Michigan is hiring Mike Hart, the greatest Wolverines player of all time, as a head coach, the school announced on Wednesday.
Hart set Michigan records for yards (5,040 meters) and goal (1,015) and scored 41 speed touchdowns as a four-year starter. He won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year awards in 2004 and was selected three times for the first All-Big Ten team. He was also a two-time Doak Walker Award finalist and finished fifth in the 2006 Heisman Trophy voting. Hart set a 28-game team record with 100 or more rushing yards.
“Michigan has always had a special place in my heart,” Hart said in a statement. “It’s a place I’ve always believed in myself and a place I’ve always believed in. I’m excited to join Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan staff and look forward to working with a group of talented runners.”
Hart, 34, has spent the last four years training runners in Indiana.
A pick in the sixth round of the Indianapolis Colts in 2008, Hart played three NFL seasons before coaching Eastern Michigan. He later coached Western Michigan and Syracuse defenders before joining the Indiana team in 2017. The Hoosiers promoted Hart to head coach in 2020.
Michigan last week announced a new four-year contract for Harbaugh, who is 49-22 in six seasons but went 2-4 in 2020.