As the Michigan football coaching staff undergoes major change following the departure of Jim Harbaugh and some of his assistants, new head coach Sherrone Moore faces the task of rebuilding his staff, and now he’s zeroing in on a coach in this year’s Super Bowl game in that task. Michigan is considering Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen as a candidate to serve as defensive coordinator, according to CBS Sports. But the Wolverines have some competition as Cullen is also being floated as a defensive coordinator prospect for two other NFL teams, the Seahawks and Commanders.
It’s expected that current Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter will depart the program and follow Harbaugh to the L.A. Chargers in the same position, leaving a big hole on the staff after Minter’s defense was ranked No. 1 in college football during its recent national championship run. Cullen began his career in college, working as defensive coordinator at Richmond and then Indiana before taking the DL coaching position at LSU. After a time at Illinois as defensive assistant, Cullen moved to the NFL with Detroit and served stints with Cleveland, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore. He was defensive coordinator for Urban Meyer on the Jaguars in 2021. AFC champion Kansas City ranked second in football in yards and points allowed.