Overlooked HC Candidates
So I know that Fleck and Minnesota are having a down year, but before this season I was hearing a lot of people say that Michigan should hire him if Harbaugh disappointed again. Are we sure he isn’t a better candidate than Campbell, I mean Fleck’s best team at Western and last years Minnesota might be better than any Iowa State Campbell team.
Then there is the Purdue coach, Brohm. He was a hot commodity for a minute when they beat Ohio State that one time. He should have quit that night and taken a huge pay day somewhere. Seems like he should at least be talked about in this conversation.
I like Fleck about the same amount as Campbell, I like Brohm less, but better than bringing Harbaugh back. What do y’all think?
November 20th, 2020 at 11:55 PM ^
So I've heard this Saban guy is pretty good so we should maybe hire him. Or maybe this guy named Sweeney. And there's a coach named Urban Meyer who seems to be good.
Maybe we should hire all three. Or maybe somebody from the pros. Maybe Bill Belichick. Yes, let's hire all three college guys and also Bill Belichick.
That's what we should do.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:00 AM ^
Would Brady come if Belichick does? If not, do not want
November 20th, 2020 at 11:57 PM ^
Is this supposed to be one of those "wrong answers only" threads?
If so, I'll play.
How about Bob Diaco, current Purdue DC and former HC at UConn?
Tonight his defense only gave up 34 points to a COVID-depleted Gopher team.
And how can you forget how he created a trophy game (Civil ConFLiCT) with UCF, a trophy that Scott Frost left on the field after his UCF team beat the Huskies.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:03 AM ^
Me next!
Zach Smith, all of the negative hangups with OSU (asshole, criminal, doesn't care about the safety of women or players) but with none of the player development or coaching ability!
November 21st, 2020 at 12:08 AM ^
So bash these candidates all you want. Michigan isn’t getting Fickell, and isn’t getting Meyer. Whoever they do get will probably not get support from the entire fan base. Then in 4 or 5 years we will be talking about the flaws in some other young coaches resume. Keep up the arrogance.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:19 AM ^
But why can't we get Saban? Or Sweeney? Or Belichick?
Or that guy for Ohio State, he seems good. Let's get that guy. That guy from Ohio State. Not Meyer though, you said we can't get him so not him. The other guy. The other guy from Ohio State is who we should hire.
That's what I think.
November 21st, 2020 at 3:18 AM ^
Ryan Day is the answer. Pay him $10-15 mil a year to get him away from OSU. ?
November 21st, 2020 at 11:10 AM ^
Exhume Vince Lombardi. We do have an elite university teaching hospital on campus. Yeah, that’s the ticket! Too bad Ted Williams wasn’t a football guy. We could thaw him out.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:07 AM ^
From our last 3 coaching hires, I don't think it matters how sure we, as a fanbase, think we are when the ones responsible should be questioning how sure they are..
November 21st, 2020 at 12:09 AM ^
Minnesota had the easiest schedule in the country last year, so not sure how fleck is somehow consider a better coach..
If harbaugh had that schedule last year we would of been at worst 11-1
November 21st, 2020 at 12:33 AM ^
Maybe a bit of an exaggeration. We beat Iowa 10-3 at home but our offense also got much better at the end of the year. Still, at Kinnick is always a nightmare. I'll say coin flip. Wisconsin at home would still probably have been a loss. We played Penn State dead even on the road, relatively easy win at home. Auburn probably another coin flip. 11-2 is probably expected but that's just life in the big ten west when all you have to do is beat Wisconsin to win the division
November 21st, 2020 at 12:15 AM ^
Came here hoping to see new ideas. Leaving very disappointed.
Both Fleck and Brohm have been discussed thoroughly.
I don’t think we will have a new coach next year. If we do, I hope it’s Hafley, Campbell, Cristobal, or Fickell.
There may be a name worth adding to this list. But Fleck and Brohm have been considered and I don’t think they belong in that tier.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:22 AM ^
I know they were mentioned, but everyone wrote them off. In my opinion, they have pretty good resumes, and they deserve to be in the conversation. Right now I see people talking about 1. Guys we can’t get like Oregon’s HC, or NFL coordinators, or Meyer, or Fickell. 2. Campbell 3. Random guys that are terrible options like Pat Fitzgerald or Mike Hart lol.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:36 AM ^
Fitzgerald is on the same level as Fleck and Brohm to me. Overachiever some years, but no real consistency. Limited recruiting upside and culture concerns
I wasn't on the bandwagon before, but I like Tom Allen more than all those guys (I still do not want Tom Allen)
November 21st, 2020 at 6:40 AM ^
Why do you keep saying we can’t get Fickell? Do not underestimate the power of money.
November 21st, 2020 at 10:44 AM ^
Why would anyone actually want Fickell?
November 21st, 2020 at 10:50 AM ^
Certainly not because of (lowly) Cincinnati’s current ranking, or his recruiting, or intimate knowledge of 1 of the 3 elite programs in the country. It’s probably because of his hair.
November 21st, 2020 at 11:02 AM ^
Chris Partridge
Young? Check
Motivated/Ambitious? Check
Recruiting? Check, check
HC experience? No-but can it get much worse than right now? Take a chance on the guy who can recruit and has some passion.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:16 AM ^
Pat Fitzgerald is my favorite potential hire, but I don't think he'll ever leave NW, nor should he really.
Matt Campbell is the guy who would make me downright irritated. I'd much rather stick with Harbaugh.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:37 AM ^
Pat Fitzgerald is the perfect coach for Northwestern. 1-11 one year, 9-3 the next, and yet nobody ever cares. He's just good and terrible enough that he can't get fired and will never, ever get a better job
November 21st, 2020 at 12:22 AM ^
When he was the AD at Buffalo, did Warde Manuel hire current Bulls coach Lance Leipold?
November 21st, 2020 at 12:27 AM ^
You have a strange way of defining overlooked.
November 21st, 2020 at 12:36 AM ^
What the heck, I might as well throw another name in the mix.
How about Tim Lester, who has quietly kept the WMU program on track in the aftermath of the Fleck era? If nothing else, WMU seems to have the best college team in the state of Michigan this weird 2020 season.
While I don' think Lester will be in serious contention for the job yet if Harbaugh is somehow gone after the season, it's entirely possible his stock will rise if he continues to win at Western, a football program that really hasn't ever had long-term success. If somehow Harbaugh sticks around beyond this season, maybe Tim Lester is a name to watch down the road a bit.
I actually like his potential more than that of Fleck. Comparing the two, Lester is more low key, a lot less abrasive, and, IMO, a better x's and o's guy. He's not as charismatic or rah! rah! as Fleck, which I think long-term is a good thing.
November 21st, 2020 at 10:08 AM ^
I think a hungry MAC coach is a good option: they know about your history and they know the region recruiting. Also one that shows a talent for developing 2 and 3 star players since they'll be bringing even higher ranked players to your program and developing them further. Another good choice would be one of the Coordinators at Clemson: they've been there a while and developed their players well. The negatives are that the might not be as familiar with recruiting the midwest and getting them out of clemson helps OSU...lol
November 21st, 2020 at 12:40 AM ^
If you’re looking for a coach with a good track record who is having a down year, I think I might know just who could coach the team.
November 21st, 2020 at 1:02 AM ^
And in all likelihood, whoever it is won’t do as well as Harbaugh did.
November 21st, 2020 at 1:08 AM ^
Nobody will ever be good enough for U-M, the 22nd winningest team in the country (and dropping) since 2003.
November 21st, 2020 at 1:13 AM ^
I think Campbell is a cut above those other two. Fleck would be a no from me.
Brohm would be interesting. He gets the most out of his QBs and gets his best players the ball. There are other guys I would want before him but if he got the right QB he could be interesting.
November 21st, 2020 at 1:17 AM ^
dafuq???
November 21st, 2020 at 1:35 AM ^
Fleck is walking baggage
November 21st, 2020 at 1:47 AM ^
Has anyone co sidereal that maybe if Harbaugh can't fix this mess, its not fixable. Im not saying I want him to stay, cuz I don't, but if he can't really get the keys to the car, he can't drive it. If the administration won't commit to winning championships (not bagmen), then any other coach regardless of his talent won't do any better. I think the people that run the university just want no scandals and winning seasons, so 8 wins is enough and be 50/50 competitive with MSU and let OSU go.
What else could it be?? JH didn't forget how to coach or lose his passion for his alma mater or for winning. Coaches don't do that. The only thing that makes any sense is the university doesn't care about winning. Its about $$ and no embarrassing issues. So Michigan has become the Detroit Lions, be kind of competitive and put butts in the seats. The problem is college programs don't work like the NFL. If they do t win and compete like the fanbase is used to, they won't show up and that will be more embarassing than a scandal. A half empty big house will get administrators fired.
November 21st, 2020 at 3:45 AM ^
This argument doesn't really make any sense. Unless you're saying that the athletic department told Jim Harbaugh to run an RB jump pass against MSU and a read option on 4th down against Wisconsin for...reasons, then I would say there is much stronger evidence that the coaching staff is simply unprepared and uneqipped to succeed with the players and coaches they've assembled
November 21st, 2020 at 1:58 AM ^
Whoever ran the LSU offense. That guy. Surest offensive cant miss guy you can find. Then you go by the numbers and find that defensive savant.
November 21st, 2020 at 3:47 AM ^
You don't think having an offense full of NFL first rounders made his job a lot easier? That's how we keep getting guys like Nussmeier and Gattis. Also your suggestion for DC is the exact method we used to get Brown, which...yeah
November 21st, 2020 at 2:03 AM ^
I'll take the winning coach of the ISU/KSU game
November 21st, 2020 at 2:05 AM ^
What about Steve Sarkisian? No one mentions him. Bama has about the most prolific offense and he knows very well how Saban runs a program. He seems like a perfect candidate. His issues at USC don't matter, so that's not a reason. But as I stated earlier, if the administration doesn't care about championships, then none of this matters and Matt Campbell or some other average coach will be fine. Until the season ticket holders bail because its not worth the $$ for 8-4 every year. Its cheaper to watch this crap at home.
November 21st, 2020 at 3:37 AM ^
We have had not one, but two different Alabama offensive coordinators and it hasn't helped one iota. When you have five stars at every position and Nick Saban is your coach, it really doesn't matter who is OC, they will still be successful. Let's not pull a lions by taking a product of a successful program, not a cause of it
November 21st, 2020 at 8:58 AM ^
Sarkisian has health issues.
November 21st, 2020 at 2:25 AM ^
Who is the go-to washed up NFL coach that wildly gets thrown into every coaching search? It was Gruden until the Raiders finally snagged him. Bill Cowher before that. Who can be the new guy? Cowher is only 63 I guess. Tony Dungy?
November 21st, 2020 at 10:45 AM ^
John Madden
November 21st, 2020 at 4:17 AM ^
I think you're pissed about more than 1-3.
November 21st, 2020 at 4:33 AM ^
Campbell, Cristobal, Hafley, Brady
Honestly, Campbell seems like a very good hire. To those who are strongly against, why?
The other 3 are all excellent hires in my opinion.
No to Fickel.
Maybe Fleck but I've been convinced by others in this board he's probably not a great hire.
November 21st, 2020 at 9:16 AM ^
Cristobol
November 21st, 2020 at 5:03 AM ^
Harbaugh will get a new 3 year deal and he will hire a new defensive coordinator. Maybe he can get back on track but I think he is here for the foreseeable future.
He HAS to hire some decent recruiters though.
November 21st, 2020 at 6:32 AM ^
"Overlooked HC candidates" directly implies you will be discussing more than one "overlooked" candidate.
The only coaches you mention are Campbell, Fleck, and Brohm.
Campbell and Fleck have been discussed repeatedly on MGoBlog.
That means you have mentioned only one "overlooked" candidate.
That "overlooked" candidate might be overlooked because of his trajectory at Purdue:
2017: 7-6
2018: 6-7
2019: 4-8
Jeff Brohm might also be overlooked because he was the head coach at Purdue when this clusterfuck occurred:
Jeff Brohm sucks, and so does your post.
November 21st, 2020 at 6:47 AM ^
Just curious, who were some of the other candidates for Michigan HC while Harbaugh search was happening?
November 21st, 2020 at 10:52 AM ^
Dan Mullen was the preferred safety choice of Brian et al
November 21st, 2020 at 8:26 AM ^
I do not like fleck and his row the boat antics.
November 21st, 2020 at 8:41 AM ^
IDK any more. Ask OSU who they'd hire and get that guy.
November 21st, 2020 at 8:45 AM ^
Tony Annese from Ferris State . . Before you scoff, check his record . . Our version of Jim Tressel minus the cheating.