November 8th, 2020 at 5:14 AM ^
Uhhhh, no.
Next!!
November 9th, 2020 at 9:43 PM ^
Who's next?
November 8th, 2020 at 5:25 AM ^
No thanks
November 8th, 2020 at 5:59 AM ^
No thanks. There’s many programs calling for their coaches jobs right now. Let’s all take a breath.
November 8th, 2020 at 6:29 AM ^
And if we don't act we will lose out on the best candidates to them
November 8th, 2020 at 6:53 AM ^
I’m not completely disagreeing, but color me gun shy after the RR and Hoke years. I didn’t realize Brian Kelley was 11 yrs in to being at ND. He had some shit yrs yet the program stuck with him while places like Michigan would have called for his head. Granted Clemson was without sunshine but were knocked off none the less last night.
November 8th, 2020 at 6:59 AM ^
"Places like Michigan would have called for his head." From this it seems you're implying that ND didn't call for Kelly's head and that is simply not true.
November 8th, 2020 at 7:30 AM ^
I guess I should have said (they stayed the course). A coaching carousel is never a good thing.
November 8th, 2020 at 9:16 AM ^
You could also have added that Kelly was able to defeat USC in his first season at ND. That win broke an eight year losing streak to USC. Could also have added that in his third season at ND, Brian Kelly led his team to the national championship game. But mostly, I believe, beating USC on an almost annual basis has kept Kelly in good graces during the few lean years.
Had Harbaugh managed two or three victories over OSU in his first five years along with a B1G championship game, we aren't now having this conversation.
November 8th, 2020 at 10:21 AM ^
I’ve thought for a while now the narrative would’ve been different if barret was called short. I think it would’ve changed optics with recruits and the media and Harbaugh would’ve gained momentum leading to more success afterwards. Not to say the whole thing came down to one play...but I do wonder. Also that damn punt vs MSU.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:00 AM ^
It would have helped. But let’s not put too much on game years ago. If you can’t overcome one game, you’re too fragile.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:23 AM ^
So true. And sorry to repeat myself here but the play before the spot we had them third and long, maybe third and 16 and let them get close. If I remember correctly we had their RB trapped further behind the LOS and he escaped. And Ohio started the drive on their own 16. Make a stop!
November 8th, 2020 at 7:46 PM ^
If 2016 "broke" Harbaugh, which a lot of posters seem to believe, then he clearly isn't the guy for the job.
November 8th, 2020 at 9:03 AM ^
You do realize the Brian Kelly went 12-1 and lost in the national championship game in year 3 right? Jim Harbaugh is nowhere near as accomplished in college football.
November 8th, 2020 at 10:11 AM ^
BK is a bad comp here. He’s had one shit year. 4-8 in 2016. It was in his 7th season after 6 years of moderate to really good success. He immediately turned it around in 2017.
If we go 4-5 or so and Jim stays, he will be getting a benefit of the doubt that was not as well earned as the one BK got. That’s fine but then he needs immediate results in 2021.
Other than 2016, BK had records that we as a fanbase overall would tolerate or kill for.
Edit: Haha, just saw there is a whole thread dedicated to if we would be satisfied with BK’s record. Haven’t read it though.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:34 AM ^
We are worse rn than year 3 RR or year 3 Hoke!
November 8th, 2020 at 12:00 PM ^
We ain’t winning 3 more games...
Put a fork in Hokebaugh he’s done.
November 8th, 2020 at 6:28 AM ^
Fuck no, no NFL guys who think theyre the smartest guy in the room
November 8th, 2020 at 6:53 AM ^
This is the bs that will happen after firing a prodigal son during a pandemic.
November 8th, 2020 at 7:48 AM ^
I hate the term prodigal son. It means Jim left and blew all his money on hookers and coke. Dude left Michigan, had a successful career at many places and came back after Michigan came begging.
November 8th, 2020 at 8:28 AM ^
of course, there is the old bible def.
modern dictionary says "a person who leaves home and behaves recklessly, but later makes a repentant return." Jim literally had a DUI and trashed Michigan once. It is not crazy to call him a prodigal son by this definition, no?
November 8th, 2020 at 10:23 AM ^
OMG a DUI
November 8th, 2020 at 6:54 AM ^
I woke up with early-morning-Michigan-angst thinking this is exact thing. I was getting nervous at Penn State watching him build up the program despite the barriers. He's been in college and the midwest, knows recruiting. My one caveat would be that the college game has changed quite a but since he left, and quite a bit different from the NFL. We're not getting an established, elite coach to leave something and step in.
November 8th, 2020 at 8:27 AM ^
I agree. What he did at Penn State was pretty miraculous. I don’t blame him for the disappointments with the Texans. He had a lot of bad luck with that squad.
While the college game has changed, he doesn’t seem married to a system in a frustrating way as our previous coaches were (RR, Hoke, Brown).
November 8th, 2020 at 8:33 AM ^
His “bad luck” with the Texans was largely of his own making, as his ego made him think he could operate as GM and coach, and he made a series of bad trades. Not saying he wouldn’t or would be a good college coach, just that he has himself to blame for the debacle that is the Texans.
November 8th, 2020 at 9:15 AM ^
I agree that the whole coach/Gm thing was a disaster. I think he overthought things and tried to be Belichick, who frequently makes trades that seem bizarre in the moment but look genius in hindsight. But his teams also suffered from some unlucky injuries.
Either way, I think he would be a good pick as a college coach. At Penn State he got 150% out of his talent and at the time they had many more disadvantages than we have.
November 8th, 2020 at 9:31 AM ^
Yeah, coach O'Brien was the victim of some awful decisions by GM O'Brien, and I think people also overstate how good his run at PSU was - it 8-4 and 7-5 in which most of the heaviest scholarship sanctions hadn't quite hit home. He's probably a decent college HC but if people are annoyed with Harbaugh's missteps and bad coaching decisions they are going to be in for a rude awakening with O'Brien.
November 8th, 2020 at 10:28 AM ^
O’Brien’s a good coach who’s main focus is taking advantage of what his players do well not force fitting players and asking them to do things they’re not good at. His downfall was he was a so so GM and lost the locker room leading to him jettisoning one of the players he felt was working against him so he could regain the locker room it backfired he was canned. Presumably these issues are mirigsted at the collegiate level. And he would bring in the NFL buzz that came with Harbaugh when he first arrived which has since lost its shine. This matters with recruits IMO.
November 8th, 2020 at 1:26 PM ^
He's a good coach, but is that a huge upgrade over Harbaugh? For all of his "NFL buzz" he was 2-4 in the playoffs and was 4 games over .500; by comparison Harbaugh was 44-19 and 5-3 in the playoffs, including going to a SB. I think people grossly overestimate how good O'Brien was at PSU or how the intervening 7 years are probably more representative of the average coach O'Brien is. If people want a change at UM then they should try to get something they know works in college, not take a crack at a mediocre pro guy because he was sorta successful for a couple of years.
November 8th, 2020 at 10:08 AM ^
Yeah so unless you are from Houston and understand just how hated the man was within the organization kindly pipe down. He is quite possibly the most arrogant man you could ever meet and was considered the most hated man in the organization from Secretaries to players. This isn't speculation, close friend coached for him there and two others are in the organization. I am honestly surprised a party wasn't thrown the day he got canned.
November 8th, 2020 at 7:07 AM ^
I would take him over Patricia.
November 8th, 2020 at 7:56 AM ^
BoB is a really shitty GM, but I think he's a pretty solid football coach.
The fact that he took a team that was absolutely gutted after a major scandal (PSU) and led them to 8-4 is unreal.
I would absolutely, in a heartbeat, take him over the current regime.
November 8th, 2020 at 8:13 AM ^
Fuck no
November 8th, 2020 at 8:13 AM ^
Before addressing the PROS and CONS of possible new head coaches, shouldn't we be considering the PROS and CONS of the current Michigan football program for any possible head coach who'd consider taking the job.
Barring some miraculous turnaround this season – something that seems highly unlikely with each passing week, a coaching overhaul would appear to make sense after this season. Nevertheless, I wonder whether any well-known, highly regarded coach would be willing to take the job now, considering the PROS and CONS that he’d face at Michigan.
PROS: The traditions. The stadium. The financial backing. The Power Five conference.
CONS: Rigorous academic standards. Relatively talent-poor state for recruiting. Difficult to attract top-rated players from talent-rich states. No longer considered a national power and possibly not even a conference power. Competing in the same division as Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State. Very difficult to get to conference championship game, leaving almost no opportunities to advance to college football playoffs. With very few top-performing players on the current roster and expected de-commitments and departures with a head-coaching change, there could be a major recruiting challenge as well as a difficult and long transition period before Michigan will have a roster that will be competitive with top 25 programs.
November 8th, 2020 at 8:53 AM ^
Strong post and great points. The only thing I’ll add is I do not believe a coach has to make UM into osu. Osu is with bama and Clemson. Is what it is at this point.
harbaugh has won 10,10, 8, 10, 9 games at UM and bare bones floor should have been 11, 11, 10, 11, 10 by winning a handful of games they should have won with the talent they have. If they did that they’d be a perennial top 6-8 team.
I believe if someone does that, even if they lose to osu or beat them once every 6 years, they will be welcomed at UM for a decade or more and not many coaches last more than that anyway.
im not saying give up n beating osu but we are having a MUCH different conversation if harbaugh won those games above.
November 8th, 2020 at 12:49 PM ^
I agree that Michigan football doesn’t have to become the equivalent of Ohio State football, but I believe that if Michigan football ever again wants to be considered as a top-ten college football program, then it might need to at least be the equivalent of Penn State and Michigan State when it comes to making it to the Big Ten Football championship game.
I don’t doubt that Michigan could be a regular, top-20 football team, but without beating Ohio State more than once every 10 or 15 years, Michigan may have no chance of ever reaching the conference championship game or the college football playoffs.
In the 19 games played against Ohio State from the 2001 season through the 2019 season, Michigan has lost by fewer than seven points only seven times and won only twice, and one of those two wins was by six points.
November 8th, 2020 at 9:21 AM ^
Your CON of rigorous academic standards can also be a PRO. Ann Arbor is also a PRO. Wisconsin is probably the only B1G team that can compete with our city. Ann Arbor is an underrated recruiting pull.
November 8th, 2020 at 12:19 PM ^
Here's why I considered "rigorous academic standards" a CON. Any incoming head football coach probably will want to replenish a potentially depleted roster with several highly rated recruits and maybe some transfers with significant playing experience for Power Five programs that have less rigorous academic standards than Michigan's. Michigan won't bend the rules to accept for admission a great football player who doesn't meet the university's academic standards.
Michigan's "rigorous academic standards" and the city of Ann Arbor both are PROs as far as I'm concerned when evaluating the university's ability to attract top-ranked STUDENTS, professors and administrators. I'm not so sure that they become positive features for top-ranked FOOTBALL PLAYERS who have NCAA eligibility.
FULL DISCLOSURE: As an out-of-state parent who happily paid a lot of money for one of my children to be able to receive the six years of top-rated education that led to that child gaining "Double Wolverine" status, the University of Michigan and the city of Ann Arbor are the leaders and best, as far as I'm concerned. But that child was not a superstar athlete in high school and I'm not a prospective football coach.
November 8th, 2020 at 9:11 AM ^
Hard pass on the BoB
November 8th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
One of the 3 worst coaches in the NFL. Until he was fired.
November 8th, 2020 at 9:40 AM ^
Fuck and no
November 8th, 2020 at 10:00 AM ^
I would say no.
NFL guys tend to hold that option of returning to the NFL over the heads of an AD. I understand that, when getting a top college coach, they usually have an option to go to another college if their "dream" job is available, but most stay until they are run out of town.
Successful college coaches try the NFL and usually fail and return to college. (Holtz, Saban, ...)
NFL coaches can go to college make a boat load of money, then return to the NFL. Except for maybe Lovie Smith and Charlie Weiss. (Pete Carroll,...)
November 8th, 2020 at 10:14 AM ^
John Harbaugh
November 8th, 2020 at 10:16 AM ^
If Kelley had to play in the big ten east like us they would never make it to the championship game. They get to hand pick there schedule. They don’t have to play osu psu every year. Also we seem to get Wisconsin every year.
November 8th, 2020 at 12:08 PM ^
Exactly. I would like to see what they would be like if they played 4 - 6 ranked teams every year.
Hand picking your opponent b/c you have some kind of "tradition" is the easy way out.
November 8th, 2020 at 10:19 AM ^
I’d take it.
November 8th, 2020 at 10:57 AM ^
1. Kyle Wittingham
2. Luke Fickell
3. Matt Campbell
4. Brent Venables
5. Dave Aranda
November 8th, 2020 at 11:02 AM ^
Yeah I definitely want a guy who decided to trade away one of the best WRs in the NFL for nothing more than a broken RB who had one good year like five years ago and some duct tape. Absolute fantastic roster management....
Take a chance on a young up and comer who runs a modern scheme, knows how to recruit, and who has zero ties to Michigan. Someone who can come in with a complete fresh perspective and tell us how it really is. I don’t want someone to come in and blow smoke up our ass about how great we are just because we’re Michigan. Someone who is brutally honest about where we’re lacking and what we need to do to catch up to the rest of the college football world.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:03 AM ^
Or...or...or... maybe don’t hire yet another old white guy from one of the old white guy trees. Go young. Give someone else a chance. 95 percent of those other guys are just retreads.