What traits of a DC would you prioritize in the new hire?

Recruiting and adapting scheme to talent and what the opponent throws at you.  

I want someone that employs more of a bend but don't break philosophy.  I really think that's the only way to slow down offenses like OSU's.  Sure you let them move the ball down the field but you force them into field goals rather than touchdowns.  Brown tried to do the opposite, and the result was OSU WRs running right past our secondary for easy TD passes.

Recruiting has to be #2 on the list.  The defense needs a huge infusion of talent, especially on the DL.  I don't really care about experience, I'm willing to sacrifice that for a guy who is energetic and able to recruit at a high level.  And I'd much prefer they have ties to talent-rich regions, whether that be Ohio or the southeast, doesn't matter.  Just can't have the northeast be their natural stomping grounds.

Is not Bob Shoop

Recruiting 

Recruiting

Recruiting 

Innovative and flexible - the ability to skew schemes to fit the skill-set l of the players.

Fundamentally sound have a knowledge of all key defensive positions

A solid leader not afraid to hire  superior position coaches

Stresses accountability both from player and coaches 

Collaborative the ability to listen to both from player and coaches 

Appreciates and can leverage the Michigan brand

I don't care where he gets players from as long as he can recruit nationally and connect with the right kind of players, tough-minded, intelligent, competitive leaders that are willing to put in the effort, set an example

Communicative, driven, deeply caring and motivational, a guy that would take a bullet for his players so they  would take one for him.

Is that too much to ask?  

A second tier SEC DC guy that knows the drill. Knows that his team will for the future never compete w Alabummer, Ga. kids down here respect the M brand so look for opportunities. If you coached hockey you go to Canada, eh?

Dont have high hopes. Doubt anyone with real prospects will take the job given Harbaugh’s own status, so the only real shot seems to be if he hires a real young guy who is a good recruiter and ambitious enough to take the gamble in order to become a coordinator.

36/24/36

I'd be willing to go as high as 36/24/38 given the right height

Someone who decides its not a good idea to let a guy like Brandon Watson play man to man against OSU's army of 5* wide receivers. 

Someone who realizes that he can't shut OSU down, and doesn't try to, but is smart about the ways in which he can slow them down. 

Seriously, just someone who can put together the best possible game plan for OSU. That is all I care about. I don't expect any DC anywhere to be able to hold them to under 20 points. They are just way too talented for that. But someone who can hold them to 30ish, and that gives the offense a chance. 

My list:

1. A coach with a philosophy of preventing big plays at the expense of letting the other team move the ball in between the 30’s and 20’s. Good red zone defense is a must. You’re not going to stop OSU anyways so you might as well have a full-time action plan that can contain them. 
2. Someone that can teach multiple looks in a limited practice time environment.  If you’re going to compete with air raids you have to mix in zones, man, traps, etc. 
3. A coach that is a specialist in working with DB’s. As blitzing becomes less and less effective you need someone that not only can implement multiple schemes but also someone that can provide one on one coaching to the corners and safeties
4. Probably goes without saying some recruiting chops would be nice 

This is a long post, but especially since we all know what we want. The end.

Jesus.  I want him to be Jesus.

Can we add the ability to convince the HC scoring points is important? That occasionally we'll need to outscore a team that has a competent offense?

A firm backside...

Recruit well and prioritize recruiting in position coaches.

Assemble a staff that can develop the players to reach their ceilings.

Using you well-recruited and developed players, develop the ability to be multiple and flexible in defensive schemes. Understand the realities of the Big Ten and develop your defense accordingly. Have the ability to adapt your scheme week-to-week and during a game as needed.

Total world domination.

That is all.

Very tricky selection process given the short leash.  Need an entire staff that can:

• Stuff the run against OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, MSU and IU
• Contain their passing to moderate the score into the mid-20s
• Win the turnover margin
• Own Michigan recruiting (get Benny and every Cass Tech DB)

To me, the scheme needs to be a classic 4-3 front ... anchored by a huge NT, stout 3-Tech, and versatile DEs.  The back-end needs to be Cover 2 as its base, with creativity for the underneath stuff from OSU.  Let Dax Hill survey the back-end and be an INT machine.  Our corners are good enough to run a simple Cover 2 and Dax would be best utilized as a free safety. 

Issue is our DL is not great, but has developmental potential.  So need an awesome DL coach who can take our talent to its ceiling.  Plus, need to add a grad-transfer at NT - big dude like a Mone sized man.  

1. Knows how to use zone-defense to guard against quick, crossing mesh routes.

2. Great recruiter.

It's real simple:

1.) A scheme that adapts and adjusts.  No more "one-trick-pony" schemes that don't know what to do when the blitz doesn't work. Brown's "Dr. Blitz" scheme was fine for 90 percent of the teams we went against, but for the other 10 percent (the good ones), it fell on its face.

2.) Player development.  This is even more important than recruiting. Getting that 5-star means nothing if you can't develop him into the player who can execute.  I'd rather see a DC who can take 2 stars and make them play like 4 stars instead of the guy who can recruit 5 stars and squander them until they look like 1 stars.

3.) Harbaugh's input if things go wrong.  People are ripping into Brown, but Harbaugh was right there along with him in his scheme, and seemed to be just fine with it. I've already said that Harbaugh should be gone; Rich Rod and Hoke both had inept coordinators and both lost their jobs for it.  Harbaugh appears to be given special treatment on this one, so I'm not crazy he's still here.  But if he remains, he has GOT to step in and say something when things aren't going right.

4.) Recruiting. 

1. Experienced and proven at the P5 level - and more than just a year or two of success

2. Great schematic coach - base scheme doesn't matter but he needs to flexible and willing to play to the strengths of his roster (which inevitably changes over time) and find ways to mask glaring weaknesses)

That's it. The assistants can be the great recruiters, and I don't care where they pull kids from. 

First off, I'd have candidates interview by presenting a game plan for how to stop Ryan Day's offense. I believe Don Brown was already rebuilding the defense to do this, but this year's depth at DT and corner led to players trying to compensate in ways that broke the scheme. 

Still, I think the future of CFB is in 3 down lineman packages with lots of bend but don't break zone behind it. Get teams off schedule and bring situational pressure when you can. Gotta be able to disguise coverages and give QBs a lot to read.

Second, recruiting is crucial. Michigan needs someone who is a proven elite recruiter to ensure they never run into depth issues like this again.

Lastly, they gotta fit the program culture and be a master of player motivation.

If it was me, I'd go after Partridge as a co-DC and Recruiting director, then pay what you have to for Mason, Clinkscale, or Banks, depending on who has the best interview to beat OSU.

The ability of knowing your opponent and to develop a solid game plan, then adjust it and showing the ability to outsmart an opposing offense. 

This is more so for the entire staff rather than DC, but it's batshit insane that we don't at all times have at least one assistant on staff who has direct ties and connection to MI/Detroit for recruiting. Once Wheatley left, we've never had someone like that. It's mind boggling

I would add:

—Great mid-game adjustments

Brown may have been a great schematic coach, but he was not this. I would make great mid-game adjustments one of my four. I think it’s an essential that separates the most successful coaches from the rest since coaching is a chess game of strategy. 

Makes sure that the other team scores fewer points than us.

1. Great at putting together strong defensive game plans which limit opponent's offensive options.

2. Overall recruiting prowess. Michigan is still a national brand for recruiting top talent.

3. The ability to make in-game adjustments to opposing offenses.

4. The fire to charge up the troops without making them lose focus.

1 & 2. Great recruiting - especially of Ohio - with a specialty in Defensive linemen. Someone who knows and understands Defensive line recruiting. With the spread and power spread, so much relies on insanely awesome defensive linemen being being to win their matchups without much support against the run... while being disruptive to the pass. We are currently seeing what life without good DTs looks like and it is not good.  As for regions: Our best eras came from taking a share of Ohio and PA recruits who cared about Big X football and understood the rivalries, etc. Being from the area, knowing they have to go home and wear their Maize & Blue in hostile territory gives a deeper sense of pride that you cannot coach into someone who grew up on Clemson or Georgia or USC football.

3. Good Schematics. I am actually beginning to lean towards a coach who prefers zone coverages, using a killer dline to pressure the QB. OSU is recruiting to have a yearly track meet against teams. That will be nearly impossible to play effective man-to-man all game unless we have a stable of elite CBs (see the killer dline comments). We need to have the offense doing effective speed in space and scoring points, with the defense forcing teams to constantly make good decisions against a variety of coverages, work their way down the field, and try not to get eaten alive by the ferocious dline. 

4. Younger with a chip on shoulder/something to prove. Someone who wants to make a name for themselves, wants to be recognized for their game, wants to be noticed to become a head coach. I want the energy and enthusiasm of someone who is hungry. If it could be someone who has experience of working with programs that have faced OSU style spreads would be nice... 

- Proven track record and experience

- Overall recruiting prowess

- Great schematic coach

- Connection to Southern recruiting

Narrowed it down one by one and ended up with the same as you. I don't care about being connected to JH, Michigan, or Ohio State. Maybe a secondary specialty, but would rather have a track record. West Coast or Southern recruiting is a must, or at least SOME proven ability to recruit in an area other than Northeast. Honestly, I'd take someone who could consistently pull a top 10 or a few top 20's from Florida/Texas. 

Someone who can put 13 players on the field while making it look like there are only 11.