ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Former Michigan football player Mike Elston is reportedly leaving Notre Dame to become the new defensive line coach for the Wolverines.
The hiring has been confirmed by several Michigan and Notre Dame outlets, including 247 Sports.
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Elston, 47, has been on the Notre Dame coaching staff for 12 years, serving as a defensive line coach from 2010-2014 and 2017-2021 and a linebackers coach from 2015-2016. He was also promoted to associate head coach in 2018, and held that position alongside his defensive line duties.
Notre Dame had two defensive ends selected in the NFL draft last season, two more in 2020 and one in the first round in 2019. Notre Dame athletics credits Elston with having 12 players drafted during his tenure.
As a recruiter, Elston has been one of the best for the Fighting Irish. He was named the primary recruiter for three eventual commitments -- including two top 250 players -- and the secondary recruiter on two commitments -- a five-star and a four-star -- in the 2022 class.
He recently helped Notre Dame land Joshua Burnham, a linebacker from Traverse City and the No. 2 player in Michigan during the 2022 cycle.
Elston played for Michigan from 1993-1996 and was an assistant for Lloyd Carr on the 1997 national championship team. He played outside linebacker and started on defense his final two seasons.
This is a nice upgrade for the Michigan coaching staff after Shaun Nua left to coach the defensive line at USC. Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo enjoyed excellent seasons for the Wolverines, but the defensive line -- both on the field and in recruiting -- has been inconsistent over the past three years.
Elston will have to replace three key starters -- Hutchinson, Ojabo and Chris Hinton -- on next year’s defensive line. Mazi Smith is the only returning starter, though Jaylen Harrell, Mike Morris, Taylor Upshaw and Kris Jenkins have seen significant playing time.
