Ok. It’s time to discuss/confirm some rumors
Ok. So I have some good sources inside of the AD and I get some good tidbits of info when I can. For example, these sources were way ahead of everyone else when they told me that Jim Harbaugh was going to be out next football coach many years ago. They also told me that Daxton Hill was going to recommit to Michigan after committing to Alabama. They are good and reliable when I can get information from them.
So I just text them “so?” The reply “wheels are in motion already. He’s not expected to last past this season. Only issue is several influential people like Harbaugh and want him to stay”
I’m not trying to spread rumors, just thought that this would give piece of mind really. I’m still trading some texts so I’ll let you know if anything else.
Anybody else hearing anything credible in the inside?
November 28th, 2020 at 4:53 PM ^
Might not want to walk into a job where the last three coaches failed on a grand scale and having to play a playoff level team, who is in the same division, every single year. Oh and that team is the most important game every year.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:46 PM ^
Every blue blood program comes with its baggage and expectations. Cambell, who has coached against conference heavyweights, doesn't coach scared. If he accepts the job or not will come down to preferences and a lot of the small details that matter to coaches (and their families).
I'm confident he won't decline because he wasn't offered enough $$$. Maybe those 'influential people' will influence him to look elsewhere, who knows.
November 28th, 2020 at 10:49 PM ^
Campbell has taken down the blue bloods from the Big 12. At ISU! The guy is a good coach and his teams play disciplined football, from what I've seen. Michigan desperately needs a head coach that instills discipline, work ethic and a never quite attitude. Those are the things that can bring down OSU. He is young and mainstream and has earned great successes on the football field. He seems to be a nice, genuine guy. All this resonates with kids so he will likely continue, if not improve, Michigan's success on the recruiting trail.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:01 PM ^
The next hire will be the fourth M head coach since 2010. At some point the job won’t be as desirable as we hope it is. Maybe we’re there now, maybe not. I guess we’ll find out.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:33 PM ^
All power 5 jobs are desirable. Certain coaches may find Michigan undesirable to them, but it is an extremely desirable job for most.
November 28th, 2020 at 8:34 PM ^
Yes, and Matt Campbell is already coaching a Power Five school and about to win their conference championship. I think just assuming he would take the M job is a little presumptuous.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:59 AM ^
No it’s not.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:39 PM ^
I’m not a Campbell guy but did anyone else watch him cry in the post game interview and think he had some deal to leave ISU already? Cause that was what I thought.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:17 PM ^
I would take Campbell as plan B if he is interested. If you cant get Urban then you go after someone with the trajectory he had before Florida grabbed him. I don't know who that is right now. Hafley doesn't have the track record yet, but he is an interesting option. To get a great coach we have to be willing to take on some risk.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:34 PM ^
Campbell is the best guy available? No way. It’s Cristobal. He recruits better than Harbaugh, so no transition costs. Everyone on his staff is an ace recruiter. The OC is Moorhead which is exactly what Michigan needs. Cristobal is a slam dunk. Problem is Oregon has an easier path to the playoff and although he only makes 2.6 million, Oregon could legitimately get in a bidding war with Michigan.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:01 PM ^
Someone on Counterstrike told me that the reason the Lions fired Patricia during the game today, was b/c after the first couple drives, they wanted to be free to talk to Harbaugh immediately.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:21 PM ^
If it was anybody but the Lions, I'd chunk this in with everything else I've heard on counterstrike... but, then, it is the Lions..........
November 28th, 2020 at 5:50 PM ^
Bill Ford rehires Jim Hackett as Lions GM based on his Ford Motor connection, then Hackett gets Harbaugh as coach from his Mich connection. What could go wrong?
December 1st, 2020 at 6:14 PM ^
For Michigan or for the Lions?
November 28th, 2020 at 4:01 PM ^
The last thing we need is a civil war in the athletic department. Hope things can be smoothed over.
And I'm not saying I want Harbaugh to stay. We just haven't had a good coaching transition since Moeller.
Michigan is a dumpster fire right now, and after seeing how RichRod, Hoke, and Harbaugh were treated, I'm not sure who takes this reclamation project. The 4th reclamation project in 4 coaching regimes. Lloyd Carr was the last Michigan HC to inherit a strong program.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:09 PM ^
How they were treated? They were given big salaries and immense resources but consistently failed.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:09 PM ^
Jim has been paid almost $50 million dollars and more with a buyout fire his ass he was treated pretty good financially!
November 28th, 2020 at 4:10 PM ^
How has Harbaugh been treated poorly?
November 28th, 2020 at 4:12 PM ^
Harbaugh was treated INCREDIBLY well. More leeway, freedom & resources than the vast majority of coaches receive anywhere.
His failures are 100% on him. 0% to do with "being treated badly". Don't conflate that.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:25 PM ^
Harbaugh inherited a strong program though. The 2015 team had his best record and only bowl win. And the 2016 team core was all Hoke's guys, not his.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:29 PM ^
A good coach and good recruiter would know he would take the field with better talent at Michigan at least 75% of the time.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:01 PM ^
Thanks for the intel, but I suspect your contact didn’t share the info with the intent of you making it public.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:05 PM ^
To be fair, it's pretty vague info anyway that couldn't be tracked to any person
It's not like he said who possible hires were or named names of those involved with the decision
November 28th, 2020 at 4:29 PM ^
Really?!
If you don’t want people to repeat something you’ve said, DON’T FUCKING SAY ANYTHING!
Anyone with inside info who spills the beans wants people to know.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:30 PM ^
I suspect that OP knows more about his contact's intent than anyone else on the board.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:02 PM ^
Those influential people are why we are still no better than Texas or Tennessee. Probably the same people who will whine if we hire a coach who has a southern accent.
The arrogance is real and it isn't going away.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:37 PM ^
This rich Rod sounded different so Michigan didn’t like him things is tiring. If he would have won some fucking games nobody would have cared. He didn’t. So he’s gone now Harbaugh can’t win either and he needs to be gone.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:07 PM ^
That doesn't change the fact that mass stupidity reared its ugly head when our fans were grasping for criticisms before he'd even coached a game.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:25 PM ^
Need a staff who can git r' dun
November 28th, 2020 at 5:33 PM ^
What the hell does Michigan have to be arrogant anyway??
November 28th, 2020 at 6:08 PM ^
Q: "Do you know how to tell when you're talking to a Michigan grad?"
A: "Don't worry, they'll tell you."
People don't make jokes like that if you're not from a school with and heir of arrogance.
I remember women I worked with making fun of Rich Rods wife's hair and clothes. Saying stuff like, "That's not going to work in Ann Arbor." and, "She looks like she's stuck in the 80s!"
So, yeah. We're arrogant alums/fans.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:07 PM ^
I'd love to hear names of these influential people and why they have any say in football coaching hires. Did they also have a say in Howard's hire? I can't imagine some old crotchety donor would want a young unproven head bball coach who was on a team that got them sanctions. I have to assume that any AD, coach, or president will have to answer to their superiors as to why they did what they did and saying "this donor influenced me" won't be an acceptable answer. I'm personally skeptical this is a real problem.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:02 PM ^
Please no Michigan men this time.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:08 PM ^
Can't we just settle on Michigan ties or lack thereof not being a deciding factor for the search? Harbaugh wasn't hired because he played at Michigan and he isn't doing a bad job because of his Michigan connection, so the point is moot
November 28th, 2020 at 4:18 PM ^
Your statement is true but I suspect he will continue to keep his job a lot longer than others would because of his connections to UM. It goes both ways I’m afraid.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:32 PM ^
Harbaugh was hired precisely because of his Michigan ties. This university is as inbred as a golden retriever. The powers that be think the only coaches can be Michigan people.
Matt Campbell or bust! He'd come here for half of Harbaugh money
November 28th, 2020 at 4:40 PM ^
You're saying Jim Harbaugh was hired exclusively because he played for Michigan and not because he turned Stanford around, made the Super Bowl with the 49ers, and had the highest winning percentage of any NFL coach in history? That all took a backseat to the fact he played for Michigan? Well if that's the case, we should look forward to Coach Loeffler next year while Matt Campbell coaches Texas
November 28th, 2020 at 4:03 PM ^
What influential people, in their right mind, would want to keep him around? Maybe because he runs a "clean" program, relative to other coaches. I just don't get it.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:05 PM ^
Are you aware of the health issue rumors? Care to elaborate with a yes or a no that would not violate Jim's privacy per details.
I have heard multiple rumors are floating around the AD regarding his health.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:09 PM ^
I’m not sure he’s right in the head
November 28th, 2020 at 4:11 PM ^
Yes. I’ve posted about this awhile ago. The same sources say Jim is on some “medication”. The rumor at the time was CTE or Parkinson’s, but they would not confirm that rumor.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:04 PM ^
What medication exists for CTE? I thought we couldn’t even prove CTE until autopsy?
November 29th, 2020 at 3:42 AM ^
It's quite clear that the speculation on his health is some kind of twisted, psychotic, wishful thinking to justify poor performance.
Parkinson's isn't exactly a disease that you can keep under wraps, nor is it a disease that affects cognitive function in anyway, it's a motor control affliction
I'm sure there's some truth in these threads that get posted, but people also will just fill in the gaps with crazy accusations when they don't have the information so they can still seem credible
November 28th, 2020 at 4:06 PM ^
Wheel must be in motion. Maybe if it were his 3rd year, or if it were 2000 and not 2020 — given the circumstances of the season — you give him more time. But, in this day and age, it’s over. There is absolutely no upside to keeping him at this point, and from y’all who know me on the board I’m generally in favor of continuity over change. But, again, it’s over. You can see it on the faces and in the body language of every player and coach.
Warde has to do what’s right and find the best guy, regardless of affiliation. Harbaugh did some good things but it’s time to find some fresh, young, innovative minds and give them the keys to the power of the Michigan brand, and hope that it’s not been irreparably harmed.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:37 PM ^
Honestly, I don't care who coaches the team as long as he doesn't use the term "Michigan brand". Michigan is a lot like Blockbuster--they thought their brand was the most important asset and didn't adjust to the digital age of movies and TV, thinking Netflix was a fad. The fact is that no one outside the program gives a shit about the "brand" and it speaks to the toxic culture that permeates into the program.
The next coach should strip every traditional "Michigan" thing down and let the players know that there is nothing special about winning a national title in WW2. The reason 1997 was so special was because the team and coaches bought into changing the narrative of being "mediocre Michigan". I really liked Harbaugh when he was hired, but it's time to just start at ground zero and build the program from the bottom-up again, not harp on the past. Personally, I would get rid of those stupid footballs in SH for each win.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:08 PM ^
I hear he’s not a good coach, but likes the $8m
November 28th, 2020 at 4:10 PM ^
I'm really starting to dislike the "influential" people in the program
November 28th, 2020 at 4:10 PM ^
Hopefully, there are already some back channel discussions being held..
Whatever happens, you don't what to get caught with your pants down like Martin after Lloyd's retirement. I think everyone and his dog knew it was Lloyd's last year, so it was pretty surprising that Michigan was scrambling to find someone to hire.