Who would you reach out to first IF Jim leaves for NFL?
With speculation of Jim going back to the NFL yesterday afternoon and this morning...who would be your first call if Jim did leave for a job in the NFL? I think you would have to send a feeler to Sean Payton, Matt Rhule, Lane Kiffin, & Dave Aranda. Also internally have to look at Gattis as well.
Who else would be on your short list of candidates?
January 31st, 2022 at 3:21 PM ^
Gruden????? You serious? The guy is toxic.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
I think you roll with Gattis for a year and then if it falls apart you do a formal search for a new head coach. Trying to grab someone now means you're going to be reaching. And yes, that includes guys like Campbell who I think is just sort of a guy and wouldn't work here long-term.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:09 AM ^
That will definitely crater your class for next year. You are Hiring a guy for the future now. They will have spring ball and a whole off-season with the team. It’s not like Harbaugh is leaving during the middle of the season. That’s when you would name an interim coach.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:59 PM ^
No, you promote Gattis (a guy who was interviewing for P5 jobs this offseason) and throw your support completely behind him. I think you can sell that to recruits and they'd stick around, but if it all falls apart then your class is likely falling apart anyway so you'd make a move. I just don't see how trying to nab Matt Campbell (if that's even an option) this late is different than a guy who's been at the school for a while and has connections with the staff.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^
Unless Warde has some amazing rabbit up his sleeve, I agree. But if it's Gattis--and I hope for the best if it is--we have to accept that Jim left us in the lurch. In time, we would find out if his reasons were good or bad, but we'd officially be in the lurch.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:58 PM ^
Yeah, it's not optimal but at the same time Harbaugh also left UM way better off than when he showed up. I think people forget just how bad the end of the Hoke era was looking when he stepped in.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:07 AM ^
With Big Ben leaving…I would kick the tires on Mike Tomlin. Probably says no, but worth a shot.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:07 AM ^
I know this will be unpopular, but Pat Fitzgerald
January 31st, 2022 at 11:09 AM ^
Great coach…but I’d pass. Think they can do better than that.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:12 PM ^
It's not only unpopular, it's a terrible idea
January 31st, 2022 at 11:13 AM ^
Aranda would be my first choice. Knows the big 10, made huge strides from year 1 to year 2 as a head coach and understanding the job duties, has built top defenses at the highest level of the sport and coached at a powerhouse (LSU).
He knows how to be the cold blooded sausage maker.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
I would call Mitch Cummstein first. He used to be my roommate
January 31st, 2022 at 11:17 AM ^
I doubt very much that Kiffin can operate according to Michigan's norms. I would be surprised, to say the least, if Alabama, Ole Miss, USC, and Tennessee hold themselves to U of M's standards. I also met a guy who played for Kiffin at Tennessee, and he did not describe a coach who was concerned with his players' well-being.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:19 AM ^
I'm not sure how his health is these days, but Gary Moeller just turned 81. 80 is the new 50. Lloyd Carr would only be 77 at the start of next season...what was the question again?
January 31st, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
We're putting together a game of bocce ball, so this is perfect.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:47 PM ^
Nobody brought the talent into the program like Mo did.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:20 AM ^
Imma laugh when Minnesota hires Michigan's HC, then Michigan hires Minnesota's HC.
#rowthehuron
January 31st, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
Wouldn't be the best hire in the world, but it would be better and more reasonable than Kiffin, Rhule, or Fickell
January 31st, 2022 at 11:37 AM ^
He'd also be a substantially worse option the the three. The guy is a snake oil salesman. A poor man's James Franklin.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:57 AM ^
I'd say a rich man's James Franklin which...I would take. What's wrong with a good recruiter?
I'd rather Campbell or Aranda but I'd much rather Fleck than Gattis.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:31 PM ^
You seem to think you have it all figured out without saying who you want, Instead you are just bashing everyone else's preferences.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
Seth Fisher
January 31st, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
Lane Kiffin is not coming to the University of Michigan.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
HC - UMBIG11
OC - Chernobyl
DC - WD
January 31st, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
Lane Kiffin would have a heart attack talking to our admissions dept.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:32 AM ^
Aranda should not be an afterthought here. His career trajectory has been rocketing for some time. He may be the best non-Harbaugh option by a reasonable margin.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:43 PM ^
Totally agree. I think the bigger question is, could we pay him enough to pry him from Baylor knowing they'll probably back up the money truck to keep him.
I guess it helps that they'll soon be in a big12 that more resembles a G5 conference
January 31st, 2022 at 11:33 AM ^
Being a HC in college seems like it wouldnt be intriguing to NFL guys. All of the recruiting, NIL, bs just seems like a whole new level of workload. Why would an NFL guy come to the college ranks if he doesnt have to?
I think they hire a HC from within and they hire a DC from within. All to keep the team together, since the portal is a real bitch to deal with.
Fickell, Aranda or Hafley would be up there in my picks. Gattis needs to put together 2 consecutive years of good offenses for me to jump on his side.
Dark Horse - Jay Harbaugh. He just seems to excel at every position he coaches.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:41 AM ^
Fickell is not coming here and after what Aranda has gone through his first two years, I'd be very surprised if he left. Hafley might be a good option,
January 31st, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^
Kyle Whittingham from Utah? I know he has coached in Utah forever and he's 62, but that team almost never looks anything other than organized and tough, and he may see more championship equity at Michigan. (maybe not) Certainly we can pay more than $4/year.
Hard to get behind hiring an outside assistant. Mike Hart seems really implausible. Staff continuity would be nice but that's, to repeat myself, a would be nice, not a must have.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:03 PM ^
Whittingham is not a bad thought. He’d certainly be on the list of people I’d talk to before settling on Gattis.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:00 PM ^
He is one of my favorite coaches.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^
Larry and Vince Kehres.....
January 31st, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^
John Harbaugh.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:49 AM ^
Not sure why all of the Matt Rhule love. He's interested because he completely bungled the offense in Carolina and cannot manage a roster. He is looking for a wayvout of the mess he made...
January 31st, 2022 at 12:37 PM ^
Because failing in the NFL is hugely different than failing at the college game. He couldn’t go out and recruit a QB or other needs at Carolina. He succeeded wherever he went in the college game. His resume is fantastic, taking Temple into the newly-formed AAC and winning them a conference title, then going to a dysfunctional Baylor, and making them relevant again after a disastrous scandal. I’ve spoken to some Baylor fans, who have some issues with the way he treated players, so maybe that’s a concern, but he’s a proven commodity at the college level regarding wins and losses. Maybe he’s not the guy, but Warde would be a fool not to at least interview him.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^
If promoting from within- Mike Hart.. It would have been MacDonald, and I'd still reach out to him to see if he's interested.
The Culture Change with MacDonald and Hart coming to staff was incredible. The energy Hart brought and the dynamic coaching energy by MacDonald yeah, I'd make that call fast. It's a matter of does he want it should Harbaugh leave or is he keen to staying in the NFL and not taking to recruiting?
If it's not in house, Rhule expressed interest and would be my top candidate outside of them. Don't get me wrong, I like Gattis, but he had to grow up big here and Harbaugh had to bring him along. The installation of speed in space was not good and he didn't overwhelm imo where as MacDonald changed the entire culture along with Hart.
January 31st, 2022 at 11:52 AM ^
Urban Meyer - It's gross to say, but he's objectively one of the best college coaches ever and besides, who doesn't deserve a 4th or 5th chance?
January 31st, 2022 at 12:14 PM ^
Urban Meyer is an arrogant a hole, but he isn't a villain. There are many worse humans prowling the sidelines in collegiates. It's easy to pile on him because he deserves it and its newsworthy.
There is no other hire that would strike fear in the hearts of Buckeyes and across the Big10 then if Michigan hired Urban. Urban + Michigan NIL money.
Realistically the first phone call goes to Luke. If he says thanks but no thanks, then the second call goes to Fleck. I doubt UM would have to make a third phone call.
Please lawd no Matt Rule. Just no. No.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:56 PM ^
No, he's a villain. FOH with this nonsense.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:30 PM ^
Urban is too toxic even for the SEC. Not to mention he still spends a lot of time in Columbus and owns a bar celebrating his record against Michigan. He would be vilified if he ever took the Michigan job. It would be the quickest "no" ever.
January 31st, 2022 at 2:13 PM ^
I know it wouldn't ever happen.
Don't you think Luke Fickell celebrates his victories over Michigan?
Fleck is a Tressel disciple.
Campbell is a born and bred Buckeye through and through.
A lot of members on this board were ready to rejoice over Larry Foote as the next DC. I remember rumors going around about things he had done in and around campus during his playing days in AA. They were pretty despicable.
It is easy to hate on Meyer, and he does a lot of it to himself. I'm not ready to pass judgment on him as a bad person. I have heard a lot of good things he has done too.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^
I think we have a good staff right now, and disrupting that would set us back a bit, so I'd just give it to Gattis. Matt Campbell would be good if we are willing to wait a year or two for things to catch up, but I don't want to hit the reset button so quickly again.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^
Chris Petersen, Dave Aranda, Josh Gattis.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:31 PM ^
If I had my way: Fickell, Aranda, Leipold, Rhule, Mark Stoops. Hopefully, we wouldn’t have to consider beyond five.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:32 PM ^
Al Borges and Sam Webb as co-head coaches. Their YouTube work is outstanding. And Al knows his way around a telestrator.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:33 PM ^
This thread is a fun study in recency bias.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:37 PM ^
Football always has been and always will be a "what have you done for me lately?" sport
January 31st, 2022 at 12:42 PM ^
Mike Hart - HC
That is all.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:23 PM ^
Are we planning to keep the other coaches? I can’t imagine the other coaches and coordinator are going to love being leapfrogged but a guy who hasn’t even been a coordinator yet. And perhaps he is going to be a great head coach, but what on his resume Make you think he’s ready to be a head coach and at a complex head coaching job? Even Harbaugh coached San Diego before Stanford got him, and he had coaching experience working with his dad at Western Kentucky. I just don’t see how being a RB coach would prep a guy for a huge job like the head coach at Michigan.