Michigan hires former USC assistant John Baxter as special teams coordinator

New Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh continues to add former USC assistants to his staff.

On Friday, Harbaugh announced that he had hired John Baxter as special teams coordinator. Last week, Harbaugh officially announced that he hired Tim Drevno, USC’s offensive line coach last season, as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.

Baxter coached at USC from 2010 to 2013. He was not retained by Steve Sarkisian, who was hired as Lane Kiffin’s permanent replacement.

“John Baxter has long been considered one of the premier special teams coordinators in the country, and I am thrilled to have him on our staff,” Harbaugh said in a statement on the school’s website. “His special teams units have consistently been a force to be reckoned with.”

Harbaugh also noted Baxter’s “Academic Gameplan,” which is designed to help players in the classroom and beyond.

“To have an opportunity to coach at this school with this head coach, at this time, might be the greatest opportunity in all of football today,” Baxter said in a statement. “I am really excited to learn about our players and to answer the challenge that Big Ten football presents in terms of competitive excellence and special teams.”

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