Michigan Football head coach Kyle Whittingham is hiring a longtime assistant coach of his at Utah to join his staff in Ann Arbor. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Utah edge coach Lewis Powell is set to join Whittingham to be the Wolverines’ defensive line coach and run game coordinator.
Powell started his coaching career at Utah, his alma mater, as a grad assistant from 2009-10 following his playing career. He also was an administrative assistant in Salt Lake City for one season in 2011 before becoming the defensive line coach at Hawaii.
He was with the Rainbow Warriors from 2012-14 in that role before heading back to Utah in 2015 to become the tight ends coach. He did that for one season before moving over to the defensive line in 2016. Powell has worked with the Utes’ defensive ends, specifically, since 2019.
Powell is credited for sending eight Utah players to the NFL during his time there, including six draft picks. He has also coached two consensus All-Americans — Bradlee Anae (2019), Jonah Elliss (2023) — and seven first-team All-Conference players.
Powell is the seventh reported hire of New Year’s Day, as he joins offensive coordinator Jason Beck, defensive coordinator Jay Hill, quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr., wide receivers coach Micah Simon, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham and offensive line coach Jim Harding in Ann Arbor.
