Unfortunately, Michigan is searching for a coach again just two years after their last coaching search. A few names to watch:
- Kalen DeBoer (Head Coach, Alabama): It was widely reported that DeBoer was interested in the Michigan coaching job back when Jim Harbaugh left, but the timing wasn't going to work. Harbaugh was waiting for the NFL coaching cycle to come around, and college coaches usually can't wait that long to change jobs. DeBoer was 67-3 as a Division II head coach, 12-6 at Fresno State, 25-3 at Washington (with a national championship game loss to Michigan), and 19-7 at Alabama. I think the shine has come off DeBoer a little bit because Alabama has been pretty inconsistent the past two years. He's known best for putting together elite passing offenses, so I'm guessing Bryce Underwood would like the hire, but he would probably change Michigan's offensive identity.
- Curt Cignetti (Head Coach, Indiana): I'm throwing this name out there because this is someone I would go after, but his recent extension at Indiana may prevent him from leaving. He has essentially put together a team that Michigan fans want to be, which is a balanced offense and an aggressive, tough, fast defense. One image problem he might have is that during his introductory appearance at an Indiana basketball game two years ago, he said "Purdue sucks" . . . before also including Michigan and Ohio State. Indiana is 13-0 and #1 in the College Football Playoff, so I guess there's an argument to be made that the Michigan job would be a step down.
- Jesse Minter (Defensive Coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers): Minter is a former Michigan defensive coordinator (2022-2023) who helped Michigan earn a national championship in 2023 before heading to the Chargers with Jim Harbaugh. There's really no doubt that he could put together an elite defense, but he has no head coaching experience. One thing I like about Minter is that he's a football lifer, someone who grew up as the son of former Cincinnati head coach Rick Minter. It's kind of like my affinity for players who used to play quarterback; there's a certain baseline of competence and intelligence. Minter might be able to be an NFL head coach next year, so perhaps coming back to college and dealing with all the recruiting and such year-round isn't his ideal.
- Jedd Fisch (Head Coach, Washington): Fisch is amazingly only 49 years old at this point, even though he looked to me this year that he must be about 60. I feel like the stress of being a head coach over the past few years has taken a toll on his hair color. Regardless, he's had a solid nomadic run as a coach. He hasn't spent more than two seasons anywhere since being an offensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens from 2004-2007. Overall, his record is 31-33, but he's been playing with a talent deficit at Arizona and then at Washington, especially in 2024 after DeBoer raided the roster. Fisch was essentially Michigan's offensive coordinator in 2015-2016, and I liked what he did with somewhat limited talent at that time, too. I think Fisch is a good coach, but he just seems to me like a guy who would go 8-4 at Michigan, and that's not going to make many people happy.
- Jeff Brohm (Head Coach, Louisville): Brohm is 93-56 overall as a head coach, which feels like a high number of wins for a guy who's 54. He has been head coach at Western Kentucky, Purdue, and now his alma mater, Louisville. Brohm is known for gutsy calls and fun play designs, but regardless of where he's been, he seems to find a way to lose four games per year. In fact, in twelve seasons as a head coach, five of them have ended with four losses. Brohm played quarterback at Louisville, so he may not be willing to abandon his alma mater. I don't think the culture shock would be as high as it was for Rich Rodriguez when he came to Michigan, but the backlash from Louisville could be similar to when Rodriguez left WVU to head to Ann Arbor.
- Kenny Dillingham (Head Coach, Arizona State): Dillingham is 22-16 as a head coach after three years at Arizona State. An Arizona native, he spent time at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State, and Oregon before going back to his hometown school at ASU. The Aztecs made the College Football Playoff in 2024 and he has them at 8-4 in 2025 with an upcoming appearance in the Sun Bowl. Arizona State is #87 in offense this season and even in the CFP year, they were just #30. Also, he's only 35 years old. I think the Michigan job is probably a little too much, too fast for Dillingham, so I would not be a huge proponent of this hire.
- Biff Poggi (Interim Head Coach, Michigan): Poggi was a key component of Jim Harbaugh's staff, coming in as somewhat of a consultant. He then left to become head coach at Charlotte, where he was doomed to fail and did. This year he came back to try to help Sherrone Moore, which . . . well, you know. Poggi reportedly has been telling people that he wants the head job at Michigan, but wanting it and getting it are two different things. I don't think a serious program can give Poggi a head coaching job at this point. He seems like a great dude and went 2-0 as Moore's replacement to start the 2025 season, but it would be the gamble of all gambles.
First, the Arizona State program name is "the Sun Devils," not "the Aztecs." Just a nit, but nits are fun to pick.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Curt Cignetti ... I suspect he won't be able to maintain the level at Indiana that he has, but perhaps I'm wrong. If he does, then whatever he's doing should be studied and copied. And if he can, then why would he want to come to Michigan? If he can go 12-0 and be the #1 team in the country at Indiana, why bother going to Michigan? He's already at the top. But again, that's predicated on him being able to sustain that level at Indiana.
Regarding Jess Minter ... I don't see him coming back to the college game willingly. Why would he? From everything I read, the college coaching job is a real pain in the butt right now, with all the uncertainty and swirl around NIL, portal, etc. Things are more defined in the NFL, and he gets to be with the very best players. Jim Harbaugh came back to Michigan in 2015 mostly because he'd run out of goodwill in the NFL at that time. Jesse Minter knows what the college game is like, and I don't see him coming back.
Biff Poggi ... nope. It's a sentimental pick, but nothing more.
Ugh...in fairness to myself, I was working on less than four hours of sleep. I feel asleep on the couch after midnight, woke up, went to bed, and was up by 5:00. So yeah...apologies for the Aztecs thing. I even thought about that for a second because it didn't feel right, but not all my neurons were firing.
DeleteHerm Edwards at his HC introduction presser didn't know ASU was the sun devils. A blogger with "Devil News' asked a question and Herm pointed out he was down with that side of the religious spectrum.
DeleteWhat is surprising is Deboer reached out and showed interest in 2024. We had a top coach basically gift wrapped and we stuck up our noses? It wasn't like we were fending off Moore suiters trying to poach him and to act to keep such a "talent".
DeleteHere is a list of teams trying to poach Moore after HardBalls went to the chargers:
The End.
And, according to MgoBlog, this affair was an open secret since 2022.
And the UM "Investigations" looked (rumor is 3 investigations!!) to be a cover up investigation, meant to make it look like UM really cared when they didn't.
Because, you know there has to a trail a mile long of receipts, text messages, emails, all of which were no found. Because they didn't want to find them. The investigations were a "cover our ass" if thing becomes public and UM can claim they could not anything about it because "investigations" came back clean.. Hell the OF follows on PUBLIC display would be enough.
In the words of Vince Lombardi:
"What the hell is going on around here!"
Tough timing, with nothing close to sure thing or even exciting
ReplyDeleteI have almost zero confidence we can get Freeman or Cignetti, but why not call?
I'm a fan of Kenny Dillingham, but understand the hesitation here
It's almost certainly Jedd, right?
I'm not sure why Freeman would go to Michigan. Even the CFP rules are changing in his favor next year, so I don't see a reason for that to happen.
DeleteI wouldn't say Jedd Fisch is a certainty, no. I wouldn't be surprised if it is him. But not certain.
Freeman is a pipe dream. But as much as I dislike ND, they're very well coached
DeletePrograms are reacting to ND favoritism. Dropping them from schedules - or the threat of - opens the door, even if slightly
Okay, not a certainty, because I think there's people ready to sever all ties to Harbaugh. But he's a safe pick, and an easy one at that
Whomever is it, it will be an instant upgrade. The Vandy coach is not mentioned but my 10 second review of him indicated a strong guy. We need a guy that has a great staff to bring with him because our guys are at the bottom. I hope Combs got a good buy out number, he might never set foot on campus.
ReplyDeleteYeah once the tabloid stuff dies down I think the program will be in a better place. I've never wanted a coach to be let go as fast as I was ready to move on from Moore. By mid season 2024 it was clear be didn't know what he was doin and wasn't ready. Wanted to give him space to grow but ...
DeleteHindsight is 20/20 but Moore is just -- Not smart enough for the job. Terrible decisions on and off the field. Overtly stupid stuff.
It's deboer or bust IMO. Brohm should be your plan B. Everyone else either ain't coming or isn't qualified IMO. Dillingham seems like a reckless gamble, though I love his energy.
ReplyDeleteWhoever they get I'll talk myself into supporting and get "hope but didn't expect" elements into the convo. But right now the rumors going around are rather uninspiring. Time for patience.
My pick:
Delete1) Kalen Deboer (I still dunno why he would leave Alabama)
2) Jesse Minter
3) Kyle Whittingham (if he wants to unretire)
4) Kenny Dillingham (a gamble but probably a hire upside than Fisch)
5) Jedd Fisch (He seems like a high floor low ceiling coach)
I still maintain it won't be any of these -- DeBoer, Dillingham, Fisch, Brohm, Minter, Whittingham. I don't know who it'll be. But it'll be someone we're not thinking about, and we'll scratch our heads, and many will be disappointed. I have no proof for this, just a hunch.
DeleteNot a crazy notion Anon. There are pretty obvious reasons for any of the above list of candidates to remove themselves from consideration, except for vagabond Fisch, who has supposedly been removed anyway.
DeleteA lot of bad rumors out there I'm sure so take all intel with a grain of salt. If those in charge of the search are putting fake rumors out there, would that be beneficial or harmful? That's rhetorical. Throw people of the scent of your goals and you are more likely to succeed with getting who you want. If they are talking to Eck or Lee and keeping it quiet well then they are doing their job well.
Anyway Deboer is not a southern guy and it may not be the optimal situation for him. Courtney Morgan his right hand/GM is a UM grad. Objectively no reason to leave Alabama for Michigan sure, but that duo has stronger ties to the state of Michigan than the state they are in. There's enough there there to make me hope (but not expect) Deboer to be in play if Oklahoma beats Alabama. Big game for Michigan tomorrow, maybe bigger than our own bowl game LOL.
As a Texas alum I struggle to root for Oklahoma but I'm a Michigan fan through and through so those interests trump everything else. Go Sooners!
Thoughts on others:
Minter - Would be great IMO but I don't see him coming back to college anytime soon and the show cause seems like a deal-breaker. But hypothetically this is a gamble I would definitely take. Would be an exciting hire.
Whittingham - I mean he's a good coach and would fit the culture but the sport has changed so much with NIL and portal stuff. I just don't see much benefit to this other than a stabilizing stop-gap. Might as well go with Biff if that's what you're going for.
Mostly relieved that Fisch is off the list. Wish Dellingham would join him.
Dellingham just seems like a less successful Rich Rod situation where the culture clash is going to hit so hard that it will create problems unless you win real big right away. How likely is that? Moore won 8 and 9 games and everyone was still kinda disappointed coming off Harbaugh era. Will be more of the same for whoever is next and...have you seen the 2026 schedule? 4 playoff teams (@OSU, @Oregon, Indiana, Oklahoma) plus Iowa and PSU. Whoever is coming in does not exactly have a cakewalk and will be doing good work just to get to 9 wins again IMO*
*This is why the narrative of Alabama fans being too mean to Deboer doesn't hold much water with me. Michigan fans will be tough too and so will anywhere in that elite stratosphere - Deboer knows that.
There's a lot of reason to be hesitant on any of these picks
DeleteBut I'll push back on Dillingham=RichRod. RR was a gimmick; that gimmick played a rope in revolutionizing the sport, but he failed to evolve, and didn't even try to adapt to his UM roster or the culture in town
Dillingham's teams play fxcking HARD. They're fundamentally sound. Dude can develop QBs. And that's the temptation: can he translate that to a (MUCH) bigger stage, with far superior talent?
He need Sean Magee to manage his roster & budget. He needs an associate HC to mentor him along (Biff?). And I definitely think he should keep a coach or three from Moore's staff for that culture bridge
He's a tempting option ... it's the maturity/emotions that concern me
I'm coming around on Wittingham as a reasonable option. In part that might be a reaction to Dillingham.
DeleteCan it translate on a bigger stage with more talent? The answer is usually no. Finding difference-making talent is a lot harder at the top level than lower levels.
Dillingham's heavy need for support from guys like Magee* isn't necessarily encouraging. If you need that much help...
Dillingham's hasn't even completed 3 years as a head coach yet, so I don't know we can say anything definitively about his teams just yet. That ability to evolve that wasn't there with Rich Rod might be a Dillingham trait especially since hes at the place he has always been -- UM is not ASU. Ann Arbor is not Phoenix.
*Magee is capable but I think we're reaching a level where GM is just as important as head coach. I am not sure he is creative enough to be providing a winning edge here and roster construction has left some big holes the last couple years. Harbaugh was blamed but it's on Magee and Moore IMO. Whoever the next HC is has to trust his GM. To me, that is part of the appeal of Deboer -- the assumption that Morgan (who has thrived everywhere he has been) comes with him.
Agree on Dilly ... potential Homerun but the red flags are tough to look past
DeleteAlso agree on Morgan. But for DeBoer to succeed in the B1G, he'll have to learn from Ryan Day: defense & run game matter
Whittingham is the least exciting option, and may cost us donors given fan base overreaction. But - even considering his age - he is probably my #1
I'm not "excited" about any of the realistic options
ReplyDeleteDeboer isn't liked down there because he isn't winning enough. 3 or 4 losses with resources like THAT isn't going to cut it in Tuscaloosa, and shouldn't in Ann Arbor either. Those losses aren't about southern culture, but lack of run game and sound defense ... our identity is at risk
Jedd. Boring, but safe? Recruiting is on par, defense is on par, and offense is creative. Who cares if he's not exciting? Fans. Donors too? Because that would be a risk
Dillingham. I watched his last couple of interviews and soured a bit. Not just young, but emotional. GM would need a bigger role to cover the experience gap, but what about the emotions? Big risk
Another name out there (realistic) for me is Clark Lea, who beat Deboer despite the resource advantage. He's also got some really neat run concepts; I recommend watching. Because of name recognition (lack of), he makes Jedd look like a HR hire
Whittingham? Seems desperate, but a few years ago I would have been elated. Tough run game, competent QB play, and rock solid defense. We'd probably have a fan base mutiny though
*all would be an upgrade over Moore. Fleck, Brohm, Poggi & Eck might be as good or better, but not good enough either
We lost two coaches in one night ... so it's Whittingham?
ReplyDeleteAt this point, who the heck knows? Earlier, I said I thought the person named will be someone not from our list. That's looking more and more the case. My sense of optimism about this being done optimally is really diminishing ... my sense now is they're going to back into someone who's merely good, and we'll be in the 9-3 rut again. Or, they'll go Biff Poggi thinking that will be a stop-gap, but he'll go 7-5 or 8-4.
DeleteThe long-shot at this point is they had a verbal with DeBoer, and they're waiting for him to finish out the playoffs. But that's a HUGE gamble, because if he runs the table and then backs out, we are screwed.
At this point, Anon might be right. It might be someone totally out of our radar. The one thing that puzzled me is why Jesse Minter is not more prominently discussed. Is this because of the “stink” of being associated with Harbaugh? At least with Minter, our defense will be good. I also like the fact that Minter Sr has been a head coach before. So he should be able to help son navigate the ncaa rules. Unless he outright says he wants to coach in nfl, we should definitely put him as option 1a/1b
ReplyDeleteI don't buy the talk about Fisch's background check; dude just got vetted but two Pac12 programs
DeleteI think it's more about the Harbaugh connection
Agree ... the "no more Harbaugh anything" impulse is likely strong. It's misplaced, but it's probably there. I think Manuel *despises* Harbaugh (and it's mutual), and that rules out Fisch, Minter, Jay Harbaugh, etc.
DeleteAt this point I'm starting to wonder if there's any one person guiding this search, or if it's competing groups playing tug-of-war with the search firm. I suspect Warde Manuel knows his days are numbered, and he's more focused on finding his next job, not on this search. I suspect the impulse to avoid all Harbaugh connections is strong, and there's probably a vocal contingent that wants to go back to an old-school coach. I think there's a good chance they will let this go past the portal opening, and I suspect we'll lose more than a few players.
ReplyDeleteWhen the dust settles on this, the history will be written to show this was a fairly disorganized, fractured search.
Well, this is not going as well as hoped. And the news keeps getting worse, it looks like UM hired Ray Charles to investigate Moore, and the investigation was not a real investigation, but something to have to defend not acting. "Look, we did an investigation and it came back clean- not our fault!". Add in the fact the guy doing the coaching search is probably about to get fired. Brohm looks ok to me. So does Kyle. Oregon had luck hiring a kirby smart guy, so the GA DC is a guy. Really, there isn't a dime's difference between them, they all could be great hires or none of them. New team, new season, new players and you just never know 100% how it is going to turn out, so, there is no perfect candidate, only good ones on paper, and time is ticking. Have a spreadsheet of characteristics, interview them, grade them, add it up and make the GD offer.
ReplyDeleteWe are making this a lot harder than it needs to be.
THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING: I think it's weird that Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder jokes/comments have been made for basically my entire life, and there's no "young" blind person to have as a reference point (that I know of). I'm guessing most young people don't know who Ray Charles is these days, and maybe not Stevie Wonder.
DeleteBACK TO THE TOPIC: I'm not a fan of Kyle Whittingham. If he can't lead Utah anymore, I don't see why he would be a good choice for Michigan.
I think Jeff Brohm is a good coach. I think the offense would be outstanding. He's also outside the Michigan sphere, so he can bring in some of his own guys without questions hanging over his head about the Michigan scandals and such.
Glenn Schumann has spent his whole life in Georgia and Alabama. Dan Lanning has bounced around some. Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, etc. I don't think Schumann would be a good fit in Ann Arbor AT ALL. Probably a worse cultural fit than Rich Rodriguez.
Brohm loses, a LOT ... sure, you can say "it's Louisville," but Charlie Strong was better there; Bobby Petrino too
DeleteHe coaches in a weak AF conference now, yet loses 4 games and scores LESS than our own inept offense. His Purdont stint was during the laughable B1G West days
*he upset ohio ... is he going to sneak up on anyone while wearing the Block M???
This does not look like improvement:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi
Neither does this:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46128861/2025-college-football-sp+-rankings-all-136-fbs-teams
Defense matters!
Kyle Whittingham is far from a sexy hire. Two weeks ago I would have laughed that suggestion out of the room. But his "retirement" is supposedly tied to the Private Equity route that the Utes are taking. Everything else lines up: Defense is solid, run game is stout, QBs make plays. Every player is in position. It's not like we're rebuilding; he'd only have to tweak the soundness of our Defense, and find an OC who can do better than what we've had ... not a tall task at all. But I get it: he's old, and fans would hate it
I still think Jedd is disqualified only because he was once with Harbaugh (another eye roll). That leaves me with:
1) Whittingham (but the fans would hate it)
2) Lea (would need a kick butt OC)
3) Haines (would need Associate HC & kick butt OC)
*I could buy into Brohm only if he had a great DC ... how about Whittingham? (only slightly joking)
agree on Glenn Schumann. Even if he did well, once Alabama fires KDB they would call him home
DeleteIf you look at Brohm's losses, they're mostly very close losses. Three losses were by a combined 7 points this year, and the other was admittedly a bad loss to SMU by a score of 38-6. But SMU was in the playoff last year and beat Miami and Clemson this year, so they're not bad at all.
DeleteBrohm's predecessor at Louisville was 25-24, and he's 28-12. Brohm's predecessor at Purdue was 9-33 (well, except for Darrell Hazell's interim coach, who was 0-6), and he went 36-34 at Purdue.
Brohm's ability to improve upon his predecessor has been pretty consistent, if not impressive. No, he hasn't taken Purdue or Louisville to great heights...but they're Purdue and Louisville. Indiana and Kentucky are pretty talent-poor states, and neither school has ever really been a presence on the national stage. Even when Purdue was getting to the Big Ten championship game and when Louisville had Lamar Jackson, they weren't must-watch TV.
"Indiana and Kentucky are pretty talent-poor states, and neither school has ever really been a presence on the national stage."
DeleteAnd of course, Indiana University is the thorn in the side of that argument right now. In this new age of NIL and portal, can a program in a talent-poor state rise to the top if there's enough money, and good management of NIL and portal? If that's what Cignetti is demonstrating, then we're in a new era, and all coaches are now under the examination light for how well they can emulate what Cignetti has done, Brohm included.
I'm not saying Brohm would be worse than Moore, or even bad. I just think we could do better (fit and overall):
Deletehis OL got pushed around by Toledo(!)
this is the norm: I watched several games for Moss, who I wanted to transfer here. They're just not a physical team
three of those losses were close, but they were still Losses. At home to six loss Cal is BAAAD ... yeah SMU was a playoff team LAST YEAR, but they are a four loss team in 2o25. The offensive guru/genius scored 32pts COMBINED in those two losses
not only has Louisville gotten worse ea of the three years with Brohm, historically they're closer to the Lee Corso era than the Charlie Strong & Rick Petino eras for that program
purdont is different, but that B1G championship was in the notoriously bad West, with SIX losses, including a loss to a bad Syracuse team. They ran the ball at 3.6YPA
if that rush stat isn't a red flag, the year prior they ran 2.9YPC (84YPG)
his Defense isn't ALWAYS bad, but it's been on & off, even in the weakest P4 conference
That's not an elite or even great coach, AND one who's style is in contrast to MICHIGAN Run/Defense/Toughness & current roster ... I see him as a poor man's DeBoer, who I understand was candidate #1 because of his rep, but who I also saw as a questionable fit
*I don't think we NEED to Harball. But we do have the roster ready for that style, while lacking the WR talent and pass protection for an Air Raid approach
The more I think about this, the more I like Minter as the number 1 option. He is young. He can coach defense. He has coached at Michigan. He comes from a football family. He is being named as potential candidate for NFL jobs. Why not pushed all your chips for him?
ReplyDeleteBecause he's not coming. Why would anyone with the opportunity to be an NFL head coach opt instead for the headaches of being a college head coach? There is zero chance he's coming to Michigan.
DeleteI know the chance is small. But if he is the best candidate out there, you got to try. Make him a 5yr @10-15 mil per year with a huge buyout clause (we said money was not an object). We have a head start over NFL teams in terms of time line. It is rate to see an athlete or coach reject 60-70 million when they hv no other firm offer on the table. If he says no, so be it.
DeleteI guess you make the offer, but I would not let other options wait on that.
Delete