Plan B Candidates and their last day of the season
Schiano (kidding people) - Anytime
Fitzgerald - Anytime
Whittingham - 20th
Graham - 27th
Golden - 27th
Harbaugh (A) - 28th
Stoops - 29th
Shaw - 30th
Miles - 30th
Mullen - 31st
Mora Jr. - 2nd
I don't want to go into the New Year's Eve party not knowing. That could make for a bad New Year's day.
December 19th, 2014 at 5:53 PM ^
They wont be out on Harbaugh until he decides.
December 19th, 2014 at 5:56 PM ^
No. We can't wait forever. It's okay until the 1st after that it's clear we don't mean enough.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
Many of these Plan B guys are damn fine coaches.
But the Harbaugh mania has gotten so out of hand that I worry there will be genuine revolt even if we land what is objectively a "home run" like Les, Mora or Stoops. People are treating a 50% chance of Harbaugh like it's a sure thing and aggresively shouting down those who want to remain cautious. This whole situation is insane...
December 19th, 2014 at 6:18 PM ^
Yes. Jim may be the best but he is not the only. We can't end up w him being the only one in the pool ( swimming lanes) and getting to the other side, climbing out of the pool and saying , thanks but no thanks.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:46 PM ^
Stoops, Miles, Mora
December 19th, 2014 at 8:44 PM ^
Exactly. Great post. God forbid we don't land Harbaugh... 3/4 of the people here will be on suicide watch.
December 19th, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^
Yes they will be, but we wont know it as this website will crash due to the traffic or people will just bitch slap their pc....
December 19th, 2014 at 9:04 PM ^
As much as I want Harbaugh, I would be almost as happy with Stoops. It would be like getting turned down to go to prom by Cindy Crawford only to end up going with Elle McPherson. I know I'm dating myself, but what do you want, I'm in my 40's. I'm a man.
December 19th, 2014 at 9:26 PM ^
Although, I was always partial to Elle myself. Could be that she was on the cover of the first swimsuit issue I ever got. I also think she'd look great in khakis and a turtleneck..
December 19th, 2014 at 9:32 PM ^
Elle was Kate Upton before there was a Kate Upton. Oh, I had these girls all over my locker, and in my dreams. Kinda like Jimmy. IT'S HAPPENING!
December 20th, 2014 at 1:14 AM ^
in the same office as Kate's uncle...
December 20th, 2014 at 2:19 AM ^
You are right but really, all this consternation doesn't matter. If Harbaugh doesn't take the job, someone else will, and in the end they will sink or swim on their own merits. This noise is of no consequence. Sure, it's insane. But please, do not worry.
December 19th, 2014 at 7:17 PM ^
We can wait, if he's coming it won't matter if we wait
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December 19th, 2014 at 10:36 PM ^
But what if we wait and he doesn't come? There comes a point where the risk of Waiting outweighs the benefit.
December 19th, 2014 at 5:53 PM ^
Aka swim lanes to Hackett
December 19th, 2014 at 5:53 PM ^
Boooo
December 19th, 2014 at 5:55 PM ^
I find it interesting that neither Whittingham nor Mullen have signed extensions. Not being sarcastic here - Mullen had the type of year that would call for an extension (yes there is a 4 year max rule at MSU so maybe it is not worth it to extend him 1 more year) but Whittingham's contract ends in 2016 and we're seeing guys even 5 degrees of Kevin Bacon pinged as a UM plan F get extensions into 2020.
Fitzgerald?? Dude.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:03 PM ^
Mullen has to know he's probably fairly high on the list of Michigan Plan B candidates. Miss St isn't going to fire him if he waits a couple weeks to sign it so it can't hurt for him to just wait to see how things shake out with Michigan.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:08 PM ^
While not high on my personal list of plan Bs it is also interesting that Foley in his determined way to ruin Mullen, swiped his DC as well.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:12 PM ^
I wouldn't be shocked if Mullen has NFL aspirations.
disclosure: I am biased and do not want Mullen in Ann Arbor.
December 19th, 2014 at 8:46 PM ^
Mullen seems like a nice enough guy, but c'mon! He landed a great QB and had one great year.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
This may have been mentioned in a different thread, but can't the 49ers theoretically wait as long as they want once the season ends to trade Harbaugh? Couldn't they wait weeks or months if they choose to, in which case Harbaugh would have to resign to take the Michigan Job?
December 19th, 2014 at 6:04 PM ^
If Harbaugh wants Michigan, the 49ers have no way of stopping him.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^
Agreed. I wonder if he'd tell them they better have trade options immediately following the season or he's resigning. If he wants all options on the table including Michigan they'd have to agree to put trades together insanely quickly.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:23 PM ^
NFL teams aren't going to wait very long to fill their vacancies. Things move pretty fast once their seasons end.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
If we hired pat Fitzgerald I would jump off a building sixty floors above millions of helicopters. He's the worst candidate there is to me. The dude can't coach for shit.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:04 PM ^
I too would be very upset with that development. I'd rather see DeBord made permanent HC over Fitzjerald.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:10 PM ^
Don't even whisper things like "Mike DeBord as UM head coach". Don't even think them.
December 19th, 2014 at 8:04 PM ^
I'm still convinced that was the real plan for 2007, and was the reason Michigan was caught so flatfooted having to do a coaching search.
The 2006 team was ranked #2 going into the Ohio State game. The 2007 team was supposed to be even better with Henne, Hart, and Long as seniors.
The plan was for Lloyd to ride those horses into the sunset, win the Big Ten, go to the Rose Bowl, maybe even the National Championship. After that, Lloyd would announce Debord as his hand-chosen successor as head coach.
But then App State happened. Then Oregon. Then Henne and Hart got hurt. At that point, the chatter was of Lloyd being "forced" to retire, not about him being in any kind of postiton to annoint successors.
December 19th, 2014 at 7:25 PM ^
Nooooooooooooooooooo f'ing wayyyyyyyyyyyyy
December 19th, 2014 at 6:09 PM ^
Wasn't Hoke 4-0 vs Pat?
With all due respect to Hoke, that's damning alone.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
UM probably executed their only two successful 2 minute offenses under Hoke.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^
He purposely lost that game to us to help Brady out, and so he wouldn't have to field a call from us. That is the only reasonable explanation I can come to for that game.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:05 PM ^
You mean the one where I am? In Evanston? Lol.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:08 PM ^
The coaching decision shouldn't be made until New Years. If the coaching decision is made in 2014, we will not get Harbaugh. If I were to describe 2014 in one gif, this would be it...
#2014
December 19th, 2014 at 6:09 PM ^
As soon as Harbaugh says yes or no, you will know that next day. This doesn't make it to the 30th.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:14 PM ^
The date Harbaugh announces acceptance of the coaching position to the U of M.
It is going to be One Hell Of a NEW YEARS EVE CELEBRATION!
I am serious, lots of chatter on this date.
Go Blue!
December 19th, 2014 at 8:06 PM ^
Damn, that will be a party.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
I wouldn't be "happy" about it – only because after the Harbaugh hype it would seem very overpromised and underdelivered – but I'd love to see Les finish his career coaching Michigan. He's a slick and entertaining guy. Everyone is blowing his age, 61, COMPLETELY out of proportion. Saban (63), Dantonio (going on 59), Briles (59), Riley (61), Cutcliffe (60). Les is a cool chap, has a late 40s pep in his step.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:32 PM ^
He does a nice job dyeing his hair as well.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:33 PM ^
I do agree with you on the Les Miles age being really blown out of proportion. 50 is the new 30, so 60 must be around 35/40 he has alot of coaching to do. If for some unforseen reason Harbaugh cannot accept the job Les is an excellent coach. Harbaugh brings exactly what the players need.
Harbaugh!
December 19th, 2014 at 7:42 PM ^
This is not someone half of our alumni base and our University's current president is going to be happy with.
December 19th, 2014 at 8:37 PM ^
that turned out really well.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:37 PM ^
my next call is to Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. To me, he should Plan B1.
December 19th, 2014 at 6:41 PM ^
This might sound like blasphemy here, but Stoops is my Plan A, he has the track record and he's stay for 10 years. He also has an $11 Million buyout though.
December 19th, 2014 at 7:30 PM ^
Not blasphemy. Maybe not popular in here, but not blasphemy.
December 19th, 2014 at 8:09 PM ^
Yes. He has a Harbaugh-level of success without the drama.
I wonder if/how hard Florida went after him?
December 19th, 2014 at 8:34 PM ^
Definitely not blasphemy except to well almost everyone ;)
Stoops has a Bo S like winning % over 16 years in the modern erra with scholarship limits, a NC, and has dominated his conference for almost his entire time. If he was at Michigan he'd be viewed in a Bo like stature. I think he was an agent play at $6M but if we are serious about $7M+ type offers he may not just be an agent play.
Stoops is basically an even more successful version of Miles (who in himself is wildly successful) without the SEC recruiting issues, and from friggin Youngstown OH. And he is only 54 even with all that experience.
In many ways a lot more sure thing than Harbaugh. We are going to be facing NFL rumors every offseason with Harbaugh - Stoops you don't get that. If Stoops were to come he is basically the coach for the next 12 years.
There is a ton of receny bias but 1 year ago at this time coming off a beating of Saban Stoops would be lusted after "OMG a guy who has been dominant for a decade AND can beat Bama? Yes please."
Stoops and Miles belong in their own category and everyone else is a different level; that is 26 years of experience with a winning % between them of 79%! (Bo was 80%).
Next level down, I'd take Whittingam and his decade worth of track record over Mullen or Mora but I know I am in the minority as he has the "least known name". Whittingham is a middle income man's Gary Patterson.