Michigan's Jim Harbaugh lays out plan for TE coach Grant Newsome to become a head coach
Jim Harbaugh is all about uplifting his assistant coaches and giving them opportunities to be successful, as seen in his unconventional coaching replacement plan after his suspension.
The Wolverines coach on Monday reiterated that philosophy on his "Inside Michigan Football" radio show as he shouted out another one of his assistants: tight ends coach Grant Newsome. The former Michigan offensive lineman has already progressed rapidly through the ranks as a coach after his playing career's premature end. But Harbaugh has even grander visions of where his career will go from here.
"[Grant Newsome] is the tight ends coach now, but already grooming him to be the offensive line coach," Harbaugh said on the show. "And then, once he has maybe a year or two under his belt as offensive line coach, just like Sherrone Moore, he’ll be the coordinator. And then, at that point, when we can’t give him any more money or any more titles, somebody will snatch him up to be a head coach. Mark my words, and mark them well. That will happen."
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Newsome played on the O-line at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, before suffering a career-ending injury against Wisconsin in 2016. Newsome stayed with the team as a student coach in his senior season in 2018 to work with the tight ends.
Newsome then became a graduate assistant under Jim Harbaugh during the 2020 and 2021 seasons working with the offensive line before being promoted to a full-time assistant as tight ends coach ahead of the 2022 season. He coached second-round NFL draft pick Luke Schoonmaker and current Wolverines starter Colston Loveland.
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As Harbaugh alluded to on the radio, Moore, the current offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, took the reins as sole offensive coordinator in 2023 after two seasons as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. He spent the three prior seasons at Michigan as the Wolverines' tight ends coach.
Newsome is just in his second year as a full-time assistant coach, but keep an eye out for him as a fast riser on Harbaugh's staff.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jim Harbaugh: Michigan TE coach Grant Newsome is a future head coach
