Michigan football: Strength coach Ben Herbert leaving for Chargers, assistant Justin Tress to take over…..

Strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert is leaving Michigan to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff with the Los Angeles Chargers, TheMichiganInsider’s Sam Webb reports. Assistant strength coach Justin Tress will take over. Herbert gained a reputation as one of the best strength coaches in the Big Ten. He arrived in Ann Arbor in 2018 and helped give the locker room an edge with intense, routine-busting workouts. Harbaugh said he “never had a better hire than Ben Herbert” in 2022.

New head coach Sherrone Moore expressed confidence this weekend that he’d be able to retain Herbert as part of his inaugural staff.

“Very,” Moore said when asked if he was encouraged in his ability to keep Ben Herbert. “You know, we’ll take it a day at a time and see what happens with the staff. But definitely excited.”

In a separate question, Moore added: “I have talked to him. I’m going to try to get that done as fast as possible. So, I’m getting to work. Been getting to work. Got to work last night. Got to work today and throughout the day. As we go on the recruiting trail, (staff decisions) will be a top priority top priorities. So we’ll get done as fast as possible.”

Herbert figures to be a big loss for Michigan, which has already lost several staff members after Harbaugh’s departure to the NFL. The former head coach said Herbert was the program’s “x-factor” and had fingerprints over every position group.