Sherrone Moore is in no mood to tuck his hiring acumen away as he makes a shiny new addition to his staff. Tony Alford, the fresh face at Michigan, carries a ton of experience with him through his extensive 40 years as a football coach. Since 1995, Alford has mastered the art of being a running backs coach and has upskilled himself with recruiting brilliance since 2012 as well. He was a perfect treasure for Ohio State until their arch nemesis, the ones who swooped away the last three of their clashes in their favor, making them 0-3, also swooped away their RB coach, making it an off-field 0-1.

Analysts across the world are discussing how Moore will capitalize on the learnings of Alford from their arch nemesis, along with several other top institutions in the CFB that Alford has experience with as well. Washington, Iowa State, and most importantly, Notre Dame. Amidst this, Fox Sports’ RJ Young breaks down why the alleged misery might turn out to be a curse for Ohio State.

The financial rift between Ohio State and Tony Alford

Ohio State’s football department generated over $127 million in fiscal year 2023, with a surplus of $55 million. Yet, RJ Young called out the program, as, per him, the reason Alford left might have to do something with his pay. Alford made $772,500 as part of his base salary in the 2023 season and was eligible for $131,325 in bonuses from Ohio State’s berth in the Cotton Bowl. His contract, which was extended two years ago, expires this January, and it was unknown whether Ohio State was ready to give him a raise.

Young also read out a report from USA Today that stated Alford is the is the 122nd highest-paid assistant coach in the country. Yet, there was a disturbing disparity that might have been the trigger point for Alford joining Sherrone Moore and Co. “I find that interesting because he made $100,000 less, give or take, than Dell McGee, who was the RB coach at Georgia. You also made considerably less than Carnell Williams, who was the RB coach at Auburn,” Young reported.

Several defensive line coaches across the CFB have made significantly more than their offensive counterparts, as Young stated in the video. The prime example is Michigan’s Larry Harrison Sr., who got paid more to coach the defensive line than Sherrone Moore did to coach the offensive line and perform play-calling duties.

Given the type of RBs Alford has blessed Ohio State with over the years, keeping the RB room always ready to face the best and the worst, Alford wanted better, per Young. One reason for him picking Ohio State’s archrival over them. Another one would be the growing popularity of Michigan and the open positions in the strong-looking team that Moore has built. Handling the DC role is the legendary Wink Martindale.

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Along with him, linebackers coach/run game coordinator Brian Jean-Mary and defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator LaMar Morgan are also handling the defensive front. With Alford replacing Mike Hart, how do you think Michigan’s staff looks now, ahead of the Big Spring Day game?

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