Report: Michigan expected to hire Texans assistant Stephen Adegoke as new DBs coach

Michigan is reportedly heading to the NFL ranks for another defensive staff hire under new head coach Sherrone Moore, as the Wolverines are hiring Stephen Adegoke from the Houston Texans to coach defensive backs, according to Matt Zenitz. He coached safeties with the Texans.

Adegoke came to Houston with head coach DeMeco Ryans after previously coaching with the San Francisco 49ers. Adegoke was also once a graduate assistant and assistant defensive backs coach at Michigan during the 2021 season when the Wolverines made an inaugural CFP trip.

Filling out the defensive staff in Ann Arbor is one of the big tasks for Moore as he takes over the program, as Jim Harbaugh took basically the entire on-field defensive coaching staff with him to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Adegoke played safety at Mississippi State in the early 2010s. He began his college coaching career at Florida in 2019.

He’s also the second NFL coach that Moore tabbed to join the Wolverines staff, as he recent hired Don “Wink” Martindale to be the Michigan defensive coordinator.

At least one analyst liked the Martindale hire for Michigan

The hire is a win for several reasons, in the eyes of Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt, but the main benefit is that by hiring another coach coming out of the Baltimore Ravens zeitgeist Michigan can keep the defensive philosophy, terminology and recruiting and development tracks similar to what they’ve already established. The prior defensive coordinators at Michigan, Jesse Minter and Mike Macdonald, had both previously worked alongside and under Martindale, who eventually became the Ravens’ defensive coordinator under John Harbaugh.

“And these guys were stars,” Klatt said. “But we all know how successful that style and philosophy was for Michigan over the last three years. Run wall, hard edges, hybrid players in coverage. That’s the philosophy. Reduce it down to its most minimal form, that’s the philosophy. So who do they go hire? Sherrone Moore gets the head job, promoted from within, loses all of the defensive staff and yet gets to hire Wink Martindale who comes from? Baltimore and John Harbaugh. Both Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter coached, cut their teeth, were mentored by Wink Martindale. So philosophy wise, I don’t think a lot is going to change.”

With the talent that Michigan retained on defense from the national championship roster, Klatt is bullish about the unit in 2024.

“And that defense should be really good,” Klatt said. “And how do you keep Will Johnson and Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant — they’ve got dudes, that defense is still going to be very good. Keep them in the same philosophy, keep them in the same structure, and that’s what’s going to be happening at Michigan.