After the firing of Brady Hoke at Michigan, the future of any of his assistants is naturally uncertain. As the off-season progressed, and some took jobs elsewhere, one name remained after the dust had settled and it's a name fans were excited about. Former defensive coordinator Greg Mattison returned this season and was retained by Jim Harbaugh, and the long-time Michigan assistant is glad to be back.

"Whenever there's a changeover, the head coach will hire the people he wants to hire," Mattison said. "I feel very fortunate to be able to stay at Michigan. I love Michigan. I feel strongly about the players coming back and the guys in this program and I feel strongly about Coach Harbaugh. I've known that family for a long time. It's just great to be back."

Because of his pedigree and reputation, Mattison was courted by other programs this off-season, most notably Texas A&M, who had him at the top of their list to take over as defensive coordinator. However, when given the opportunity, he chose to stay.

"I had a number of offers," he said. "Some in the NFL, things like that. I made up my mind that if I had the opportunity I'd want to stay and I did, so I stayed."

More than any other coach on the staff, Mattison has an idea of the players they're working with. Even before Hoke's firing, Mattison would continually talk about how excited he was about the possibilities in 2015 defensively. He's held strong in that belief.

"D.J. Durkin is doing a tremendous job," he said. "I think the defensive coaches are doing great. I think it's exciting; you see some of the things we're doing. It's exciting move it forward. It's exciting to see the kids getting coached and wanting to get coached."