(ESPN RUMOR) Potential Coaching Moves

Submitted by robbyt003 on

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 Following the Wolverines' loss to Iowa on Saturday in which it was outgained 407 yards to 158 by the Hawkeyes and blew a 21-7 halftime lead, Michigan is 7-4 and Brady Hoke is approaching hot-seat territory. Some coaches I spoke with this week said, at the very least, he will likely have to part ways with offensive coordinator Al Borges. (If Michigan does open again, either this year or next, one trusted college football source suggested that LSU coach Les Miles could finally head home to his alma mater. “I’ll bet that’s where he goes and retires,” the source said.)

Mods feel free to delete if you think it's too much info from a paywalled article.  

petered0518

November 24th, 2013 at 5:36 PM ^

Les Miles strongest points as a coach are recruiting and a willingness to go out and get the best coordinators out there.  

Hoke is also already a fantastic recruiter and has half of the "go out and get the best coordinators available" going for him already.  Fire Borges, hire a well established, experienced OC and I am excited for the future.  I foresee Hoke essentially being a Miles style coach but not as shady in the oversigning department (and less crazy).

SFBlue

November 24th, 2013 at 5:47 PM ^

The theory that Hoke is a "coordinator coach" only works insofar has his coordinator picks pan out. And if that's true it should be clear to Hoke he needs to make a change. 

But Michigan's problems go beyond scheme.  The 2013 team is to blocking what the 2010 team was to tackling. 

FreddieMercuryHayes

November 24th, 2013 at 5:31 PM ^

Seriously? Les Miles? Isn't he like 70 now? No, other than terrible offense, the team is fine. The program is clean under Hoke, and recruiting great. Just need an offensive overhaul and UM will be back on the right track. No need to start over again with a new HC at this point. Talk like this is way premature.

mGrowOld

November 24th, 2013 at 5:32 PM ^

That simply cannot be true.  It is a known fact that the only people unhappy with the state of Michigan football today are cranky old men like me and insane internet posters.

Just ask the apoligists.  They will be quick to tell you that the only thing standing between Michigan and greatness is time.  If only the fantastic staff we have assembled is given enough time we will accomlish great things.  And only fair weather fans (like me) are keeping this impending wave of excellence of washing over the beach of our rivals through our doubts and questioning of the path we are on.  

SalvatoreQuattro

November 24th, 2013 at 5:36 PM ^

But demanding firing the entire staff after three years is so Notre Dame. Do you really want to be like Notre Dame and perpetuate mediocrity?

 

I'd say fire Borges and Funk and hire a new offensive staff. If that staff fails then fire Hoke. But we have to give him 5 years. There are promising aspects of this program(recruiting) that warrant a longer evaluation period. However, Hoke has to make changes to his staff.

 

Dantonio went 6-7 in Year Three. MSU stuck with him and look where they are now. Patience is sometimes a virture.

lilpenny1316

November 24th, 2013 at 6:40 PM ^

If we are asking the same questions about this team next year, then Hoke is probably done.  That would be three consecutive years of mediocre results.  Also, isn't Hoke the DL coach?  The position he coaches isn't doing that great either and needs to perform at a higher level in 2014.

I don't think any coach should be fired after three years.  I thought firing RichRod was a poor move and I think this would be the case as well.  You can keep a guy around just because he's winning National Signing Day.

Reader71

November 24th, 2013 at 9:27 PM ^

He's also winning football games. Even if we lose out, we will not have had a losing season during his tenure. This offense, which is just dreadful, will have led the team to a winning record. Why? Because the defense and special teams are good. The head coach is responsible for those parts of the team, too.

Fire Borges. I just cannot understand the people that want Hoke gone. He runs a clean program, he wins more than he loses, he is a great recruiter, his teams have a great attitude and never quit. In short, he is a good coach. His offense is terrible, though. That can change. You don't throw a good HC away because he has one bad offensive year.

SalvatoreQuattro

November 24th, 2013 at 5:32 PM ^

Sometimes coaches hire the wrong guy.(See:  Roushear, Dan) and those guys need to be replaced. Borges clearly isn't flexible enough to make the offense work and Funk methods just aren't working for these linemen.

tybert

November 24th, 2013 at 5:37 PM ^

Agreed on Roushar, MSU's two-yr OC. He looked smart with Cousins, Bell, Baker, and those good WRs and TEs. Last year, with Maxwell and lesser guys, he crashed and burned.

An MSU friend of mine told me how much heat Dicktonio was taking last year and he finally found a way to send Roushar to another place.

Hopefully, the new OC and OL and RB coaches can put together a B1G quality line and determine if Morris is the guy or whether Devin is fix-able.

MSU went 7-6 last year and lost 5 home games and was 3-5 in B1G. That's our fate this year.

goblue20111

November 24th, 2013 at 5:51 PM ^

What I worry about is how much of this bad playcalling is coming from a Hoke directive? Borges' past offense at Auburn wasn't this boring and predictable. 

Even Alabama and Stanford mix in some spread concepts and shotgun runs into their offense. My concern isn't so much 'manball' -- you have be tough to run a pro-style or an RR offense -- it's football but there are so many different ways to play manball. You can't just line up and say we're better and I dare you stop us. 

With the advances in S & C there is a lot more parity. I hope Hoke has the senses to go out and hire the best qualified candidate for the job and let him do his thing.

Yeoman

November 24th, 2013 at 9:05 PM ^

I've been wondering about that too. And it's not so much having "good people" as having experienced people. The first year at SDSU wasn't good; the second year, with basically the same players but an extra year of experience, and they were really really good considering it was SDSU. (Top 20 in the country in FEI is no joke there. They've never been close to that before or since.)

Maybe it was a rational choice--that first year wasn't going to be great anyway, so focus on development and getting them ready for the payoff the second year. Run the stuff you know you eventually want to run; trade a loss or two now, if it comes to that, in exchange for what's coming. If that's what happened I doubt there were any regrets about the choice.

bighouse22

November 24th, 2013 at 9:21 PM ^

Do you wind up saying ok, one more year after 2014 if he changes OCs?  Because that is what I can see happening.  I have the distinct feeling he will go with Borges again next year and then he will get to play the mulligan card then.  Then we will hear how the new OC should get at least 2 years to implement his system even though it is the same.

tybert

November 24th, 2013 at 5:32 PM ^

Michigan is my dream job, then the smoke would be flowing from Ann Arbor.

Borges kept his job for 2 years because Denard made incredible plays and Devin overachieved at the end of last year.

tybert

November 24th, 2013 at 5:44 PM ^

but he does have a connection to UM through his dad and during the time he was around the program in the 1970's. John went to WKU.

I don't really see either Harbaugh leaving the NFL for even this job. This isn't like Bo handing off to Mo.

Our best bet is Hoke smells the scalding hot coffee, re-tools the offensive side of the program completely (maybe keep the WR coach), and then gets B1G coach of the year like Dicktonio will one season after 7-6.

As for replacements, unless we could steal Todd Graham from ASU or Strong from Louisville, not sure a great coach is out there. Sumlin seems more likely for USC.

Swazi

November 24th, 2013 at 5:33 PM ^

Borges will go before Hoke.  That's a fact.  That link does give hope that Hoke is seeing how bad Borges is calling the offense have having them be redy, though.  Les won't be coming, but Cam might.

SFBlue

November 24th, 2013 at 5:33 PM ^

It should be clear to anyone by now that Miles to Michigan is just not going to happen.  Folks have been saying that since the 2007 season; this is the Rumor that Won't Die. 

 

Bando Calrissian

November 24th, 2013 at 5:34 PM ^

Feel like we're heading into the kind of territory where we've discovered the equivalent of the Michigan Hockey Summer™ for Michigan Football. Coaching hotseat rumors. Les Miles in the mix. Talking head speculation.

Michigan Football November™, here to stay.

Avon Barksdale

November 24th, 2013 at 5:59 PM ^

I live in the south now, where real football exists. You my friend, are looking like a fool. I don't give a good god damn what Hoke did at Ball State, because I've seen what he's done at Michigan. Cool, Ball State went 12-1 one time with Brady Hoke. Awesome, Al Borges also wasn't calling plays for him then. What has Brady Hoke done at Michigan to give you any indication that he is the right guy? We've been mediocre for 7 years now and that's not changing in 2014 either.

SalvatoreQuattro

November 24th, 2013 at 6:40 PM ^

You commented on his losing record. I pointed out how that record was attained. You now are attempting to poo poo that record because it doesn't fit your narrative. How wickedly asinine of you.

UM's decade long mediocrity is not on Hoke or Borges so I don't know why you are even bringing that up. As for what he has shown. Well, he did go 11-2, has wins over MSU, OSU, and ND, and his recruiting has been outstanding.

The fact that you live in the South is completely irrelevant as I in Michigan can watch SEC football games.

I would also point out to you that Mark Dantonio went 6-7 in Year Three and then 11-2 the next. But you would dismiss that as well because it too would not fit your narrative.

 

 

JT4104

November 24th, 2013 at 7:39 PM ^

LOL....ahh yes the Ball St "turnaround" 2 winning seasons in 6 tries. I love hearing about this great turnaround.

The real turnaround at BSU is actually happening right now...Pete Lembo has already matched Hokes 2 winning seasons in 3 tries and hasn't even been under .500 at Ball St.

24-12 currently at Ball St is a TURNAROUND.