Al Borges Fired
File photo
Per the Athletic Department, offensive coordinator Al Borges has been fired. Here's the entirety of the press release:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke announced today (Wednesday, Jan. 8) that offensive coordinator Al Borges will not be retained for the 2014 season.
"Decisions like these are never easy," said Hoke. "I have a great amount of respect for Al as a football coach and, more importantly, as a person. I appreciate everything he has done for Michigan Football for the past three seasons."
Prior to joining U-M in 2011, Borges was a member of Hoke's staff at San Diego State in 2009 and '10.
The Wolverines will begin spring practice on Feb. 25 and finish with the annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 5, at Michigan Stadium.
The fallout will be covered in exhaustive detail in the coming days. One interesting candidate—coincidentally, from Borges' former school—is rumored to have been contacted by Brady Hoke regarding the now-open position, according to coachingsearch.com:
A source tells me that Brady Hoke has reached out to UCLA offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Noel Mazzone and at least one NFL assistant, though Mazzone isn't likely to leave for Ann Arbor.
Mazzone runs an "uptempo no-huddle spread," according to Chris Brown (Smart Football); even if he's not interested in the job, moving in that direction would certainly please the people who write for this here blog. As for recruiting, it's unlikely the class of 2014 will be affected much, if at all, and there's plenty of time to make up any lost ground in the 2015 class. Again, we'll have much, much more on this in the coming days.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:24 PM ^
That's generally the head coach's job.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:00 PM ^
any OC worth his salt would insist on having HIS people on the offense staff. Otherwise, there is no point to taking the job.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:10 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^
Somewhere, Brady Hoke and Dave Brandon are staring at identical coaching search dossier folders with "Operation: Big Boy Football" written on the tab.
I don't feel good about this.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:54 PM ^
Well, right. I'm not saying I didn't think he deserved to be fired, because he did.
All I'm saying is be careful what we wish for, because this announcement is only one half of the story. He's going to have to be replaced, and I don't know if I trust The Process™ here.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:41 PM ^
classclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclassclass
January 8th, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^
He just proved that although he may have publicly supported Borges without question that behind the scenes there were obviously questions being asked and people being held accountable. I think this is an important step in at least the fans realizing who Hoke is as a coach since he doesn't share those insights with the media. I still have to wonder if/why Funk wasn't also let go.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:10 PM ^
Yeah, Hoke may not be as complacent as his "gosh golly darn gee" demenaor suggests.
Accountability indeed.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:21 PM ^
IMO, when the new OC & Hoke decide on the new OL coach, Funk's departure will be announced. Funk will be thanked for his service, and the focus will be placed on the new OC and "his" new OL guy.
It's the most graceful way to handle it.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:43 PM ^
why fire Funk when your new OC will probably 'replace' him with his own guy...
just my opinion
jdon
January 8th, 2014 at 6:12 PM ^
I did not expect it, but I am very glad that we will have a new offensive coordinator next year. It will be interesting to know if this was Hoke's decision or Brandon's.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:13 PM ^
is looking to move the offense in a new direction, should we expect to hear about Morris transfering? What about Speight, a probable decommit?
January 8th, 2014 at 6:16 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:26 PM ^
No. Both are on campus ... really?
January 8th, 2014 at 6:53 PM ^
hope, troll?
January 8th, 2014 at 7:10 PM ^
I merely asked a question based upon the idea that Hoke will look to change his offense philosophy. Why you and others find the need to question my motives is an interesting question as I've expressed no opinion one way or the other.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:50 PM ^
Shane and Wilt seem as Blue as they come. And you did at least appear to express an opinion by calling Speight a "probable decommit."
January 8th, 2014 at 8:14 PM ^
just a question. I saw what happened six years ago when Michigan changed its offense, and I saw what happened three years ago with Hoke making Denard comfortable so as to keep him from transfering. The idea has been posited that Michgan will once again change offensive philosophy, so ye that shall neg, why shouldn't it be a legitimate question to ask about the current QB situation?
January 8th, 2014 at 8:27 PM ^
As in forward on running plays.
We've been recruiting for the pro-style, so I think it would be a setback to flip-flop to another style.
The problems were a lot more fundamental than the style of play or play calling. Football is about blocking and tackling. We couldn't block anybody. That's the problem that needs to be fixed.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:44 PM ^
In what way do you think that changing schemes will be a setback?
January 8th, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^
that also to be the case, it wasn't the guy responsible for the lack of blocking that was terminated.
January 8th, 2014 at 11:45 PM ^
--or now that we know that Nussmeier is the hire--created a need for a serious upgrade in the staff.
Most folks at Borges' level of pay are somewhat responsible for creating the conditions for their own success. Perhaps Borges biggest mistake was not going to Hoke last year and demanding a new OL coach.
It goes with the territory.
January 9th, 2014 at 9:58 AM ^
He did not report to Borges through to Hoke. Funk works directly for Hoke. Certainly Funk worked with Borges in a collaborative fashion, but it was not a boss to employee relationship.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:13 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:56 PM ^
I'm praying for Kate Upton.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:14 PM ^
We can haz base and constraint playz?
January 8th, 2014 at 6:14 PM ^
literally jumped for joy
lets right this ship.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:14 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:15 PM ^
baselessly bitched out Hoke for being "too loyal" should be neg-banged into Bolivia.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:40 PM ^
.
Hoke loved everything about Borges; his gameplans, play calling, qb coaching, backfat... you name it. Hoke handled it how he needed to handle it, I just hope he hires someone who can now save his bacon.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:07 PM ^
We don't know if that's true. Hoke took the "support your assistants until they're gone" philosophy, which many coaches take. Just because he said positive things about Borges at the time, didn't mean he meant them. Considering Hoke has now fired Borges, it's safe to say he didn't mean most of it.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:06 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 8:14 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:42 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 7:10 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 7:25 PM ^
As should the Borges cultists who jumped through every hoop they could find to justify why Borges was doing a great job.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:17 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:17 PM ^
Funk is next.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:22 PM ^
Bob Bostad plskthx.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:24 PM ^
I'll just leave this here in case Fred Jackson is reading this.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:18 PM ^
I realize that job performance and evaluating a coordinator is never about a single play or a single set of downs. And participants on this site have been discussing Borges' job security over a LONG period time.
However, if I had to choose a single moment when he was sure to have earned the boot, it would be when Northwestern punted into that crazy wind, and the punt went a couple of feet forward giving Michigan the ball on NW's 10-yard line. Nonetheless, M could not punch it in from 10 yards out.
Done.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:04 PM ^
January 8th, 2014 at 6:19 PM ^
Except now I'm worried about the replacement.
Hopefully somebody young and unfamiliar to the world, but really sharp.
Or Hoke goes back to his comfort zone and selects Stan Parrish as OC. I hope not.
It would be ironic also because Michigan just lost a bowl game to.......Kansas State.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:32 PM ^
This was my prediction a while ago. If Hoke did make that decision, the happy bubble would be popped in a very unpleasant way.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:56 PM ^
As if 110,000 voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^
said that Parrish is on the list of those who WON'T be chosen. Haven't seen this statement myself, though.
Regardless of Parrish's basic qualifications, he's just too old at 68, IMHO, to be coordinator. He might be good as QB coach, but I doubt that they'd be splitting those jobs up.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:19 PM ^
I think we're all missing the bigger issue here:
Has anyone check on Heiko?
Are we sure he's okay. I mean he and Borges had something special.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:13 PM ^
Now we really know why he left.
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