Exerpts from JUB on WTKA this morning
John U. Bacon talked to Sam on WTKA this morning. Here are some of the more interesting things he said:
1. The administration's timeline for picking a new AD may be very different than the fans' timeline. He referenced athletics/football as being "not Schlissel's thing."
Neither JUB nor Sam have heard anything about having a new AD by the end of this month. JUB referred to "very good sources" who haven't mentioned this...Note: JUB was not saying that Michigan won't have a new AD by the end of the month. He just hasn't heard that it will.
2. He mentioned that, in his opinion, it's easier to hire a new AD quickly than it is a coach. He also said that it might be more important for the new AD to have Michigan ties than the new coach, because the new AD will have to unify various factions.
3. Hackett, not Schlissel, appears to be running things as far as finding a permanent AD.
4. He thinks Coach Hoke will be back if he manages to beat OSU and finish 7-5. He believes Michigan would prefer not to make a change. EDIT: Let me add one thing: He was talking about this in the context of saying Michigan is conservative (in a non-political sense) when it comes to making changes with regard to any issue.
5. He thinks there's a 50-50 chance of landing Jim Harbaugh if Michigan fires Coach Hoke. He said it's "far from a done deal" and said Harbaugh wouldn't come back to college for any other program.
6. He thinks an experienced AD will be important if Michigan can't land Jim Harbaugh.
7. He would "bet against" Michigan landing John Harbaugh.
8. The "Michigan Man factor" will be an issue when hiring a coach but not an overwhelming one. He thinks Michigan learned from hiring Coach Hoke that being a "Michigan Man" is overrated.
November 7th, 2014 at 6:08 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^
If Hoke returns, I expect to see maybe 80,000 fans to start next season against Oregon State, especially after the week one loss at Utah.
November 7th, 2014 at 12:43 PM ^
And, it puts his successor in the same spot Rodriguez found. I don't think it happens. The embarrassing losses to ND and MSU are enough.
November 7th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^
This program is in shambles. There will be so many empty seats if Hoke comes back and the recruiting will suffer because coaches in their final year of a contract are either fired or extended. Imagine if he comes back and starts 4-1 or something, they might give him an extension. It would be the end of Michigan Football as we know it. I can't enjoy games now because of how badly I want Hoke gone. I can't really root hard for Michigan and I can't root against them. If OSU is gonna win, win big and put the final nail in the coffin.....There is no scenario where Hoke staying is a positive for the program. Revenues will drop, Season Ticket holders disappear and the student angst starts up again......Schissel/Hackett, please see the forest for the trees, in this case change is a good/necessary thing.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:02 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 1:07 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^
He's NOT coming back - that is certain.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
Thirded. This is the first season in a long time that I haven't gone to a game. I just drove over to Ryan Stadium to get a look at the Michigan equipment truck. When I saw it, instead of being excited, I was kind of like "meh." That's a sad state of affairs right there.
November 7th, 2014 at 11:10 PM ^
I have continued to go to games, but I don't feel any of the same excitement I used to feel for Michigan Football. I want to see leadership that is willing to replace the current staff. An unwillingness to move on in my mind is more about taking care of people close to the program rather than a committment to winning football or addressing the paying customers concerns.
Keeping Hoke for me would feel very much like the Brandon emails. It would be saying to me that they really don't care about season ticket holder sentiment.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:08 PM ^
dominated by MSU the last two years. The PR gaffes and the "not fully aware" coach who seems clueless to what is happening around himare reason to retain him if he finishes the season strong against conference bottom feeders and an OSU team that hasn't had a quality win all year. The standards for this program have fallen to epically low levels. I beg that the Pres and Hackett take the entire body of work into account and the effect it will have on the future. They won't be able to give away the suites if Hoke is back again.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^
5. He thinks there's a 50-50 chance of landing Jim Harbaugh if Michigan fires Coach Hoke. He said it's "far from a done deal" and said Harbaugh wouldn't come back to college for any other program.
7. He would "bet against" Michigan landing John Harbaugh.
Huh? doesn't add up - you wouldn't bet at all if you believe your odds are 50%.
Not saying he didn't say both these statements.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 1:21 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 2:12 PM ^
Woops - missed that pertinent point. Thanks
November 7th, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^
This, and he said that: (A) there's a 50-50 chance of landing Jim if Michigan fires Hoke and (B) there's a non-zero chance that Michigan keeps Hoke. Put those together, and even if he had said that he'd "bet against" Michigan landing Jim, that would be a better than 50-50 bet.
TL;DR version: Your post didn't make any sense and my post hardly makes any sense.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
There are two harbaughs. One is getting run out of san francisco. The other is not leaving the ravens and the only place anybody thins there is a chance of it is on this blog for really no apparent reason other than, Harbaugh! and he wasn't super happy with not kicking rice off the team immediatley.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^
I'm calling BS on all of this report. I could see it happening if Michigan were to blowout NW, Maryland, and completly obliterate Ohio State and their bowl opponent, but there is no way that is happening. It's clear that alumni and students wanted anyone associated with this year's football team cleared out, or else they wouldn't have called for the head of the whole athletics program to be fired. If Hoke comes back, that means alumni are going to stop donating because he is Hoke and not Golden Boy Jim, and season ticket sales for students are still going to struggle, one of the reasons that ousted Brandon.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:31 PM ^
he isn't predicting this will happen. He is saying if A happens, there are odds that B will happen.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:26 PM ^
Sorry if I am going off-topic here, but is there any chance that Hoke gets the Earle Bruce treatment and gets terminated before The Game but is allowed to coach it?
November 7th, 2014 at 1:27 PM ^
and kinda leaning toward the status quo. There must be something in the water there. I can't put much stock in anything I hear on TKA these days. Probably because I disagree, but hey, I guy can dream can't he?
November 7th, 2014 at 1:44 PM ^
Sam has been very forthright in stating that he's never going to call for any Michigan coach to be fired, at least publicly on-air, and my guess is Ira would say the same thing. I respect that. Given the close relationship between WTKA and the athletic programs at UM, it would be counter-productive to say the least for either of them to start calling for Hoke's head—or any coach's head—on their show. If you think that's "toeing the company line" or whatever other term you want to use, then you'll have to listen to Detroit radio to hear radio guys openly calling for Hoke to be fired. That's not going to happen on WTKA unless unusual circumstances going beyond wins and losses occur.
If you've listened to them as long as I have, you'll be able to listen between the lines and discern what their views are even if they don't come out and state them directly. Sam has said many times over the past few weeks that Jim Harbaugh is the obvious #1 choice to be the new coach if Hoke is let go. You can read into that statement what you want; I certainly do.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:32 PM ^
"50-50" to get harbaugh huh?
I've always hated hypothetical percentages - they're meaningless in the sense that they can't be verified after something happens.
Expecting a successful NFL coach and hyper-competitive man who's been to a super bowl and not won it to abruptly change course, throw in the towel on the NFL, and go to a college team has always been far fetched, and more so when you consider the level of competition Michigan is going to have for Harbaugh. The Raiders and Dolphins, definitely. Harbaugh's spent more years with the Colts than Michigan. Perhaps his blood runs hot for the NFL now.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:47 PM ^
I'm sure Harbaugh's starting to realize his style wears thin on NFL players and management. He's not dumb (obviously, he went to Michigan), so I'm sure that'll factor into his decision. Is he willing to look past that and take another NFL job to try and get that elusive Super Bowl, knowing he may be looking for yet another job in 3-4 years? Who knows
November 7th, 2014 at 1:53 PM ^
But that's kind of where the 50-50 comes in to play. There are advantages to both places. The NFL is fickle. If you don't win, you'll be out quickly. You have a boss (GM) who has a boss (owner) who all have more impact than you on what players you have, etc. You are the "boss" of a lot of (sometimes) idiots who (often times) make more money than you and think that they know better than you and that their opinion is more important than yours. At this point, the money is about a wash. Success needs to be sustained or you're gone (JH went to two NFC champ games and still might be fired).
At Michigan, he cannot win a Rose Bowl. But he will have the ability to coach a team that has superior talent to almost any team he plays. His players will look up to him and do what he says (and stroke his ego). If he succeeds, he will get to write his own paycheck and will be kept for as long as he wants to stay. I'm also sure he has more of an emotional connection to UM than he has to the Dolphins or Raiders.
I'm not saying it's a done deal either, but there are lots of reasons he would want to come back to Michigan. The biggest one being that he'll likely need to find a new job anyway.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:24 PM ^
Not only that, but Harbaugh is the one guy EVERYONE wants to support. He would be like a diety for Michigan football who can do no wrong. And if he wins, his legacy would be up there with Bo. He may be a great NFL coach, but I don't think he's the next Lombardi for example. His legacy has a higher ceiling at UofM where he could truly be something special to the program.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:37 PM ^
Not everyone wants to support Jim Harbaugh. He may be the most wanted, but he is certainly not the unanimous choice. There were those (even on this blog) who spoke out against him 4 years ago.
November 7th, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^
I think that, given the desperate state the fanbase is in, 99.9999999999% of fans are willing to look past Harbaugh's personality flaws if he continues to win at the rate that he has in his career.
November 7th, 2014 at 3:30 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 10:57 PM ^
Are you sure you wouldn't want to see the Schwartz treatment with Dantonio or Urban? Imagine the rivalry after that!
Hell I'll even settle for not apologizing to other coaches!
November 7th, 2014 at 2:37 PM ^
I assume you mean he can't win a Super Bowl. Or when did the BIG discontinue its relationship with the Rose Bowl?
November 7th, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
Yes, that's what I meant.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:34 PM ^
I have been wondering how the coaching situation would be handled if Hoke could manage to win out. I have never been so torn about Michigan: every fiber of my being wants M to win the remainder of it's games, yet every fiber of my being wants Hoke gone.
This sucks.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:34 PM ^
If you ever wanted to see what it was like to have MSU take over Michigan Stadium, by all means bring Hoke back. They'll be the only people looking forward to that game, and chomping at the bit to kick us while we're down. At least we won't have to worry about being unable to give away tickets for that one.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
...Doctors say he has a 50/50 chance of living.........though there's only a 10% chance of that...
November 7th, 2014 at 1:49 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 1:50 PM ^
Harbaugh!!!
November 7th, 2014 at 1:56 PM ^
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November 7th, 2014 at 1:58 PM ^
Probably the part that are....fans? I get that fans are upset with Hoke but you are either a fan of Michigan and will stick by them because of the history, tradition, the best damn uniform in college football, a hatred of Ohio State and Michigan State, the great memories of former players and exciting moments in the Big House, a true love for the program....or you just like to be associated with a winning team. The latter is not a fan imho. Edit: Sorry this is in response to the question about what would happen to the fanbase if Coach Hoke remains.
November 7th, 2014 at 3:08 PM ^
you can't expect even the staunchest and most die hard fan to keep patience with the program when it's been 14 YEARS since the U of M/ OSU game has any semblance of equality to it. . . Or now that little brother has now won 6 out of 7.
November 7th, 2014 at 3:36 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 9:11 PM ^
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November 7th, 2014 at 6:58 PM ^
November 7th, 2014 at 10:46 PM ^
I want an Athletic Departement that values it fans and has the same commitment to winning and excellence that I have by continuing to support the team. They need to demonstrate that they are willing to get a new coach committed to "excellence". This is D1 Football, not a club sport. Winning is the most significant part of the job. The other stuff associated with being a decent human being is expected of anyone that is hired. It is not unique to Hoke.
November 7th, 2014 at 1:58 PM ^
Hoke will probably get the firm handshake before the OSU game, because unless this team suddenly evolves in a week they won't be demonstrably better than they have for the past couple of years. You can dress it up with a win streak, but at this point Hoke isn't a savior and it is best for everyone to cut the cord and move on. And heck, if UM wins the last 4 and finishes with a nice record, it will be a good send-off. But Hoke isn't going to save his job with a couple of wins.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:03 PM ^
He thinks Coach Hoke will be back if he manages to beat OSU and finish 7-5. He believes Michigan would prefer not to make a change.Sadly, this seems entirely plausible if only because it's such a Michigan thing to do. Have the planets and stars align to give you an excellent shot at upgrading to one of the highest regarded football coaches in the country, and pass on it to keep the guy you've got simply because he managed to turn 2-4 into 7-5. Nevermind the fact that the guy you've got, in his fourth season at the helm; who should have his team positioned to finished 9-3 or 10-2 and in competition to make the Big 10 Championship Game, had his team eliminated from contention by the first week of October. I want to believe that this can't happen, but it could soooo happen.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:20 PM ^
We will not beat Ohio State this year, so it's all moot.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:14 PM ^
7. He would "bet against" Michigan landing John Harbaugh.
This makes me a sad panda.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:21 PM ^
I don't think John was ever a serious candidate. He seems like he'll coach the Ravens for a long time, Ray Rice incident notwithstanding. If he wasn't Jim's brother, his name wouldn't even be brought up as a potential candidate. It's Jim or Les at this point, otherwise you're probably settling.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:20 PM ^
I don't see how we CAN'T fire Hoke regardless of how this season plays out. Not only because he's a bad coach who doesn't develop talent, etc But because we have already decimated this recruiting class due to uncertainty. Retaining Hoke would jeopardize the NEXT class as well becasue everyone will know he's basically a lame duck coach.
We have to fire him. If it's 50/50 we land Harbaugh, so be it. Do all we can to land him, and otherwise move on. We cannot let this drag down 2 recruiting classes and fall further in a hole.
November 7th, 2014 at 2:48 PM ^
Bacon points listed here.
I think that it is easy to see how Hoke could be retained if he wins out. By finishing 7-5 and then winning the bowl game, he would have won his last 5 games and 6 of the last seven. We have a young team with a lot of experience coming back next year including a new QB (3 to choose from) and Peppers. The team loves him and is still behind him. It avoids another big buy out this year. It gives more time for the AD search and more time for the new AD to hire a new coach for the following year if he/she chooses to.
It is all probably a moot point since it is more likely that we finish 0-3 thatn 3-0.