Michigan’s coaching search must include Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, but it doesn’t stop there.
Eli Drinkwitz and Clark Lea are two other SEC coaches having success. Michigan would be a level up.
Jedd Fisch seems like a reasonable fallback plan. First, kick tires on Jeff Brohm.
A top-10 college football job is on the market. The timing of the opening is not ideal. Neither are the circumstances.
Sherrone Moore is out at Michigan, fired and facing criminal charges after his alleged extramarital affair with a staff member came to light. A fresh scandal for a school that’s become accustomed to them raises questions about Warde Manuel’s viability as athletic director.
And yet, the first sentence still applies: This is a top-10 job.
All it takes is one good candidate to say, “What’s Moore’s mess got to do with me? Hand me the keys (and Larry Ellison’s checkbook), and let’s ride.”
Forgot about hiring a “Michigan Man.” Never mind where a coach was born, who he grew up rooting for or where he attended college. Michigan needs two things in its next coach:
Someone who’ll stay out of jail and free of scandal.
Someone who can position Michigan to compete with Ohio State — and Indiana and Oregon, for that matter.
Here’s a round of love it, like it or no thanks on these potential candidates for Michigan:
Should Michigan football consider hiring these coach candidates?
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Love it. If DeBoer would rather replace a disgraced coach than continue on in the shadow of the irreplaceable, then this native Midwesterner would be a smart fit for Michigan. A career winner, he showed recruiting chops at Alabama. He owns victories against the likes of Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning and Steve Sarkisian. DeBoer, in a statement, said he’s ‘fully committed’ to Alabama and not interested in other jobs. He doubled down in a Dec. 15 news conference, saying unequivocally that he’ll be Alabama’s coach next season and that he’s not interested in Michigan.
Jedd Fisch, Washington
Like it. He has Michigan experience without connection to its scandals. Perhaps more important, he has Big Ten head coaching experience, although his two seasons at Washington are more deserving of a middling grade than an A+. He’s a fine option if bigger candidates say no.
Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Love it. Nobody should question whether Brohm could tussle with Ohio State. He already has. While coaching Purdue, his Boilermakers toppled Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes in 2018. He’s a shark in big games, with six upsets of top-11 opponents since 2018. He’s never been at a job of this magnitude. With Michigan’s resources, no telling what he might achieve.
Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator
No thanks. Now is the time for Michigan to pursue a clean break from the NCAA cheating that occurred under Jim Harbaugh. Minter received a one-year show-cause penalty earlier this year for recruiting violations. He was on Harbaugh’s staff during the sign-stealing saga. Too many potholes to justify going down this road.
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Love it … if he’d say yes. It’s a bit difficult to come up with an explanation for why he would, though. He enjoys an ideal situation at Notre Dame. No reason to leave, unless it’s for the NFL.
Brian Kelly, LSU
No thanks. If Kelly, 64, couldn’t make the playoff in four seasons at LSU, why would he be the right guy for Michigan? He wouldn’t. Kelly’s peak is behind him. He’d provide a dependable high floor, but Michigan should aim higher than 8-4 or 9-3.
Biff Poggi, Michigan interim
No thanks. Poggi, 65, doesn’t exactly scream exciting new direction, and the hire of a coach who went 6-16 in two seasons at Charlotte wouldn’t send a shiver down Ryan Day’s spine. If Michigan’s next coach wants to retain Poggi in some capacity, that’s a conversation worth having. In the meantime, Poggi needs to keep the lights on and do his best to keep the roster intact.
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Like it. Can he bring Diego Pavia with him? Seriously, that’s the main question with Lea. Is his success the past two seasons the sign of a brilliant coach who’s figured this out, or more a credit to Pavia? Perhaps a little of both, but anyone who wins at Vanderbilt the way he has the past two seasons is worth an inquiry.
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri
Like it. He’d be new to Big Ten terrain, but he’s been excellent for Missouri, to the tune of 29 victories the past three seasons at a school where averaging 10 wins hasn’t historically come easily. Michigan would bring a different level of expectations. How would he handle that? That’s the question surrounding Drinkwitz with jobs like these. Might be time to find out.
Willie Fritz, Houston
Like it. You want someone from the Curt Cignetti mold, as in an older coach who’s won everywhere he’s been? Here’s one. Fritz, 65, crushed it at the junior college, Division II and FCS levels. Then he won at Tulane. Now, he’s fresh off a 9-3 season at Houston, his first Power Four job. We haven’t seen a job yet that’s too big for Fritz.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.