New Michigan football OL coach Jim Harding has Midwest ties, having grown up in northwest Ohio, played college ball at Toledo and coached Troy High.
ORLANDO, FL — Make it an even half dozen hires from the Beehive State buzzing their way to Ann Arbor.
The latest? Offensive line coach Jim Harding, who is expected to coach the same position for Michigan football under new coach Kyle Whittingham, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Of all the Wolverines' hires made on Thursday, Jan. 1, this is the most logical, and potentially the most successful.
Harding hails from Maumee High in northwest Ohio and played at Toledo, where he was a four-year starter at tackle (1997-2000), including his senior season when he was a captain and named first team All-MAC en route to a spot in the Rockets' athletic hall of fame.
Harding has spent the past 12 years as Utah’s offensive line coach and added the title of assistant head coach beginning in 2017. He coached 11 players to All-Pac-12 or All-Big 12 honors and has had seven players from his unit drafted into the NFL during his time in Salt Lake City.
That's not counting right tackle Spencer Fano, who won Utah’s first Outland Trophy this season and is projected as become a first-round pick in April's NFL draft.
Harding’s lines paved the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in 11 of the past 12 seasons, with 2025 the first year in more than a decade that the Utes did not have a 1,000-yard rusher; sophomore Wayshawn Parker finished with 981 yards.
Before his time at Utah, Harding coached at both Missouri and Wyoming and has experience in Michigan, thanks to four seasons as head coach at Troy High School (2005-08). His wife, Meredith, is a Troy native. Harding is also seen as an elite recruiter and was named the Big 12 recruiter of the year this season by 247 Sports.
He’s the latest of several coaches on Whittingham’s former staff to join the Wolverines – U-M also added offensive coordinator Jason Beck, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham (Kyle’s brother), wide receiver coach Micah Simon and quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. on Thurday.
Also Thursday, Michigan picked off defensive coordinator Jay Hill from BYU and is retaining Tony Alford to continue coaching the team’s running backs.
Michigan is set to hire Utah offensive line coach/assistant head coach Jim Harding, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 1, 2026
One of the country’s top OL coaches. Has developed a nation’s leading 12 first-team all-conference players since 2015 and likely to have two first-round picks in April. pic.twitter.com/F5O4gyPnPR
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football adds veteran Utah OL coach Jim Harding
Category: General Sports
