Head coaching swim lanes?

If those are actually the only candidates then Warde is not long for this job

BoB is terrible and would leave us the second he got a better job offer. Can’t see him succeeding and even if he did, he would leave immediately

Same with Rhule. I think he’s a good coach but would bolt if he got a better job

I want Hart to stick around, but how tf are you gonna make him head coach already? There’s probably only one or two assistants on the whole staff who have a worse argument for taking over than Hart does

 My first choice is Gattis and keeping as much of the staff together as possible. Throwing away this roster and the easy schedule we have next year for a rebuild is a crime. If Warde doesn’t want Gattis, then call Aranda. Only then would I call Campbell. Everyone else is unqualified or unrealistic 

Neither Jim or John Harbaugh had ever been a coordinator before becoming head coaches. Both have taken their teams to the Super Bowl and John won one. I’m more than comfortable with Hart getting the job if that’s the direction we go.

First choice is that Harbaugh stays. 
 

Next choice would be Mike Hart. When Michigan hired RR I was hoping that instead they would have just went and got harbaugh at that point. Many people said he wasn’t ready and didn’t have enough experience. Imagine where the program could have been with a younger up and coming Harbaugh. 
 

If not Hart than Gattis. 
 

Only outside hire I would personally be ok with would be Bob Stoops. 
 

Going to be some really big shoes to fill and high expectations if in fact Harbaugh does leave. 

Rumor is that Bill O'Brien is already the pick.

I like the hire.

Next few weeks will be hard for the fanbase.

So I propose a few Rhules:

1.  Don't be Fickle

2.  Show some Hart

3.  Let's not shoot ourselves in the Foote with negativity. 

4.  Remember, we just had a Goodwin against OSU

double post

Part of the consideration for me is that if we go outside the program, getting a defensive guy (or a guy who can bring an elite defensive coordinator) saves us one headache.  

If Gattis gets promoted, not only will he be dealing with being a first-time head coach, but he'll have to find a DC and the good ones are getting snapped up.  The dream would be being able to hire a coach who brings an elite DC while still retaining Gattis, or if Gattis leaves the new hire can bring an elite OC who can keep continuity.

My choices:

Home run

1. Luke Fickell: Have to ask and be willing to make it worth his while.  People can bluster all they want about the rivalry, the fact is money and ambition talk and Michigan offers him a chance to contend and recruit at a level he won't at Cincinnati. It appeared he didn't have interest in Notre Dame, but perhaps the post-playoff period and a better approach from Warde can sell him.

Solid hires with upside

2. Matt Campbell: I'm not as bullish as many others, but it is encouraging that despite the program's record, Iowa St still finished top 10 in SP+.  He also would bring an elite defensive coordinator over in Jon Heacock (and one Michigan probably wouldn't be able to pry otherwise) who has experience defending the air raid offenses of the Big 12 and would be a good candidate to try to battle Ryan Day going forward.  I'd hope Gattis would be retained, but Campbell is an offensive guy so who knows if he'll want his own guy.

3. Dave Aranda: not sure if he would have interest, but terrific turnaround this year and has experience coaching some high-level defenses, including in the Big Ten at Wisconsin.  

4. Josh Gattis: after all these years, we finally have a loaded WR room with a ton of speed, plus Donovan Edwards, plus All, plus perhaps finally the gunslinging playmaker at QB.  I want to see what that looks like fully realized.  

5. Mark Stoops: terrific recruiter and defensive mind who I was really high on, but have been a little less so.  Ultimately his record wasn't great against Georgia, Florida, LSU, or Bama, and much of his wins came from beating up on Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and a declining Tennessee team.  Still impressive, but hasn't yet proven that he can beat the elite teams.  Maybe that shouldn't matter, as he's really built something and might be able to do so with the resources of Michigan.

Wild Card:

6. Jim Leonhard- he may be HC in waiting at Wisconsin, but this solves the problem of finding a defensive coordinator.  Obviously has Big Ten experience.  

7. Jeff Brohm: his record at Purdue hasn't been stellar but he's had 3 winning seasons, has beaten OSU, and is coming off a nice 9-4 season.  Creative offensive mind with Big Ten experience.

Hires I would be disappointed with:

8. Mike Hart- I believe people who say he's going to be a coach one day.  The insiders saying they'd see Hart ahead of Gattis make me think that he probably had a LOT of input on the offensive strategy and was much more than a position coach.  But end of the day, he's never called plays or coordinated a unit.  And this would be a pretty big F U to Gattis.

9. Matt Rhule- building back Baylor is impressive, but there are Rich Rod vibes here.  Never beat a ranked team at Baylor, got a bigger job and hasn't had success at Carolina.  At least he would be more of a cultural fit than Rich Rod.

Don't know how to feel:

Bill O'Brien: kept the Alabama offensive machine humming, had success at Penn State and several good years with the Texans.  End of the Texans' tenure had a lot of stink, but that might have been more due to his decisions as GM.  I suppose this hire would be a splash so I wouldn't hate it, but it seems like many others would. 

I don’t think Fickell has zero percent chance of coming here if the offer is right. Most buckeyes at least have some respect for the rivalry and U of M. If I’m Fickell I’m at least thinking about it if the number is good. 

Gattis would be my pick. I believe he would leave if not offered. Also, I’m not sure how Mike Hart could be more of a favorite than Gattis. Hart moving from RB Coach to HC would have to be a record of some kind. No way Hart gets a HC job before Gattis.

The thing I like about Hart is he loves Michigan, has always been a smart player, seems to be a good coach, and has a pre-existing beef with Harbaugh that I feel would make him work his ass off just that much more if he's the replacement. 

Sure, it might be too early, but it might not. He's not my top choice, but I also would prefer him over any other internal candidate.

As much as people think so, Warde Manuel is not an idiot. I suspect he has this all lined up for a smooth transition. As such, it will be Hart and the OC and likely "co-head coach" will be Gattis. 

It will be interesting to see if it works out.

I do know one thing: with Hart as coach, the team will be motivated and work hard. I suspect we'll be fine.

Mike MacDonald?  It would be a clever twist of fate.

I’d be shocked if Gattis doesn’t get it, unless there is something about him we don’t know. 

I'm calling Dave Aranda and Mark Stoops. 

Dave Aranda has Big Ten ties (was great at wisconsin). Is great on the defensive side. Keep Gattis and as many people on that side of the ball that's willing. 

Mark stoops has taken Kentucky football to a new level Hes a winner. Kids love playing for him and over the years he's pulled some good talent out of metro Detroit.. 

if both say "NO" I'm pulling Gattis in and handing him the keys. The man relates to the kids and clearly found his footing. He's going to be a head football coach sooner than later and I trust he bought into the Michigan culture. 

Go blue , we're gonna be just fine 

This late in the hiring cycle, I'd probably prefer to go internal. None of the potential external hires (BOB, Rhule, Campbell) seem like they'd be committed to Michigan long-term. A major disruption this late in the offseason isn't worth it for someone who might only be here 2-3 years.

With that said, I really don't understand Hart over Gattis. Gattis is a coordinator, a Broyles award winner, and the architect of our offense. Hart was an associate head coach for one year at Indiana, but aside from that, he's just an unproven positional coach. I worry this is a case of putting too much stock in his history with Michigan. If he had the same coaching resume but a different name, I doubt he'd even be a candidate.

I was team Keep the Staff Intact © until MacDonald left. We could be down Jay, Weiss, Moore, + MacDonald when this is done. Hart could still potentially be kept around with an OC promotion if our new HC didn't have a tag along, I guess? I'm just not sure I trust these guys to fill out the staff vs a Campbell or other outsider mentioned.

Blue bloods might hate it but Sean Payton should get a call at the very least

No on Hart - Not experienced enough and would force Gattis to bolt.

No on Matt Rhule - He's 2-16 against ranked opponents and two of those wins were against Army and East Carolina. He didn't win a single game against a ranked team when he was at Baylor. He won 30% of his games at Carolina. He must be a good salesman because he parlayed one good year at Baylor into a NFL HC job, which turned out to be a mistake on Carolina. 

No on Matt Campbell - I think the spotlight is too big for him at Michigan and ISU relegated to the mean this year. 

Maybe on Dave Aranda - Baylor looked good this year but how much of that was a result of the BIG 12 being flat out bad? Baylor and Oklahoma State were top dogs this year. Hard to tell he's ready for a job like Michigan after just one season. 

Maybe on Harold Goodwin - Inexperienced and hasn't been in college in forever. In theory could be a good candidate but there are so many unknowns and CFB is totally different since the last time he coached. 

Intrigued by Larry Foote - Similar thoughts on him and Harold Goodwin but the superbowl rings don't lie. If those two came as a package deal, Harold a OC and Foote as HC or vice versa (except Foote as DC), that would be a very intriguing staff. 

Intrigued by Bill O'Brien - He is clearly a good coach and has a proven track record. Just bit off more than he could chew at Houston. Never really got a chance to build anything at PSU. 

Intrigued by Josh Gattis - If we were confident he was solely responsible for the offensive scheme and playcalling this year I would feel a lot more comfortable giving him the gig. He's young, would be an upgrade overall in recruiting, and could keep most of what is already built intact. This makes the most logical sense but it is predicated on how much of this past season offensive success can actually be attributed to him. 

Want Luke Fickell - He is proven he can have sustained success in CFB and understands the region, OSU, and Michigan football. He seems to get the most out of his players and they always seem to play hard with a sense of grit. Only hesitation is his affiliation with OSU and him prospectively leaving and gutting the program to go to OSU when the opportunity arises. 

Want Joe Brady - He orchestrated one of the greatest seasons in CFB history. He's clearly a brilliant schematic coach. Questions regarding whether or not he wants to be in CFB are the major concerns. 

To me it's either someone like Dave Aranda (who seems like a good coach and someone who could succeed pretty quickly) or promote internally (Gattis) and see how it goes.  I have zero desire dealing with Fickell or Campbell, two guys I'm underwhelmed by for different reasons (Fickell because he wouldn't really want to be here and Campbell because he's struggled handling anything close to expectations).