CC: Who are your top 5?
I've got:
1. Kyle Wittingham:
Pros: Proven winner. Clean. Can beat teams he's not expected to.
Cons: 60. West coast guy.
2. Luke Fickell:
Pros: built a winner at Cincy. Young. Midwest guy. Knows OSU/rivalries
Cons: OSU guy (I guess)? Not a power 5 coach? Smaller track record.
3. Matt Campbell:
Pros: Young. Midwest guy. Power 5 coach.
Cons: hasn't built a winner at ISU (yet)
4. Brent Venables:
Pros: Top notch DC. National titles.
Cons: No HC experience.
5.Dave Aranda:
Pros: Top notch DC. National title. Knows the Big 10.
Cons: No HC experience.
Whatcha got?
November 8th, 2020 at 10:56 PM ^
I have some choices in mind but I want to focus on Venables for a bit...
I'm amazed at how many people keep mentioning Brent Venables. He has his flaws too.
- Did you all not watch his defense give up 500+ yards to Ohio State last season? (If we're being real for a sec, Clemson was *very* fortunate to win that game. Even ignoring Buckeye miscues in the redzone in the first half, Clemson loses if Olave doesn't run the wrong route in the endzone.)
- How about giving up 600+ yards and 42 points to LSU last year? (And LSU could've added another TD to make it nearly 50.)
- How about giving up 500+ yards to Notre Dame last night? (Yes, Clemson was missing 3 players on defense but Clemson recruits exceptionally well and has good depth.) Heck, Don Brown did a much better job of defending against Notre Dame 2 years in a row.
The point: no one (including Saban or Kirby Smart) has an answer for a high-powered offense with a good/great OL and/or elite QB.
Want to see Michigan beat Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, etc? Michigan should be prepared to score 35 points minimum.
Also, if you think Venables hasn't been on the wrong end of a beatdown...let me refresh your memory about 2013 #5 Florida State humiliating #3 Clemson 51-14 in Death Valley. (Clemson added a TD in the final minute to make it look better.) It was that game which made Jameis Winston the frontrunner for the 2013 Heisman. People have forgotten about Clemsoning. (Remember when that was a thing? How times have changed...)
Btw, did you all watch Kirby Smart's elite Georgia defense get eviscerated on Saturday by Dan Mullen's Gators? It was reminiscent of Georgia getting destroyed by Alabama earlier in the season and LSU last season in the SEC Championship. So yeah...
Michigan has recruiting/developing/scheme issues at DT, CB, and S. Fine. What is Bama's excuse? What is Georgia's excuse? What is Clemson's excuse?
Note: I don't want anyone to misinterpret what I wrote. I'm not saying Venables is or isn't the long-term answer. (His former employer Bob Stoops went from DC for Steve Spurrier at Florida to HC at Oklahoma and did quite well.) But I am warning those who think Venables is the magical fix to Michigan's issues against elite offenses. Those individuals are living in a fantasy and aren't actually paying attention.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:45 PM ^
Thank you. Couldn’t have said that any better
November 9th, 2020 at 7:37 AM ^
I hear Trump will be available towards the end of January
November 9th, 2020 at 8:28 AM ^
Biden will be available in a year or year and a half. Of course dementia will have set in. You arent the only one with jokes. Sadly I am not joking however. Seen it with my Grandpa
November 9th, 2020 at 9:14 AM ^
Except Trump being available in January is a reality while you are just trying to grasp to straws. Cheers!
November 9th, 2020 at 9:26 AM ^
If you dont think Biden has mental cognitive issues you have head your head in the sand. Wanna bet on the 25th amendment being invoked during his term?
November 9th, 2020 at 9:27 AM ^
If you dont think Biden has mental cognitive issues you have head your head in the sand. Wanna bet on the 25th amendment being invoked during his term?
November 9th, 2020 at 10:19 AM ^
1) Current Lame Duck POTUS has slurred speech and misuses phrases - in ways he never had in interviews from his youth. Biden has always had a stutter. (If indeed this is the straw you wish to grasp to) Anyways, sorry the “Biden mental decline” square from Trumpist bingo didn’t help out in the election.
2) If indeed Joe is in serious decline during his presidency, and can’t fulfill his duties, I have faith that he and his family and inner circle would have the grace and accountability to have him step away from the office. Meanwhile, Orange Mussolini still can’t concede defeat and is making a mockery of our democracy. Seems one is already living in a dangerous, delusional reality that is harming our country.
November 9th, 2020 at 11:19 AM ^
I certainly wouldn't defend Trump's behavior, but to say Biden is just stuttering like he always has is a little beyond. He's not sharp.
I can't believe people can look at Trump and say he's in mental decline while looking at Biden and say he's fine... I just don't know.
November 9th, 2020 at 11:14 AM ^
How dare you say the truth about Sleepy Joe? Just because it's obvious to anyone who takes a look at him doesn't mean you can say it.
November 9th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
somebody has sand in their clit
November 9th, 2020 at 7:38 AM ^
Shifting into a different channel:
https://clemson.rivals.com/news/the-story-of-brent-venables
His candidacy aside, that's quite a story.
November 9th, 2020 at 8:37 AM ^
Well said. Also, Venables is 50 years old and seems perfectly content to be a DC at Clemson; programs have come sniffing around for a long time and he hasn't jumped. So if he hasn't taken a crack at other programs I'm not interested in UM being his first attempt at major P5 coaching.
November 9th, 2020 at 9:18 AM ^
ding ding ding - finally.
It would be different if they guy had a shut down defense. He doesnt.
November 8th, 2020 at 10:57 PM ^
Dave Aranda is the current head coach at Baylor
November 8th, 2020 at 10:57 PM ^
1. Luke Fickell
2. Mark Stoops
3. Matt Campbell
4. Jeff Hafley
5. Neal Brown
Id be happy with anyone on that list. Neal is a personal favorite because the dude has the 3rd best class in the Big 12 despite being a million miles away from the footprint at WVU and has proven there and at Troy he can make an offense out of scraps that get the job done. I’d love to see him at a place like Michigan where he can get top end players.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:24 PM ^
Pretty close to my list too. Need someone that's run a program before and built and sustained success. Familiarity with the Big Ten recruiting footprint is a big plus too -- gonna be a lot of work to do on that front.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:25 PM ^
Let's try best 2 out of 3 with WV coaches.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:30 PM ^
Neal Brown is an interesting idea. Ready to hire another coach from West Virginia? Hafley would be a very interesting get. Only in his first year at BC.
Idle thought. What came down between Joe Moorhead and Mississippi State?
November 8th, 2020 at 11:42 PM ^
He took over the best roster in Mississippi state history and didn’t win enough with it. Now a big reason why is the offense Mullen was running was basically the triple from shotgun and Moorhead is a pass first coach, and States excellent option QB who could hit some play action and screens just could not handle being in a pass first system.
It’s not like Moorhead was a disaster. He never lost to Ole Miss and he went to a bowl.
November 9th, 2020 at 11:10 AM ^
Bob Stoops. He wants to get back in to the college game.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:12 PM ^
I really like Chris Klieman. He's going to get a better job, might as well be here
November 9th, 2020 at 12:20 PM ^
Nice list, but I would add Mario Cristobal and Pj Fleck.
Fleck would certainly not be my first choice but at least the guys would play hard for him unlike our players who sleepwalk during games which is indicative of our head coach’s new personality.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:04 PM ^
1) Meyer
2) Cristobal
3) Tom Allen
4) Campbell
5) Fickell
November 8th, 2020 at 11:25 PM ^
Cristobal....
November 8th, 2020 at 11:26 PM ^
Cristobal has to be near the top of my list for coaches I think we can actually get and who I'd want.
Obviously Tom Allen is a pretty good coach, but it's funny people want him while talking about how they're tired of Lloyd guys considering he has 2 Lloyd guys on his staff, including the OC, who just wanted to run up the gut over and over on first down unsuccessfully against Rutgers. They're benefiting a lot from Michigan and Penn State being down right now.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:47 PM ^
Cristobal isn’t getable. He’s able to sign to top 10 classes that blow every single pac 12 program away and rule over the conference. Why leave that to try to go to war with Ohio State at a place he has no ties to?
he wasn’t willing to ditch Oregon after just a year, but if that Miami job came back open in a couple of years, he may not be able to turn down mama calling a second time. If he’s gonna leave the monster he’s putting together in Oregon, it’s going to be for his alma mater or like, if Saban retires from Alabama.
November 9th, 2020 at 5:34 AM ^
That may be. I don't know if he'd come here or not; I just think it's more reasonable than some other names out there like Mullen or Urban. One reason I think it's possible is Michigan could pay him more. OSU is better now, but if someone can get USC up and running they could be just as good if not better.
November 9th, 2020 at 8:20 AM ^
Phil Knight’s bank account says hi.
November 9th, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
Because coaches are some of the ultimate competitors and imagine being that guy who got Michigan over the hump.
It’d be hard to walk away from the Oregon job, but regardless how bad Michigan is at the moment, it’s still a more prominent job.
November 9th, 2020 at 9:34 AM ^
I like him too but I think he’ll continue to build a successful program at Oregon until Alabama opens up, then becomes the highest paid coach in the country after the Alabama-Oregon bidding contest is done
November 8th, 2020 at 11:11 PM ^
1. Urban Meyer
2. Urban Meyer
3. Urban Meyer
4. Matt Campbell ISU
5. Bryan Harsin BSU
November 8th, 2020 at 11:11 PM ^
Can any of these people affect admissions standards for UM like Kelly did for ND?
November 8th, 2020 at 11:25 PM ^
We're not fucking Stanford or Yale. It ain't THAT hard to get football players in here.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:35 PM ^
Unless you're Rich Rod
November 9th, 2020 at 12:35 AM ^
No Fly Zone
November 9th, 2020 at 2:54 AM ^
Or have a fuck lion
November 8th, 2020 at 11:11 PM ^
I don't really have a top five list. I would just prefer someone on the offensive side of the ball. Who has a modern spread that is their own and they can teach the intricacies of it and recruit to it.
Matt Campbell is interesting. Iowa State never won 6 big 12 games prior to his arrival. He has beat some teams with a clear talent disadvantage.
Billy Napier is also intriguing to me.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:15 PM ^
1. Vince Lombardi
2. Knute Rockne
3. Paul Brown
4. Bear Bryant
5. Bill Walsh
Honorable Mention: Red Auerbach
November 8th, 2020 at 11:34 PM ^
Where the fuck is Belichick on that list? And you Honorable Mention Red Auerbach and you don't mention Scotty Bowman? Or Sparky Anderson?
I'm very disappointed.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:39 PM ^
Double post. Nothing to see here. Move along.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:19 PM ^
Mario cristobal
justin Wilcox
fickell
campbell
joe Brady
November 9th, 2020 at 12:37 AM ^
My crystal ball says Cristobal. Give me a young guy with a ton of energy that wants to win at the highest level of collegiate football. Fickell would also be a good choice. Campbell is solid. Any of these three would right the ship quickly at Michigan and have us competing evenly again with OSU.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:19 PM ^
Im happy you are not in charge of choosing our next HC
November 8th, 2020 at 11:20 PM ^
Matt Campbell? Why the hell would we want that guy?? Kyle whittingham? Meh.
November 9th, 2020 at 2:26 AM ^
Matt Campbell has done a good job with Iowa state. He has his team fired up for big games. I’m with you on Kyle Whittingham.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:23 PM ^
Mullen and Campbell are the only two realistic options I would be excited about.
I'd probably be cool with Chris Klieman if he got a big money offensive coordinator.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:24 PM ^
Mullen!? That guy just starts laughing and hangs up immediately.
November 8th, 2020 at 11:23 PM ^
I'd prefer Meyer not to get anywhere near te program
November 8th, 2020 at 11:30 PM ^
Don't like winning? It's called cognitive dissonance, you'll learn quickly if we start winning.