Hanging Onto Brandon Gives Michigan the Best Chance At Harbaugh For Next Season--Sam Webb

firing Dave Brandon if it means Hoke stays for one more year.

Three fairly prominent and respected observers (JUB, Sam, and Brian) all offer varying takes on the outcome of the Brandon and Hoke situation(s) recently. In one of these cases (Brian) his comments are based on sources, though with the two others that seems also likely since all these guys no doubt value their credibility. Why do I get the feeling these are selective leaks to respected opinion leaders intended to gauge the reaction of the fan base?

That's not what he said. Webb said that Schlissel is taking his time with due diligence and it might mean that Brandon isn't fired until a few weeks.  Once Brandon is fired, there's another process to hiring the new AD and he'll take his time with that too.  Once the new AD is hired, tje new AD won't likely  have time to properly evaluate Hoke before recruiting for 2015 is done, so it means we might be stuck with Hoke for another year.   ****Sam's EXCEPTION:  If Michigan's  record is such that firing Hoke is the obvious answer, then there is no review necessary - he can be fired relatively quickly by the new AD and a new coach hired soon after. 

Webb also said in another thread the Brandon /Hoke disharmony is real and that they wouldn't be able to work together, so Harbaugh's not coming with Brandon here, so that part of your post is wrong. 

IMO, Harbaugh won't likely be available next season - it's now or never for Harbaugh.  He won't work with Brandon, so Brandon has to go.  There is no way in the world they are crazy enough to keep Hoke into his lame duck year and they'd be even crazier to extend him. 

Fire Brandon!  Fire Hoke!  Do it ASAP!!

and I was nearly crucified.  Regardless of how we feel about Brandon, I think he has more incentive and perhaps more freedom to spend whatever it takes to hire a home run coach.  Then he can say goodbye and leave.

The timing could be difficult. They would have to hire an AD very quickly to be ready to hire a football coach in January.   VERY quickly.  Might not be possible.  I think that is all he is saying--not that Harbaugh would even consider working for Brandon or that Brandon would even be able or want to hire Harbaugh.

I keep reading that DB passed on JH 4 years ago but are we sure that at the time that JH wanted the NFL gig instead? Do we really know for sure that DB blantanly passed on JH 4 yrs ago? I would like some clarity on that if anyone has any viable info on that topic

Sam's my guy when it comes to recruiting...

But I don't think I'd want him consulting for my Athletic Department.

How hard is it to back up an 18 wheeler full of cash into Jim Harbaugh's front yard?

if he doesn't support keeping Brandon.  He did the same thing with the boycott.  He kept saying that there are better ways to get the message across, but never mentioned one.  He seems to be supporting and covering for DB.  At this point, I cannot trust what Sam Webb says about this situation.  His objectivity is compromised.

If Brandon and Jim H are in the same room, the room might explode.  Brandon is a cancer to this program and Hoke is letting the program deteriorate around him.  They are bad for Michigan.

Hoke's fate will be sealed after the 24+ point loss on Saturday and then the massive empty sections at the next home game finish off Brandon. 

Long or Bates to come home as AD wouldn't take a month to complete.  The new AD will be here before OSU and Hoke is gone within weeks after OSU and Jim H comes home after the 49ers season ends.

Hire Jim Harbaugh at all costs. Brandon GTFO. Perhaps he and Funk can open an offensive line summer film clinic for all the linemen who miss out on all of the summer camps as Hoke mentioned.

one more year of Brandon means no coach over a MAC level for 3-5 years and the Harbaugh windows close, Miles is retired and no top tier coach would be interested ni Michigan anymore because we have then become Purdue.

Brandon has to be fired first and before OSU week.  Hoke can be canned within the week or so after OSU. 

If the Administration is seriously thinking about firing Brandon, then they have already gauged interest from a few potential successors through back door channels.  A new AD could be in placed in a few weeks and a Harbaugh (I pray) could be hired by Jan. 1. The way the 49ers are going, the Jim might be a quicker hire than John.  

I prefer Jim anyway, he has the grit and demeanor to hate and want to crush Dantonio and Meyer, something sadly missing in this current staff. 

Harbaugh will be coaching until Christmas.  There is plenty of time to line up an AD, evaluate the season, between the Ohio game and Christmas. 

But what I really hate about this is keeping Harbaugh hope alive based on sheer speculation. 

 

no other coach worth hiring, that would be able to fix this dumpster fire, would seem to be interested in taking the job.  MUllen is NEVER coming to Michigan, he's an SEC guy.  Patterson, although would be a pretty good get, probably not leaving TCU.

Jim Harbaugh is the home run we need.  Big name, strong personality and wins quickly.  WE don't need a another soft spoken coach or someone that is a "scheme" coach.  And the next coach has to be a big name cuz this program is living on borrowed time right now.

If Michigan doesn't get the right big name guy this time, it could be 5-7 years of crap and a lot of empty seats.  The administration has to get this right and get it right now.

Brandon has to go very soon and then set up the path to get Jim H.  He's the logical, common sense choice and the best choice to revive a program on life support.  And besides, no one in the coaching ranks understands Michigan better than he does.

Here's a long, interesting story ESPN did on Harbaugh earlier this month. Dunno if it was posted to the board, but I hadn't seen it before today:

 

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11625088/san-francisco-49ers-head-coa…

With Sam.

https://twitter.com/johnubacon/status/524773320966041600

I just remember Brandon saying in the Hoke intro presser that he did talk to Harbaugh but "when billionaire are throwing millions of dollars at him to go to the NFL...." and that JH was "a member of the Michigan football family"... hopefully that wasnt just bullshit

Is DB communicating (through his rumor spreading minions) that he can bring a Harbaugh if he's the athletic director? Sorry but that's how I'm reading this. A politician at work.

$ pay site

That line is total bullshit.

He used Harbaugh as a reference because he knows that is what the fanbase wants. He surmised that it isn't automatic that they just pluck from the list of AD candidates rumored out there. They could easily go with a search firm to vet out some candidates. Even if they did go with Long, Bates, etc. a transition in a position such as that takes time. He put that post together after talking to a lot of people and concluded that there may not be enough time to do both before next season. The best chance of that to happen is Brandom just resigning soon because the President is going to go through a process and take his time on this. He has been consistent on that even with the rumors of the AD's immediate demise.

My worst nightmare is coming true

If Harbaugh (either) will come here and Brandon is still here I can live with that.  I think Hoke isn't man enough to stand up to Brandon, whereas either Harbaugh would tell Brandon to piss off and let him win games.  Hoke can't say anything because he isn't winning enough.

No way.  Doesn't make sense.   Sam Webb is just dead wrong.  Hang on to Brandon and there is ZERO chance Harbaugh dons the maize and blue.

 

Fire Brandon now and put all the BS in the rear view mirror.

Webb is distributing to the public what his sources fed to him in the hopes that it reverses the "Fire Brandon" sentiment.   I don't think Webb is intentionally misleading people, but I do think he's being used by pro-Brandon folks who feed him info. 

It doesn't make any sense that keeping Brandon helps with Harbaugh. In fact, in another thread last night Webb  mentioned that the rift between Harbaugh and Brandon is real and that it would be highly unlikely that JH would agree coach at Michigan with Brandon as AD and it would be nerely impossible for the two to co-exist at Michigan. 

With Brandon as AD, there is no Harbaugh - that is the reality. 

Fire Brandon!  Fire Hoke! 

 

The Sam Webb is being a shill for the AD posts are quite hilarious when obviously 90% of the people responding do not have the subscription to read the whole article.

He said the AD is likely to be fired in that very post. The whole point to the article was the timeline was pushing it to replace the AD and the coach before next season. I do agree that it will be tougher the longer they wait on the AD. He made some valid points if you actually read the entire thing. It was probably messy of him to include Harbaugh, but he seemingly did that because that is obviously who the fanbase wants, but was not the point of the article. His point was because of TIMELINE in regards to replacing both the AD and the coach, the most likely way to land Harbaugh was Brandon to keep his job and take a swing at it. He was not shilling for the AD to keep his job, as he said in the same article that Brandon, was ice skating uphill.

Sam Webb, while walking a tightrope at times (and VERY skillfully I might add), is not a misleading person, nor is he being "used."  He shoots straight from the hip and still tries to find a middle ground wherever possible.  It takes courage for a guy to hold his ground the way he does. 

People are looking for "right" and "wrong" answers at a time when the dice are still up in the air.... it's obvious that DB has been given a template for keeping his job.  Whether he can do it or not... ah, that is another betting matter entirely......

...of his historical ties to Ann Arbor and the school and because he knows he can return the football program to national prominence.  That accomplishment  would be his legacy.  In adddition, Harbaugh knows that:

• He has an opportunity to eliminate the Kinesiology 'requirement' for football players that currently exists
• He'd enjoy molding the new, young QBs currently on UofM's team and doing so with new ones in future years
• He can write his Job Description such that the AD has limited control over the HC and the football program
• He can bring his own staff with him
• He'd love to coach against Urban Meyer (and restore the '10 year war' scenario)
• He'd also relish coaching against Dantonio and MSU
• There are no downsides to leaving SF for Michigan because he won't fail as HC

All my opinion of course, but I think it fits.

has almost as much weight as my opinion on that question, or that of any other random poster on this or any other interwebs messageboard.