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Michigan fires offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell 3 days after Ohio State triumph

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Michigan fires offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell 3 days after Ohio State triumph

Michigan won its most important game of the season on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to save the job of offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell.

The Wolverines announced Tuesday they were relieving Campbell of his duties, which also included quarterbacks coach. Tight ends coach Steve Casula will become the interim offensive coordinator for bowl season.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore’s comment, via the program:

“After a thorough assessment of our offense, I made the decision to relieve Kirk Campbell of his duties and move in a different direction,” said Moore. “This was a decision that I felt was in the best interest of our football program. I want to thank Kirk for his hard work and dedication to the university, Michigan Football and our student-athletes. I wish him well in his future coaching endeavors.”

It was a challenging year for Michigan in its first season under Moore, who took over for Jim Harbaugh full-time after a breakthrough national championship. Moore filled his old offensive coordinator position with Campbell, who was previously the program’s quarterbacks coach in 2023 and an offensive analyst in 2022.

Before Michigan, Campbell’s play-calling experience consisted of stints at Old Dominion and Division II Alderson Broaddus.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - APRIL 20: Offensive Coordinator Kirk Campbell of the Michigan Wolverines is seen on the sideline during the Spring Football Game at Michigan Stadium on April 20, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

Michigan lost plenty of offensive personnel from its championship team, but people still weren’t happy with the unit led by Kirk Campbell. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

The offensive results weren’t pretty for Michigan, which also saw seven offensive players get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, including quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum and wide receiver Roman Wilson.

The Wolverines ranked 117th in the country in yards per play — after ranking 24th last season — and didn’t score more than 17 points in any of its six games against ranked opponents.

Those struggles didn’t prevent Michigan from stunning No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, though the numbers from that game normally wouldn’t be an argument for keeping Campbell. Quarterback Davis Warren was 9-for-16 for 62 passing yards and two interceptions, while the run game averaged 4.2 yards on 41 attempts.

Before its game-winning field goal, Michigan had scored all of its points on drives of three yards or less. Its touchdown came after an interception deep in Buckeyes territory, while the first field goal was the product of a weak punt and a three-and-out.

As for what Michigan will do going forward, it at least has plenty to offer the next offensive coordinator. Thanks to a donation from tech billionaire Larry Ellison, the program was able to flip Rivals No. 2 quarterback recruit Bryce Underwood to Ann Arbor. It helps when the world’s fourth-richest man is married to a Michigan alum.

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