FrankMurphy

December 11th, 2015 at 4:15 PM ^

I live in the Bay Area too and I agree, but if I'm a college football coach, Stanford and Palo Alto don't hold a candle to Michigan and Ann Arbor, weather notwithstanding. The only way I would choose the former over the latter is if it was a promotion (e.g., defensive coordinator at Michigan to head coach at Stanford).  

FrankMurphy

December 11th, 2015 at 4:19 PM ^

Well yeah; deciding between a head coaching gig and a coordinator gig is a different calculus. I'm hoping BYU doesn't offer him the job. Even if they do, I think Harbaugh can make the case that if he turns down the BYU job and comes to Michign as a coordinator, he'll set himself up for a better HC gig in a year or two. But I agree that it would be tough sell. 

MichiganUte

December 11th, 2015 at 1:52 AM ^

Living out here in Salt Lake City and having followed Stanford somewhat, I hope Michigan lands Anderson.

1. Stanford had a great defense in 2014. Although they dropped off this year, keep in mind that they lost a lot of talent from the 2014 defense but still remained one of the conference's top defenses (along with Washington and Utah).

2. Don't be too concerned by the stats. The Pac 12 is very offensive-oriented. While Oregon did a nice job vs. Stanford, top 25 offenses like Arizona and Washington State did not. The Big Ten only has 2-3 offenses that are the caliber of the top 5-7 in the Pac 12.

3. Michigan needs some help at LB next year. I think Anderson is the type of coach who can coach up the LB's. Stanford had an all-conference LB this year, Blake Martinez, and has been strong over the last several years at that position. 

4. Good recruiter. He has stolen a number of top recruits out of Utah including the 2015 Mr. Football, Simi Fehoko. He broke the hearts of Utah fans when the nation's #1 TE recruit and lifelong Ute fan Dalton Schultz chose Stanford over Utah a year ago.

5. A Harbaugh protege. His defenses are very physical. 

Go Blue!