(BCSNN) — Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham announced Wednesday that Larry Black has joined the Wolverines’ staff as defensive tackles coach. Black arrives with 12 years of collegiate coaching experience, including nine seasons working exclusively with defensive lines.
Black spent the last four seasons at Vanderbilt, where he reunited with head coach Clark Lea after previously serving as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame. He was elevated to defensive run game coordinator for the 2025 season, helping the Commodores finish 18th nationally in rushing defense at 108.2 yards allowed per game.
Under Black’s direction, Vanderbilt’s defensive front steadily improved. The Commodores rose from 10th in the SEC in run defense in 2022 to sixth in 2025. His units produced consistent backfield disruption, including 5.5 sacks from veteran Nate Clifton in 2023, three linemen with at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 2024, and four players with 6.0 or more TFLs in 2025. Miles Capers led the group with 9.5 TFLs last season, followed by Khordae Sydnor with 8.5.
Before his SEC stint, Black coached the defensive line for three seasons at Toledo, where he helped three players earn four All‑MAC honors, including first‑team selection Jamal Hines in 2021. Toledo improved from 10th in the MAC in run defense during his first season to top‑four in each of his final two years, and the Rockets finished top‑five in tackles for loss twice during his tenure.
Black also served as a graduate assistant at Toledo (2016–17) and Notre Dame (2018), working with several future NFL players, including Daelin Hayes, Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem, Jerry Tillery and Myron Tagovailoa‑Amosa. He participated in the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021.
A former defensive tackle at Indiana, Black appeared in 48 games for the Hoosiers from 2009–13, recording 127 tackles. He graduated in 2012 and signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent before beginning his coaching career at Division III Carthage College in 2015.
Black and his wife, Kaylin, have three children: Ace, Axel and Amaya.
