Tony Alford fired a shot at the Buckeyes this week.
In a press conference before the Wolverines' season opener against New Mexico, the former Ohio State and current Michigan running backs coach received a question about his experience recruiting for Sherrone Moore's program.
Alford didn't hesitate to answer the question — or take an unprompted jab at Ohio State.
“This place, this block M, is amazing. It’s different,” Alford said. “It’s one thing to say it’s different, I know. Every school you go to, the coach is gonna say, ‘We’re different. We’re different.’ I think the young men and their families need to come here to really experience it. This place is different. I think the people are different. I think our staff is different. Our head coach damn sure is different. I think when young people sit there and especially with him, they sit in the room with him, they walk out like, ‘Yeah, that guy is a real one.’ There’s not the pretentiousness and the cliques — this place is just different.
“Our players, I think when you sit with our players, some of the kids I’ve had that have come in recently in recruiting, they speak volumes about our players. Those are the best recruiters you have. It’s not the coaches, it’s the players. … We have an amazing locker room to sell. I think this community, they’ve embraced this team and this culture has been unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been. It’s just a different place. It’s just a different place.”
Alford hoped he’d answered the question — then fired a shot at Ohio State.
“You wanted me to say something really bad about that other place. I’ll say it, yeah, we’re better,” he said.
Alford, Ohio State’s running backs coach for nine years before leaving for Michigan in 2024, expressed gratitude for the Buckeyes during his first press conference as an assistant for the Wolverines.
“I have so much respect for Ohio State and the Ohio State community and what they presented to me and my family through the years. It was not an easy decision (to leave). Anytime you are somewhere for as long as I was — for nine years — there were some groups that had been set professionally and personally. That was difficult. But at the end of the day, it was something I thought I couldn’t pass up. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Since then, however, Alford has been unafraid to throw shade at his former employer. During a podcast appearance in June 2024, Alford said he was “as happy as I’ve been in a long time as far as my coaching profession.” Then, following Michigan’s win over Ohio State last season, Alford posted a picture of himself smiling while smoking a cigar. He captioned the photo, “GO BLUE!!!”
GO BLUE!!! pic.twitter.com/xt3bzvlZt0
— Coach Tony Alford (@CoachTonyAlford) December 1, 2024
Ohio State and Michigan will face off on Nov. 29 in Ann Arbor. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Buckeyes are 5.5-point favorites in the matchup.
