Al Borges Fired
File photo
Per the Athletic Department, offensive coordinator Al Borges has been fired. Here's the entirety of the press release:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke announced today (Wednesday, Jan. 8) that offensive coordinator Al Borges will not be retained for the 2014 season.
"Decisions like these are never easy," said Hoke. "I have a great amount of respect for Al as a football coach and, more importantly, as a person. I appreciate everything he has done for Michigan Football for the past three seasons."
Prior to joining U-M in 2011, Borges was a member of Hoke's staff at San Diego State in 2009 and '10.
The Wolverines will begin spring practice on Feb. 25 and finish with the annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 5, at Michigan Stadium.
The fallout will be covered in exhaustive detail in the coming days. One interesting candidate—coincidentally, from Borges' former school—is rumored to have been contacted by Brady Hoke regarding the now-open position, according to coachingsearch.com:
A source tells me that Brady Hoke has reached out to UCLA offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Noel Mazzone and at least one NFL assistant, though Mazzone isn't likely to leave for Ann Arbor.
Mazzone runs an "uptempo no-huddle spread," according to Chris Brown (Smart Football); even if he's not interested in the job, moving in that direction would certainly please the people who write for this here blog. As for recruiting, it's unlikely the class of 2014 will be affected much, if at all, and there's plenty of time to make up any lost ground in the 2015 class. Again, we'll have much, much more on this in the coming days.
January 8th, 2014 at 5:58 PM ^
This decision had to be made!
January 8th, 2014 at 6:53 PM ^
otherwise Hoke has a credibility problem given he stated a few weeks ago he did not anticipate any staff changes. Granted, "anticipate" is a weak word but the message was clear "I do not plan to fire anyone". He could have stated "everyone is under review as I am."
However, I do agree with the decision so long as the OL coach is fired as well. If he remains, nothing will change.
I love the idea of going after Mazzone. He has transformed UCLA's offensive.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:24 PM ^
Some of you people take coach speak way too literally. No coach "anticipates," publicly, at least, that they will make staff changes. If my boss is thinking about firing people on our team, no one will know about it until it happens. This is even more important in sports where these things are blown up by the media. A coach will always say everything is status quo until it's not. Do you know how fucked up recruiting would have been had Hoke said he was thinking about making staff changes 2 months ago?
Pat Haden was adamant that Lane Kiffin was his guy up until about 24 hours before he was canned. That's standard protocol.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:04 PM ^
The common place issuance of public statements of support ("He is our guy", "This person has our 100% support", etc.) has been so abused that they now have taken the complete opposite connotation. That someone has to state openly support now implied a lack of implicit support. The worst thing most public figure fear is being told that their superior has issued a public statement of "complete support".
January 8th, 2014 at 8:05 PM ^
Columbia, SC when Holtz was coaching the 'Cocks. The week before he was forced to fire his entire staff, to include his son, word was that no changes were anticipated.
January 9th, 2014 at 8:11 AM ^
but i have a suspicion that the guy is still right. I don't believe the fact that Brady Hoke saying a while back that he didn't anticipate any changes means a damn thing. Lots of BH's "coach speak" has proven to have less than an ounce of truth to it (which is fine by me, just to be clear).
That doesn't change the fact that DB could very well be the one who made this decision. There are many other things BH has said and done that lead me to believe this decision was either taken out of his hands entirely, or his hand was forced. That's just my opinion, but there it is.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:06 PM ^
wait a minute and maybe you will get it...
that said, I too feel that this is Brandon's decision... That puts Hoke firmly on the hot seat. I equivalize it to RR canning the D-coordinator and hope that it works better this second time through around here...
That said I am intrigued to see which dirrection we go and have to think that if we keep the checkbook open great things could happen.
I am hoping for a college coordinator with experience...
January 8th, 2014 at 8:45 PM ^
I disagree. I think this safely buys Hoke year five.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:52 PM ^
Never want to see a man and his family lose his job, but he was making enough and wasn't getting it done.
It was time to go and this was best for Michigan and Michigan Football.
That said, love Mazzone, I also love Mike Sanford who is at Stanford.
http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&ATCLID=208167745
January 8th, 2014 at 8:04 PM ^
I understand your sentiment, but these guys always find new jobs no matter how bad they do at their last one...Exhibit A: Norv Turner; exhibit B: Bobby Petrino
January 8th, 2014 at 8:39 PM ^
I watched the Rose bowl. I'm not interested in Mike Sanford.
January 8th, 2014 at 5:58 PM ^
This decision had to be made!
January 8th, 2014 at 5:58 PM ^
Well...I must say I have some guarded optimism for this outfit.
January 8th, 2014 at 5:58 PM ^
to go to ESPN and then effing mlive for more info. Damn you Mgoserver! Just now got back in.
January 8th, 2014 at 5:59 PM ^
Thank you baby Jesus!
January 8th, 2014 at 5:59 PM ^
I obviously want all coaches to be successful at UM, but he had to go.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
that it will affect 2014 because recruits weren't that tied to Borges, or because they don't have time to reconsider?
January 8th, 2014 at 6:05 PM ^
I think it is now apparent Borges is not tied to any (good) recruits.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:02 PM ^
That's ridiculous.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:21 PM ^
i think it wont have any effect on the 2014 recruits because all the offensive recruits are already enrolled
January 9th, 2014 at 7:57 AM ^
and the fact that Al didn't take part in recruiting. When an OC doesn't recruit it makes the fallout from firing them much less problematic. I mean, a person may select a team because of the "system" they run on one side of the ball or other, and if the coordinator is replaced with someone who runs something entirely different that may cause someone to look elsewhere, but other than that, they really don't have much of a relationship with Al at this point so losing him isn't going to mean much to them.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
It feels weird to celebrate a man losing his job, but yet I am more happy now than at any point during the season.
Hurray for 2014.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:09 PM ^
it is weird. I also think it's a bit harsh to use a headline saying that "___ is Fired." Even though it's true and we all know it, it seems a more pleasant to say "___ not to be retained" or "____ let go".
January 8th, 2014 at 7:03 PM ^
He wasn't "let go." He was fired.
January 8th, 2014 at 11:38 PM ^
I hate that weasel wording. My firm uses, "out-counseling" as if that's supposed to make the reality of the situation any different. In other words, a pig in a dress is still a pig, may as well call it what it is.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:34 PM ^
This news made me so happy I finally created an MGoAccount!
I get the schadenfreude Joe, but I don't feel it at all - with benefits he was sucking about a million a year from us to run our program into the ground.
So glad to turn a page, Go Blue!
January 8th, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^
damien harris could be affected. his coach and borges were chums.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:23 PM ^
offense. Don't see the issue. Its a business. just like the pros where this happens all the time. Is he a Michigan man our not?
I will say, I'd like to have this slot filled asap since there is another month of recruiting to go for '14 and '15 is well under way.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:40 PM ^
It's more than that. His high school coach was a grad assistant under Borges at Auburn. There is a real, tangible connection there.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:59 PM ^
"real, tangible connection" - let's hope by "real" you mean metaphorical.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:10 PM ^
Damian Harris retweeted Kentucky's QB, Drew Barker, today saying that he will be apart of their 2015 class.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:10 PM ^
but so be it... one recruit, or even one class, does not a team make or break.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:00 PM ^
Who do you like for the job, Mr Joppru? Anyone from when you were there?
January 8th, 2014 at 7:41 PM ^
Has its convention next week. I imagine that was the impetus for the timing of the change and Hoke will come away from that having either made a hire or having a pretty damn good idea who his shortlist is.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:11 PM ^
From what people have said, Harris was closest to Borges on the staff, and with him already getting soft on Michigan, Borges getting axed could come at the cost of a commitment from Harris. But it needed to happen, and there's a lot of time let to recruit 2015 kids still. So even if he opts out, there's plenty of time to rerecruit him.
And hey, the best recruiter for an offensive player is a good offense. So here's hoping they have that going for them in 2014.
January 8th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^
...then he may be gone.
That said, Borges had to go so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
Have to say I'm surprised. Not that it shouldn't have happened, just surprised. Thanks for providing discussion in the offseason coach Hoke!
January 8th, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
Go Blue!
January 8th, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
real reason for optimism here
January 8th, 2014 at 7:56 PM ^
I negged you for your creepy avatar. Feel free to neg back for my lack of avatar.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:05 PM ^
So damn happy to have this move be made. I just hope we bring in a solid OC who doesn't mind having a QB coach, gotta have a QB coach IMO.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^
They don't have room on the staff to add another postion coach.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
For some reason there seems to be this idea floating around that we actually went without a QB coach the last three years. (Recruiting would have been pretty difficult if that were the case.)
No - Borges was the QB coach, in addition to being the OC. That may be the case for his replacement as well, unless there is some shuffling of responsibilities.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:43 PM ^
Can we just rehire Al as the QB coach? /S!
January 8th, 2014 at 7:04 PM ^
har.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:05 PM ^
Like I said a month ago, this is a move Hoke HAD to make in order to buy himself more time. With this move Hoke can survive another middling year (which is what next year is going to be likely). If Borges was still around Hoke would definitely fired along with Borges next year.
I hope we get Hue Jackson.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^
There's hope for the future yet! I have a whole world of criticism for Al as a coach/coordinator, being solely responsible not just for many of the struggles of the offense as a whole, but also for making existing problems worse by his efforts, even so far as to lay several important losses solely at his feet. Was really sad, and even sick about it, when announcing earlier Hoke said everyone would be retained next year, but it's obvious that he likes to play it close to his chest and conduct his business behind closed doors, so I'm glad I reserved the same criticisms of him.
January 8th, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^
He seems like a decent man and I wish him well in the future. Unfortunately, a change was needed after last season's backslide.
Darrell Funk next?
January 8th, 2014 at 6:08 PM ^
Anyone know if incoming coordinators are typically allowed to make decisions about whether to retain or release their assistant coaches or if the decision typically resides with the head coach. In other words, what are we expecting ?
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