Maryland football assistant George Helow named safeties coach at Michigan

Baltimore Sun staff, The Baltimore Sun
·2 min read

Maryland football assistant George Helow has been named safeties coach at Michigan.

Helow, who served as special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Terps this past season, joined coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff alongside new defensive backs/co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist on Wednesday. Ravens linebackers coach Mike Macdonald was hired as Michigan defensive coordinator earlier this week.

“Maurice and George are outstanding additions to our defensive coaching staff,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “They are highly regarded and well-respected coaches who have worked with some of the top defensive minds in college football. Their experience at some of the top programs in the country will benefit our team and student-athletes.”

Maryland finished 2-3 during an abbreviated 2020 season, with four games canceled because of coronavirus concerns. The Terps ranked 43rd defensively in ESPN’s SP+, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of efficiency, while the special teams unit ranked 78th.

The Terps announced a series of coaching changes earlier this month after moving on from offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery and offensive line coach John Reagan. Dan Enos was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and Brian Braswell will serve as the offensive line coach. Defensive line coach Brian Williams has been promoted to co-defensive coordinator, working in conjunction with Jon Hoke.

Helow, a Jacksonville, Florida, native and former walk-on defensive back at Mississippi, spent four seasons at Colorado State before joining coach Mike Lockley’s staff in College Park. Helow coached the safeties during his final two seasons at Colorado State after working with the outside linebackers as a defensive quality control coach and graduate assistant during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Helow helped Florida State win a national title in 2013 as a defensive graduate assistant coach and spent two seasons as a defensive graduate assistant at Georgia from 2014 to 2015, where he worked with the safeties.

In 2012, Helow broke into the college ranks as a member of the Alabama staff under coach Nick Saban. He was an intern in the weight room during the spring and summer before working as a defensive intern for coordinator Kirby Smart during the fall.