Tony Alford left the Ohio State football program in the middle of Spring for Michigan. TTUN is learning why the Buckeyes weren’t broken up with him leaving.
Tony Alford departed the Ohio State football program in the middle of spring practice to join the Buckeyes’ bitter rivals. Michigan now employs Alford as their running backs’ coach. Many Michigan fans were thrilled to get a coach away from Ohio State, and many thought he was a terrific deal.
TTUN fans failed to recognize that Alford has been on the hot seat for some time. Ryan Day nearly let him go in the winter before spring practice even began. Why would a head coach contemplate letting someone leave if he is such an excellent hire?
Michigan fans can now see why the Buckeyes were totally content with letting him go. The Wolverines have recently lost a running back prospect to Kentucky. That’s correct, Kentucky. They lost four-star running back recruit Marquise Davis to the Wildcats.
After signing TreVeyon Henderson, Alford struggled with recruiting at Ohio State. He wasn’t able to replicate his achievement with another five-star running back. In fact, Henderson was the final five-star running back he was able to sign.
The issue was not limited to recruiting. It was a lack of advancement with prospects at that level. There is a reason why Miyan Williams went undrafted and has yet to sign with a team. There’s a reason Ryan Day had to use the transfer portal to secure Trey Sermon for their 2020 season.
Michigan is finally realizing that the grass is not always greener on the other side. If they lose prospects to the University of Kentucky, they will have no chance against the big boys of college football. Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, Georgia, and the rest of the powerhouses will form recruiting circles around them.
It’s amusing to see how Michigan fans are selling this as something acceptable. We’ll see whether they feel the same way in two years, when Alford has yet to secure any top-level prospects or develop any running backs into top draft picks.
