If he leaves, who?
I'm prepared for all the downvotes. I've been a top 0.5% Harbaugh backer on this site all along, especially in the dark ages of 2020 when he was being maligned by essentially everyone.
If Coach leaves for the Raiders, the Bears or whomever, who would we accept as our next coach?
Once I get over my crippling sadness and anger towards UM, I suppose I could learn to accept Luke Fickell. I like the idea of having the sole criteria be a focus on beating OSU and think he would provide that.
Here's hoping JH stays because I think he would finish his career as the best coach in Michigan history and an all time legend. But what if he leaves?
January 20th, 2022 at 9:19 PM ^
Hate Gattis/love Gattis
Love Campbell//hate Cambell
Love Fickell/hate Fickell
….talk about Fickle….
January 20th, 2022 at 9:58 AM ^
He had 80% of this place worshipping him a year ago. I’ve never thought Matt Campbell was it.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:10 AM ^
Keep in mind that Campbell's team goal this year was for everyone to become "the best versions of themselves". He doubled down on that pretty hard. I can't imagine those lofty goals will sit too well with this fanbase. The first time he says "winning the Big Ten isn't the goal" this whole board will go ape shit.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:56 AM ^
If Campbell were to hypothetically accept the job, I would hope that he would be smart enough/privy to the fact that a big blue-blood like Michigan and the culture and expectations that they have =/= Iowa State. I just think it's pretty obvious that he would need to reevaluate goals based on where he is coaching lol.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:24 AM ^
At this point, I wouldn't mind a Gattis promotion. He's been here a few years now, and I like the current make-up of the staff. Promoting him would (hopefully) keep most pieces in place. Promote Hart and Weiss to co-OCs, maybe.
My concern with Fickell, if he even took the job, is that he'd bounce as soon as OSU or ND came available. With all the rumors of Day drawing NFL interest and ND rolling the dice with a first time HC of their own, I could see one of those jobs becoming available within a few years.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:34 AM ^
Yes, if Fickell came and then left for OSU, it would be a disaster. Cannot let that be a possibility.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:05 AM ^
Pay him well and put an enormous buyout clause for another college job in his contract. If he won't accept it, then he's not your guy.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:43 AM ^
Yeah i don't disagree. This is basically the same boat we were in after 2020, except now most people DONT want Harbaugh to leave. But the questions of who you get is still a mystery. There's a couple of big name options but no slam dunks. They all feel....unaligned....in one way or another.
So why not Gattis? Keeps the staff intact, allows for some upward momentum for Moore, Hart, etc..on the Offensive side of the ball. A year of essentially the same staff sans Harbaugh buys you time to both (a) see how good Gattis can be as. HC and (b) take your time surveying the landscape of college football in the meantime for backup plans. If gattis slays it, pay the man his money. If not, realign.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:45 AM ^
You are assuming that a guy like Hart is going to want to stick around after getting passed over.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:53 AM ^
Hart has to know he isn't getting a HC job without being a coordinator.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:07 AM ^
I dunno for sure obviously, but he's a former player, came back home, seems to like his fellow coaches...i don't think he'd just bail. Also possible he and Sherrone Moore get Co-OC titles or something and that may be valuable?
January 20th, 2022 at 11:54 AM ^
I’d rather have JH stay, but wouldn’t be mad if goes. What does make me mad is the prospect of him doing this NFL dance every fucking off-season because it’s bad for recruiting and suggests his attention is divided.
January 20th, 2022 at 2:34 PM ^
I don't know if I love Hart as OC or co-OC after hearing what his Madden strategy is (running on every play).
/s
January 20th, 2022 at 9:25 AM ^
Matt Damon.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:41 AM ^
Matt McConaughey.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:01 AM ^
Matt Patricia.
January 20th, 2022 at 1:05 PM ^
Matt Stafford
January 20th, 2022 at 9:32 AM ^
Coach Klein from South Central Louisiana State University. Hear he is an offensive mastermind. Heard Gattis would love to get a peak at his playbook
January 20th, 2022 at 9:32 AM ^
I think whoever they hire will be inside the program. That is the only way they are hiring these assistants right now. I imagine it will be Gattis. He has been here the longer than Mac, and has way more experience in college recruiting.
People are saying Hart, but if they loved Hart so much they could make him the OC and that is still a big step up.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:51 AM ^
Love me some Mike Hart but he needs to at least be a coordinator for a few years before getting that promotion.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:36 AM ^
NO Fickel.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
Agreed, but what about Fickell?
January 20th, 2022 at 9:38 AM ^
Best coach in UM history? Uh, no. I don't even think I have to mention our greatest coach's name and it's not even close
January 20th, 2022 at 9:49 AM ^
Lloyd?
Bo?
Yost?
Crisler?
January 20th, 2022 at 10:00 AM ^
Yost.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:47 AM ^
It could never be Lloyd for the mere fact he made the greatest QB in the history of Football split time with a career JAG.
recent controversy aside I’d say Bo, but let’s not forget Jim has made our program relevant after a decade plus of mediocrity he’s done a fantastic job and should be in the conversation recency bias aside.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
It's not Coach Carr because he was not the best overall football coach. But it has nothing to do with his handling of Tom Brady. I think that's a cheap shot against one of the greatest people to ever be involved with Michigan athletics. It's also demonstrably false; Tom Brady had repeatedly said as much. Tom Brady's public statements have shown nothing but the utmost admiration for Coach Carr.
This is not new ground. Brady's competitiveness is his defining characteristic. Brady was considering transferring, but Coach Carr, along with others, convinced him to stay, compete, improve, and reach unthinkable heights. We're lucky as Michigan fans to be able to enjoy Brady's career arc (even if we despised the Patriots and their win-at-all-costs culture).
"The strongest iron is forged by the fires of hell."
January 20th, 2022 at 9:44 AM ^
If Harbaugh bailed this late in the calendar, it would be extremely dumb to do anything other than promote from within the existing staff.
Bringing in an outsider with no existing connections to the program would be a big fuck you to the guys on the staff who were as crucial as Harbaugh to the success this season.
I think it would be Gattis.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^
Yeah, I'm not sold on Gattis running a program yet, but hiring from outside the current staff would almost assure a completely new staff comes in. Any outside coach is going to bring a majority of his current staff with him. Maybe hold onto a few position coaches like Hart, Jay (if he doesn't follow Jim), and some others. But potentially losing MacDonald, Gattis, and high potential guys like Moore and Bellamy and you start to take 1 step forward and 2 steps back.
If there was a homerun hire out there that would bring his staff along I'd be ok with it, but I'm not over the moon for Campbell and that would probably result in losses across the staff and some players. I'm 98% positive Fickell wouldn't take the job.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:52 AM ^
This exactly. An outsider would want to bring his own staff or at least a few.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:47 AM ^
If Michigan loses Harbaugh i will only be happy with Lane Kiffin because fuck it why not
January 20th, 2022 at 10:05 AM ^
To be honest, I'd be okay with a Kiffen hire. Dude can coach and has apparently matured quite nicely during his time in the Saban Coaching Rehab Program. I also think he's looking for a long term job, and probably doesn't see Ole Miss as that job. Lets face it, Ole Miss is a P5 backwater, SEC affiliation or not. And it will always be a P5 backwater.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:36 AM ^
Going from Jim to Lane would be a lateral move in the Quirky department, but it wold be an awesome move as well. Does Lane like the cold?
January 20th, 2022 at 11:43 AM ^
He grew up in the twin cities when his dad coached for the vikes, he has seen some cold weather.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^
Fickell won't leave. The momentum he has, he is destined for the NFL or OSU when day leaves. The boring choice is moving Gattis to HC as a 1 year try it out deal then spend next season looking. It's too late to get a big name, so the right choice would be to promote someone for a year to see how it goes while looking for another person next season. I'm hoping JH is just driving up his value, and from what I've read he has an offer from UM, so it must've not been good enough for him to instantly say yes.
Honestly, I think Jim is feeling out his options to drive up his value. I don't think it's entirely a money issue, but if Mel Tucker and James Franklin can sign monster contracts there's no reason he can't. I also don't see Elston coming if Jim were to leave. Any coach from another school will want to bring his own staff, or at least some of them. Why would you take a job if the HC could be leaving.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^
If you were told who the replacement would be if Harbaugh leaves and you were okay with that person being your boss.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:59 AM ^
You’ve got a Broyles award winner on staff. If he didn’t leave this year, then he’s leaving next year. If Harbaugh goes, then you need to see what Gattis has got.
Yes, it’s a risk, but so is going externally and hiring anyone who is not an absolute slam dunk hire. And if you’re being realistic, you’re not going to find that at this stage in the hiring process. If you go external, you should expect an entire staff turnover and potentially a lot of players entering the transfer portal, as well as at least a few recruits wanting out of their NLI. You’re starting an entire rebuild a month after you were in the playoff. Why would you want that? If you finished the season 7-5 then fine, but you didn’t.
Minus making Fickell a godfather offer and him accepting, I think you have to go with Gattis. He represents the best opportunity for continuity. He has the best chance to convince the current staff to stay on board, and the players (especially on offense). All the current schemes can stay in place, and you can ease the mind of recruits and let them know that what they signed up for will still be in place when they get here.
Because what Michigan has is working right now.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:06 AM ^
I'd give it to Gattis on an interim basis and give him a chance to prove himself as a HC. It just feels like it is way too late in the game to bring in someone from the "outside".
- Keeps stability with program, staff and recruiting
- Doesn't force yourself to be tied long-term if it blows up like Fickel at OSU after Tressel
- Doesn't seem like an offense to Gattis nor is there anyone else on the staff in a position to be upset.
For discussion sake (since you know this is just a message board and all of the people complaining about this topic can gtfo), I really like the idea of Mark Stoops if we're talking outsiders.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:50 AM ^
I don’t like that idea that screams instability to recruits and would in my opinion start the slide back to the Hoke/Richrod years.
I don’t want Fickell either see Hoke at SDSU. Great year great team out there but some fish swim best in smaller ponds.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:00 AM ^
Besides a great year, Fickell has gone 48-15 at Cincy. This included a 4-8 first season, so 44-7 over the past four years. Big pond, small pond, he's a good coach.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:08 AM ^
I assume it would be Gattis on a not-quite interim contract and short leash.
I suppose Hart could get some support but not sure if he’s ready.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:11 AM ^
Harbaugh leaving now would leave the school in a tough spot in terms of it being sooooo late in the coaching carousel and many big names already off the market.
Maybe you get Aranda or the ISU guy…both of which would’ve hard to pull when you are having conversations in practically February
With that being said, if those kind of names don’t bite, you have to go with Gattis or McDonald. Give them a contract that is for a few years, but can easily be broken after year 1. No interim coaching titles.
Depending on how they look during next year, either sit back and enjoy a very smooth transition that left you with a young but solid head coach, or use the university-friendly contract to start a coaching search and place a new, more permanent coach after the regular season finale.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:12 AM ^
I'd be worried about Fickell dumping us for OSU, and that would be a constant worry. I also think Gattis is still a bit green for a HC position like Michigan. Ann Arbor is no place for an inexperienced newcomer to earn his place. Lloyd Carr worked out because he was a long, long time assistant to Bo. He knew this place inside and out. Gattis isn't there yet...
I would make Dave Aranda say no, as the first call with a deal he can't refuse. Many people say no to that because it would mean starting over. So what? If Harbaugh leaves, the program is starting over anyway. I'd rather start fresh with a guy that's proven himself on the level where Michigan wants to compete (consistently top 10).
Pretty sure I'd make my second call to Lane Kiffen. Yeah, go ahead and LOL. I doubt he would be a guy that Manuel would even call, let alone so quickly. But he can coach, and he appears to have cleaned up his act. You want to have a high-flying offense with the tools Michigan has available, then Kiffen is the answer. He has competitive SEC experience, recruits, and isn't going to be afraid of competing, recruiting with NIL, or scoring. It would be the most non-Michigan hire ever, and I would love it.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:22 AM ^
Hayden Fox.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:52 AM ^
Will Minnesota State let him go without a fight??
January 20th, 2022 at 12:31 PM ^
Only if Dauber comes with.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:22 AM ^
Regardless of what Jim does, good news is that they will be hiring Keith Jackson to do the play by play and that’s a win.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:25 AM ^
Give me Kiffin paired with JJ for entertainment value.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:30 AM ^
sweet holy hell, do we need one of these,
every.
single.
day?