Alabama has recruits former Michigan assistant George Helow to its coaching staff ahead of the team’s College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against the Wolverines, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
Helow served as Michigan’s linebackers coach in 2021 and 2022 under coach Jim Harbaugh. He and Michigan mutually parted ways in February, shortly after the Wolverines brought back Chris Partridge from Ole Miss to coach the linebackers. Helow did not coach this season.
It wasn’t immediately known what Helow’s role will be, but he will not be one of the Crimson Tide’s 10 on-field assistants.
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Alabama, the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff, is set to take on No. 1 Michigan on Jan. 1 in the CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential.
A former Ole Miss defensive back, Helow coached several standout linebackers at Michigan, including current players like Michael Barrett and Junior Colson. He worked under Wolverines defensive coordinator Jesse Minter in 2022.
Michigan fired Partridge last month for a failure “to abide by the university directive not to discuss an ongoing NCAA investigation with anyone associated with the Michigan football program.” Partridge in a statement said he had no knowledge of the prohibited off-campus signal-stealing operation led by former Michigan staff member Connor Stalions.
The Athletic first reported Alabama’s hiring of Helow, who has also made stops at Maryland and Colorado State. Helow started his coaching career as an intern for Alabama coach Nick Saban in 2012. He later worked at Florida State and Georgia.
Washington State transfer Cam Ward is one of the most highly sought-after quarterbacks available this offseason, and he has started visiting schools. He recently took a trip to Miami and is visiting Florida State this week. Ward said he enjoyed the Miami visit and it gave him his first look at a potential new school.
“It was a good visit for sure. With Mario Cristobal, [Shannon] Dawson, the offensive coordinator, I felt like the hospitality was off the charts,” Ward told ESPN. “I feel like what he’s building out there is good. … It’s for sure something that I wouldn’t mind being a part of.”
Ward currently has only those two visits planned.
The best quarterbacks in the transfer portal: Ranking 17 still available
“I haven’t set a third visit yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I set a third visit,” said Ward, who was fifth in the nation in passing yards in 2023. “I’m continuing to talk to a lot of other schools, so I’m going to play it by ear. USC is in there, Nebraska is in there, Washington for sure, and there are a couple other schools that haven’t reached out yet.”
Because this is his second time transferring, Ward knows what he’s looking for and what he wants out of his last season of eligibility.
“The biggest thing is just being part of a culture and the offensive line protecting, the weapons I put myself around,” Ward said. “And being able to play good team football. I feel like I have to put myself in a position where both sides of the ball are in it.”
Ward hasn’t ruled out entering the NFL draft, but that decision will come after he sees all the schools he has interest in. As the top-rated QB in the portal, Ward’s decision will impact other quarterbacks who are currently uncommitted, as well, with some schools overlapping in whom they’re targeting with limited spots remaining.
Here is a look at where the other quarterbacks stand in their transfer process, a few schools that had great weeks in the transfer portal and recruitments to watch over the next week:
