The Los Angeles Chargers are building plenty of excitement heading into the 2024 NFL season. Much of that excitement is due to the team's new head coach, Jim Harbaugh.
After being hired as the successor to Brandon Staley, the buzz started. Harbaugh has coached in the NFL and taken his team to the Super Bowl, a place the Chargers haven't been since 1994. The excitement around a hire like that is natural.
Harbaugh has a proven track record. He is coming off winning the national title at Michigan and is bringing as much of that to L.A. as possible. An old saying is that success breeds success, so it's hard to argue with his plan.
Former Michigan Wolverines who are now with Los Angeles Chargers
Coaches
Jesse Minter, Defensive coordinator
Jesse Minter once worked on the staff for John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens before becoming Jim's defensive coordinator at Michigan. He had one of the best defenses in the country in 2023, a big reason why the Wolverines won it all.
Steve Clinkscale, Defensive backs coach
Steve Clinkscale has been in coaching since the early 2000s. He was the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Michigan last year and has followed Harbaugh to L.A. to coach defensive backs in the NFL.
Mike Elston, Defensive line coach
Mike Elston attended Michigan and then got into coaching after school. He coached the defensive line there and helped with recruiting during the last two seasons.
Dylan Roney, Defensive assistant
Dylan Roney worked under Harbaugh at Michigan as a graduate assistant.
Ben Herbert, Executive director of player performance
Ben Herbert was one of Harbaugh's most trusted coaches at Michigan. There, he was the assistant head coach while running the strength and conditioning program. When you think of important names in the shadows, Herbert is one of those guys.
Ben Rabe, Director of Performance Analytics
Rabe worked under Herbert at Michigan and was a trusted piece of that Wolverines staff.
In addition to all of these coaches, Harbaugh brought in Navarro Bowman, Will Tukuafu, and Jonathan Goodwin from his days as coach of the San Francisco 49ers, where all three of those guys played for him.
Players
Jim Harbaugh is all of us.
— GBM Wolverine (@GBM_Wolverine) April 27, 2024
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Junior Colson, Linebacker
The team's third-round pick has a chance to be a starter at inside linebacker as a rookie.
Cornelius Johnson, Wide receiver
Seventh-round picks are often considered dart throws, so Harbaugh threw one at a guy who played wide receiver at Michigan and should have a chance to develop with the team as a practice squad guy.
