The coach who guided Belleville through the 2022 Michigan high school football playoffs to a Division 1 state championship victory is back in town.

DeJuan Rogers, who was named the Tigers' interim head coach for the ’22 playoffs after the school suspended head coach Jermain Crowell following a Michigan High School Athletic Association investigation over undue influence, has returned as the Tigers co-head coach.

Following the ’22 championship run, Rogers left to become an assistant at Tiffin University for the 2023 season.

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Former assistant Calvin Norman then was elevated to head coach after the MHSAA banned Crowell from coaching at any Michigan high school for two years.

Belleville advanced to the state championship game last season before losing to Southfield A&T.

Behind the play of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, the Tigers were unbeaten this season and ranked No. 1 before losing to Howell, 30-29, in the KLAA championship game two weeks ago.

That is when Rogers, who was out of coaching this fall, asked to join the staff.

“I decided to volunteer,” Rogers said. “I talked with everybody. Me and Norm are sharing the head coaching title.”

Last week, in Rogers’ first game with the team, Underwood completed 13 of 15 passes with six touchdowns in the first half of the Tigers' 68-0 rout of Ann Arbor Pioneer. Underwood did not play in the second half.

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Speculation was rampant that Rogers was forced upon Norman, which Norman denied.

“It was my decision, if I was OK with it,” Norman said. “I talked with Rogers about it before I brought it to the school. Once I brought it to the school, I went through the proper protocols as far as the athletic director, the principal, and then the superintendent. I went up the chain of command that way.

“They all asked me if I was OK with it, I had no problems with it. I have no ego. He’s good.”

Another hot rumor that Norman debunked was that Connor Stalions had also volunteered to be part of the Belleville staff.

Stalions, a former analyst for Michigan football, allegedly masterminded an elaborate scheme to steal the signals the Wolverines' opponents used to relay plays from the sidelines to the quarterback.

The NCAA's investigation, which is still ongoing, led to former U-M coach Jim Harbaugh being suspended by the Big Ten conference for last season's final three regular-season games.

Stalions resigned at U-M last November and was the subject of a Netflix documentary called “Sign Stealer,” released in late August.

This fall, Stallions was the volunteer defensive coordinator at Detroit Mumford (which went 1-8 this season) and served as interim head coach for a game when the head coach became ill. Joining the Belleville staff now would not be an MHSAA violation.

Belleville athletic director Joe Brodie did not return several calls over a two-day period from the Free Press.

Norman said adding Rogers to the staff was a plus for the program. The two have coached together for several seasons, and Norman is comfortable with Rogers.

“I’ve been coaching with him since 2019 when we started coaching here together and he’s better,” Norman said. “He’s gotten way better. I’ve been knowing him for a long time.”

This week Belleville hosts Saline at 7 p.m. Friday in the district final. The Tigers have decisively beaten the Hornets in their previous two state playoffs, 65-14 last fall and 62-44 in 2022.

Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on X @mickmccabe1. Order his book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Belleville brings back DeJuan Rogers for 2024 state playoff run