TRENDING NEWS:Ben Herbert, Michigan football’s strength coach, is departing to join the Chargers, and assistant Justin Tress will take over.

Strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert is leaving Michigan to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff with the Los Angeles Chargers, TheMichiganInsider’s Sam Webb reports. Assistant strength coach Justin Tress will take over. Herbert gained a reputation as one of the best strength coaches in the Big Ten. He arrived in Ann Arbor in 2018 and helped give the locker room an edge with intense, routine-busting workouts. Harbaugh said he “never had a better hire than Ben Herbert” in 2022. New head coach Sherrone Moore expressed confidence this weekend that he’d be able to retain Herbert as part of his inaugural staff.

“Very,” Moore said when asked if he was encouraged in his ability to keep Ben Herbert. “You know, we’ll take it a day at a time and see what happens with the staff. But definitely excited.”

Moore said in response to a different query: “I have spoken with him. I’ll do my best to finish that as soon as I can. I’m going to work now. started working lately. Started working last night. I arrived at work today and worked all day. Staff decisions will be given high consideration as we continue our recruitment efforts. Thus, we’ll finish as quickly as we can.”

Herbert is expected to be a significant loss for Michigan, which has already lost a number of employees as a result of Harbaugh’s NFL departure. Herbert, according to the former head coach, was the program’s “x-factor” and had a hand in every position group.

Harbaugh declared, “He is the x-factor in our football program.” “The core of player development is him. More than anyone else in our entire program, he is incredible. Every player and every position group is affected by it. We think he’s the finest because of his influence on every player and coach, including myself.”

Jesse Minter, the defensive coordinator for Michigan, said on Saturday that he was moving to Harbaugh’s staff in Ann Arbor. In the last two seasons, Minter contributed to the team that ranked in the top 10 nationally in terms of run defense, overall defense, and points allowed. Leading the FBS in both scoring defense (10.4) and total defense (247.0) in 2023, the Wolverines won a College Football Playoff National Championship.

In the championship game earlier this month, Michigan players executed a near-perfect game plan designed by Minter, shutting down a formidable offensive force in Washington. Minter was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to the top college football assistant coach each year.

Sherrone Moore, the new football coach at Michigan, provides staff updates and a list of priorities (VIP)

After the Wolverines finished seventh in the country in total defense and gave up just 292.1 yards per game in Minyer’s debut season in Ann Arbor, the player previously inked a contract extension with Michigan in April. He concluded his second season as one of college football’s most highly regarded assistant coaches.