After a topsy-turvy 2025 that saw Sherrone Moore fired, the Michigan Wolverines are blowing it up and starting fresh. Now under veteran head coach Kyle Whittingham, the program has hit the reset button, rebuilding the roster and staff. This time, Whittingham leaned on a coach who had been on Urban Meyer’s staff at Ohio State.

“Michigan is hiring Air Force assistant head coach Brian Knorr, sources tell @CBSSports,” reported CBS Sports analyst Matt Zenitz. “Is expected to assist with special teams at Michigan.”

Brian Knorr’s latest stint includes holding the defensive coordinator position for the Air Force Falcons. However, his resume also includes a stint with “that team down south” as Ohio State’s special teams coordinator back in 2016.

Whittingham might have counted on Knorr because of his well-traveled resume in the college coaching ranks. He cut his teeth at the Air Force back in 1992. His following stops included holding the head coaching role for the Ohio Wildcats in 2001. 

Knorr’s path wound through Air Force and Wake Forest before landing him the defensive coordinator job at the Indiana Hoosiers. He then made stops at Ohio State and Arizona, and ultimately returned to the Air Force. Sure, Air Force slipped to No. 118 on defense last season, but that number stands in sharp contrast to what came before: a No. 40 ranking, then No. 6, and a nation-leading No. 1 finish in Knorr’s debut year.

One of Moore’s final moves as head coach was bringing in former Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs to run special teams. The move immediately paid off as Coombs’ unit was successful in their face-off against Texas in the Citrus Bowl.

They executed their roles effectively in fundamentals, blocking, and the returns were top-notch. With the new coach at the helm, Whittingham’s special teams started showing glimpses of the Jim Harbaugh era, resembling a reliable group. Coombs will now be assisted by Knorr, with whom he crossed paths at Ohio State in 2016.

Much like Whittingham’s program, Missouri is flipping the script this offseason, bringing in four new coaches. One of the new faces on the staff is John Papuchis, who arrives from Florida State to take over as the Tigers’ special teams coordinator.

For the 2026 season, Michigan is already facing a daunting schedule. Whittingham and Co. start the year with four straight home games, highlighted by a Sept. 12 clash with Oklahoma. Big Ten play arrives Sept. 26 against Iowa, while the Wolverines won’t hit the road until an Oct. 3 trip to Minnesota.

For now, Oklahoma stands out as the biggest pre-bye measuring stick. While the 2026 season is yet to unfold, how well will Whittingham’s move with Knorr help Michigan?

Kyle Whittingham’s new staff’s Ohio State grind

At Wake Forest, Knorr put forward a 3-4 defensive scheme. It was a stark contrast from the 4-3 alignment Indiana ran under Doug Mallory, who was fired Jan. 10. A former Air Force quarterback, Knorr also brings head-coaching experience, having gone 11-35 in four seasons at Ohio University from 2001-04.

Whittingham’s newest addition previously pulled in more than $365,000 a year as Indiana’s defensive coordinator, a far cry from where he stood in 2016. He earned just $500 a month as a quality control coach at Ohio State.

Under Meyer, he and Joker Phillips were tasked with self-scouting the Buckeyes. It was indeed a tough job made more difficult by NCAA rules that limit on-field coaching during practice to nine full-time assistants and four graduate assistants.

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After 21 seasons at Utah, Kyle Whittingham didn’t arrive in Ann Arbor alone. Jim Harding, Jason Beck, and Micah Simon all followed, giving Whittingham the much-needed familiarity in a new base. Brian Knorr, however, breaks the trend without past connections with Whittingham, making his fit one to watch.