Michigan football strength coach Ben Herbert follows Jim Harbaugh to L.A. Chargers
For years he’s been known as the program X-factor, but now he’s moving on.
Ben Herbert, Michigan football’s head strength and conditioning coach, is leaving Ann Arbor to follow Jim Harbaugh to Los Angeles and take the same position with the Chargers, per various reports.
Herbert, 44, joined U-M in 2018 after five years at Arkansas and spent the last six years in Ann Arbor. That included the 2023 season, when he not only helped propel Michigan to its first undefeated season and national title in more than a quarter century, but added associate head coach to his title.
Herbert leaves the NCAA ranks for now having trained 95 NFL Draft selections, that includes 12 first-round picks as well as three Heisman Trophy finalists.
In February, Herbert signed a five-year contract that will pay him $1 million per season, which was obtained by USA TODAY and the Free Press via a records request. Herbert, who made $700,000 in 2022, will receive $600,000 as his base pay (the same as 2022) with a $400,000 signing bonus.
He was just the second $1 million strength coach in the country.
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Sherrone Moore was introduced as U-M’s 21st head coach Saturday morning and said his top priority as he tried to hit the ground running was about rounding out his staff and keeping as many people as he could in place.
"I have talked to him,” Moore said of Herbert. “I'm going to try to get that done as fast as possible. So getting to work. Been getting to work, got to work last night, get to work today and throughout the day, and as we go on the recruiting trail, (staff decisions) will be a top priority top priorities. So we'll get done as fast as possible."
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Herbert is the second key piece of Michigan’s coaching staff who Harbaugh has poached in the past 48 hours. Earlier in the weekend, it became official that Harbaugh had signed defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to the same position on L-A.
Even though both losses are critical, earlier this year Harbaugh said he had “never made a better hire” than when he signed Herbert.
“He is the X-factor in our football program,” Harbaugh said. “He is the center of player development. He is phenomenal; more than anybody in our entire program. It’s with every player, it’s with every position group.
“His impact on every single player, every single coach — including myself — we say he’s the best.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's Ben Herbert follows Harbaugh to Chargers
