There's a Connor Stalions joke in here somewhere.
Nick Saban is set to hire former Michigan linebackers coach George Helow to his Alabama staff, sources confirmed to FootballScoop on Thursday. The news was first reported by The Athletic.
No. 4 Alabama, of course, meets No. 1 Michigan in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
The report does not indicate Helow's title. One wonders if "Chief Michigan Figure Outer" fits on a business card.
Helow was on Michigan's staff for the 2021-22 seasons and was let go in February. He was part of the defensive staff that replaced Don Brown and finally got over the hump, securing a long-awaited win over Ohio State, a Big Ten Championship, and Michigan's first CFP berth, where the Wolverines lost to eventual champion Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
He also helped the transition from coordinator Mike Macdonald to Jesse Minter.
Helow, obviously, has intimate knowledge of Michigan's defensive schemes, and figures to assist Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees in designing the Crimson Tide's attack for the Rose Bowl.
Helow previously served as a defensive intern on Alabama's 2012 staff.
It's possible the timing of the hire is purely coincidental, and that Helow would've returned to Tuscaloosa even if Alabama hadn't charged its way into the Playoff. Current linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler is leaving to coordinate the defense at Mississippi State; Helow figures to be the front-runner for that job now.
The timing may or may not be coincidental, but it's certainly fortuitous to the Tide.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.