantly — Michigan.
Helow had spent the previous two seasons on Jim Harbaugh’s staff, serving as the linebackers coach in 2021 and ‘22, before both sides mutually agreed to part ways in February. The move effectively made Helow a free agent this year, allowing Saban the opportunity to bring aboard his former intern.
“Who sent it to me? I think it was Mike Barrett that sent it to me,” Michigan linebacker Junior Colson told reporters this week. “I was like, ‘huh—they might be a little scared.’ You never know.”
Saban slyly downplayed the hire earlier this week, calling Helow a “special assistant” and telling reporters who cover the Crimson Tide that it was a clerical move to help Alabama prepare for No. 1 Michigan. He and his staff spent the better part of the prior week on the road recruiting, and Saban wanted someone who could “give us a good scouting report of what we need to know” about the Wolverines.
There might not be a better person available than Helow, who worked under Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter last season, is familiar with the inner-workings of the Wolverines’ scheme and personally coached Colson and Barrett, the team’s two starting middle linebackers.
“He’s got a job; I’m happy for him,” Colson continued. “When we go play them, I’ll probably go and say what’s up to him after the game.”
That congratulatory tone was echoed by Minter, who pointed out that Helow was unemployed at the time. And like Saban, the Michigan coordinator downplayed the potential impact of the move, saying everything an opponent needs to know about the Wolverines’ defense is already on film.
“I don’t put a ton of stock in it,” Minter said. “Every week, you may call somebody who worked with that staff. I’ve tried to talk with some people who may have worked with their coaches and tried to figure it out.
“Props to him—he got hired by somebody.”
Helow’s departure back in February coincided with the return of Chris Partridge, a well-beloved former member of the Michigan staff and high-level recruiter. Partridge was quickly promoted to linebackers coach, a job he held until his abrupt firing in November for interfering with the NCAA’s ongoing investigation into in-person scouting.
