Clark Lea hired defensive coach Larry Black to work on Vanderbilt’s defense last season. Black helped Lea look good on defense in the tough Southeastern Conference, with the Commodores’ rush defense ranking 10th nationally and recording 31 sacks in the 2025 season.
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The Vanderbilt head coach, who was named the 2025 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year for transforming a program that went 2-10 in 2023 into a 10-win team, will lose Black. ESPN insider Pete Thamel reported that the Cincinnati native is set to join the new Michigan head coach, Kyle Whittingham.
“Sources: Michigan is expected to hire Vanderbilt defensive line coach Larry Black as the school’s new defensive tackles coach. Black just completed his third year at Vanderbilt and had been elevated to co-defensive coordinator,” Thamel wrote.
Black, who played for Indiana in college and the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL, replaces Lou Esposito, who left for the Baltimore Ravens to coach the defensive line. He guided players Khorday Sydnor, Joshua Singh, Zaylin Wood, and Miles Capers to become excellent contributors on Vanderbilt’s defensive line.
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Wood and Joshua Singh were among the top 100 defensive tackles this past season for Vanderbilt, with Wood securing a PFSN DTI metric of 77.8, which ranks 74th in the nation, while Singh had 77.0, which placed him in 97th overall.
Before taking the Commodores position, Black had prior coaching stints at Carthage College, Notre Dame, and Toledo. During his stint with the Fighting Irish, Black notably coached future NFL linemen Daelin Hayes, Kurt Hinish, Julian Okwara, Jamir Jones, Khalid Kareem, Jerry Tillery, Ade Ogundeji, and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa.
The 36-year-old mentor will be paired with edge coach Lewis Powell and is expected to help the Wolverines’ defensive room be ready for the 2026 season, especially since they are set to be tested as early as Week 2, when the Oklahoma Sooners come to town. Black is expected to continue developing Trey Pierce and Enow Etta up front for the Big Ten Conference team.
Black’s exit is one of several coaching moves Vanderbilt absorbed after a banner 2025 season. Other personnel who left for new teams include quarterbacks coach Garrett Altman, now the offensive coordinator at Arkansas State, and nickelbacks coach Jimmy Thompson, who joined the Los Angeles Chargers.
Meanwhile, Lea is set to bring in Western Michigan co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Seth Payne for next season’s campaign. He served as an analyst on Vanderbilt’s staff in 2024.
Michigan’s defensive impact rating this past season was 81.6, which ranks 34th overall, according to PFSN’s Defensive Impact Rating. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, posted a 77.2 rating, placing 56th overall.
