Boston College Adds Proven Talent in Mike Hart as Running Backs Coach
Bill O'Brien is wasting no time putting his stamp on the Boston College football program. His latest move? Bringing in Mike Hart as Running Backs Coach - a hire that adds both credibility and serious production to the Eagles’ offensive staff.
Hart arrives in Chestnut Hill with a résumé that reads like a blueprint for building elite backfields. Most recently, he served as an Offensive Analyst at Eastern Michigan in 2025, where his fingerprints were all over a ground game that quietly became one of the most efficient in the country.
Dontae McMillan eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark under Hart’s watch, and four other backs posted 100-yard games. The Eagles led the MAC in fourth-down conversions (61.1%) and ranked second nationally in red zone offense (94.6%).
That’s not just good execution - that’s coaching impact.
But Hart’s coaching journey began long before that. A 14-year veteran of the college coaching ranks, he’s made stops at Western Michigan, Syracuse, Indiana, Michigan, and Eastern Michigan - each time helping elevate the running game.
His most high-profile stint came at Michigan, where he returned to his alma mater in 2021 and quickly climbed the ladder from Running Backs Coach to Run-Game Coordinator by 2022. In 2023, he even served as Interim Head Coach for a game - a 35-7 win over UNLV - during a season that ended with the Wolverines hoisting a national championship trophy.
And let’s be clear: Michigan’s backfield during Hart’s tenure wasn’t just productive - it was dominant. Under his guidance, the Wolverines won three straight Big Ten titles and made a run to the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Blake Corum, in particular, thrived under Hart. Corum became the first Michigan back since Denard Robinson to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, finishing 2023 with 1,245 yards and a school-record 27 rushing touchdowns.
He earned unanimous All-American honors and was named Big Ten Running Back of the Year for the second straight season.
That success wasn’t a one-off. In 2022, Michigan’s rushing attack ranked No. 5 nationally at 238.9 yards per game and led the Big Ten.
The Wolverines topped 3,000 rushing yards in two of Hart’s three seasons, and their 39 rushing touchdowns in 2021 led the nation. In 2022, they found the end zone 41 times on the ground - second-best in the country.
Hart also helped develop Hassan Haskins into a star. In 2021, Haskins rushed for over 1,200 yards, scored 20 touchdowns (a Michigan record at the time), and delivered a performance for the ages against Ohio State: 169 yards and five touchdowns - the first Wolverine ever to hit pay dirt five times against the Buckeyes.
Before returning to Ann Arbor, Hart spent four years at Indiana (2017-2020), where he was elevated to Associate Head Coach in his final season. He helped Stevie Scott set Indiana’s freshman rushing record with 1,137 yards in 2018, and Scott would go on to become the fourth all-time in Hoosier history with 30 rushing touchdowns.
Hart’s coaching journey also includes a season at Syracuse in 2016 and two years at Western Michigan (2014-15), where he helped the Broncos reach back-to-back bowl games for the first time in program history. He coached two MAC Freshman of the Year winners: Jamauri Bogan (1,051 yards, 16 TDs in 2015) and Jarvion Franklin (1,551 yards, 24 TDs in 2014). Franklin also earned MAC Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman All-American honors.
Hart’s coaching roots trace back to Eastern Michigan, where he got his start as an Offensive Quality Control Coach in 2011 before being promoted to Running Backs Coach in 2012 and 2013.
Of course, Hart’s coaching career is only half the story. As a player, he was one of the most prolific running backs in Michigan history.
From 2004 to 2007, Hart rushed for 5,040 yards - still the program’s all-time record - and scored 41 touchdowns. He racked up 28 career 100-yard games and averaged 117.2 rushing yards per game, the best mark in school history.
He was a three-time All-Big Ten First Team selection, the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and a two-time Doak Walker Award finalist. In 2006, he finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Hart was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played three seasons in the league, including a trip to Super Bowl XLIV. Before all that, he was a high school legend at Onondaga Central in Syracuse, N.Y., setting the national record with 204 career rushing touchdowns and finishing second all-time with 11,045 rushing yards.
Now, Hart brings that wealth of experience - as both a player and a coach - to Boston College. For a program looking to re-establish its identity under Bill O’Brien, this hire sends a clear message: the Eagles are serious about building a tough, productive ground game. And with Mike Hart leading the running backs room, there’s good reason to believe that message will be delivered loud and clear on Saturdays.