With a Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan coming up, Alabama football is reportedly bringing in help with some knowledge of its upcoming opponent. According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, the Crimson Tide is hiring George Helow, a former Wolverine assistant, to join Nick Saban’s staff.

Helow will reportedly begin working immediately. He was Michigan’s linebackers coach starting in 2021 and continuing until after the 2022 season, leaving when UM coach Jim Harbaugh brought in Chris Partridge.

“These past two season have been an honor and an amazing experience,” Helow said in a social media message when he left Michigan in February. “But it is time to explore new opportunities in my career.”

Before joining the Wolverines, Helow was the special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Maryland for one season. He worked at Colorado State from 2016 through 2019, finishing as the safeties coach after starting out as a defensive quality control coach and graduate assistant.

The new job will be Helow’s second stint in Tuscaloosa. He started his coaching career as an intern, first working in the weight room, then for former defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.

He then worked as a graduate assistant at Florida State, followed by Georgia. Helow played his college football at Ole Miss.

Alabama will see at least one defensive staff opening after the season, as Coleman Huzler heads to Mississippi State to take over the defensive coordinator job in Starkville under new head coach Jeff Lebby.

The Crimson Tide faces Helow’s former team on Jan. 1 in the College Football Playoff semifinal. The Wolverines are undefeated and beat Iowa for the Big Ten championship, but have been under a public cloud all season due to a sign-stealing scandal involving a former UM staffer.

Helow was not on staff for any portion of the 2023 season, but did work for current defensive coordinator Jesse Minter during the 2022 campaign.