ESPN Report: Regents To Discuss Brandon Tomorrow, AD Candidates Contacted Comment Count

Ace


Jeff Long and Warde Manuel: already contacted?

ESPN is reporting that the regents will discuss Dave Brandon at their previously scheduled meeting tomorrow, as revealed to them by regent Denise Ilitch herself. This may very well be the beginning of the end (or the beginning of the end of the end) for Brandon, as Ilitch had this to say about the Shane Morris situation:

"The systems failed and there are a lot of issues we have to review," Ilitch told WWJ CBS TV in Detroit.

The money quote, however, came at the end:

Sources told ESPN's Brett McMurphy that someone on Michigan's behalf has contacted three possible candidates to replace Brandon to gauge their interest in the job.

Arkansas AD Jeff Long, UConn AD Warde Manuel, and Boston College AD Brad Bates are the obvious candidates to be those three people, with Texas Tech deputy AD Joe Parker as a possible dark horse.

Comments

Blue in Yarmouth

October 15th, 2014 at 12:44 PM ^

in the name of all that is good and holy in the world let this come to pass! Also, please let the next guy not be an attention seeking whore like DB. Being back in the shadows is a good thing for an AD

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

October 15th, 2014 at 1:48 PM ^

Well, I know she didn't say those exact specific words.  The point is that this is a regent - not a spokesman, not a "source", but an actual regent - discussing this.  And not once did she say anything about Brandon's job being safe or denying there's any reason to fire him or anything that people usually do in a hot-seat situation right up until the ax actually falls.  Which says everything.

LSI Wolverine

October 15th, 2014 at 1:18 PM ^

Given all of the media attention surrounding the football program, university at large, and Dave Brandon in particular she had to have known that this comment would be picked up and reported on. This combined with Schlissel's candor (fire side chat and apparently a donor meeting) definitely suggests he's on the way out the door. If they were going to keep him they would either have not said anything or spoken positively.

Bring on the muppets and Go Blue!

mgob-rad

October 15th, 2014 at 2:20 PM ^

I'm not one to dance on any graves, but then again our athletic director should not penny and dime us at every opportunity and attempt to ruin our basic football traditions. As a student I am just a way for dave Brandon to raise his revenue, where he should be attempting to create an even larger lifelong fan base through his students. I grew up as a kid dreaming to attend Michigan football games as a student and now that I have finally obtained that opportunity our athletic department has been run so poorly I barely look forward to them. I have no issue celebrating his firing if it means I can finally look forward to Saturdays once again.

Heinous Wagner

October 15th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^

SOOKIE SOOKIE NOW!

And an addendum: If there ever was a time to have a non-game related appearance of Muppets, the sacking of Brandon (and his fireworks, his mascots and his tomato-sauce encrusted "marketing" schemes) would be it.

LSI Wolverine

October 15th, 2014 at 1:21 PM ^

That's an interesting catch. While ESPN is definitely not beyond reproach when it comes to rumors like this, they have to know that this is going to be picked up by a bunch of other outlets. Basically, I don't think they would have run it if they weren't at least very confident in the report because if they're wrong they're going to get called out on it.

razor93

October 15th, 2014 at 12:59 PM ^

This is not a "save face" ploy by the university but rather take some serious action and kick DB's ass to the curb.  They can give him a pizza as severence pay.

Amaizing Blue

October 15th, 2014 at 12:59 PM ^

And I know there are way more important things in the world than this.  But OH PLEASE GOD IF YOU CAN ONLY GRANT ME ONE WISH....  

/s  

at least enough so nobody who is religious gets mad at me.  But at the same time, I'm also kind of serious.

mjv

October 15th, 2014 at 2:23 PM ^

That is tough.  As much as I think that DB is the single worst thing that has happened to Michigan Athletics since Bo died, I'd rather have Harbaugh.  Clear homerun hire.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on one's perspective, its seems that having DB and Harbaugh is mutually exclusive, and the hypothetical choice would never be anything more than that.

MayOhioEatTurds

October 15th, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^

YEEEEHAH! 

I had wondered, along with others, if the lack of Brandon tweets for the past couple weeks indicated the winds were changing.  I am ecstatic to know they winds are, indeed, shifting at Michigan!

I'm going to be wearing a smile all week!

All hail the victors valiant!!!!