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Jim Hackett’s Search For The Next Michigan Head Coach

By Alex Dale

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What a week it has been for Michigan football. Saturday, their 2014 season ended with a thud of a loss at Ohio State, dropping them to a final record of 5-7. Then Tuesday, in an equally unsurprising outcome, interim AD Jim Hackett announced the firing of Brady Hoke. Michigan now sits in a precarious position; they are without a permanent athletic director, a head coach or a consensus starting quarterback.

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First thing’s first, Hackett must now go find a new head football coach for Michigan. And despite the presence of some obvious candidates, this will be a challenging, delicate process for Hackett.

He stated at Tuesday’s press conference that the search will not be limited to “Michigan men”, which is no surprise as a public stance for Hackett, but it does seem as though the most high profile candidates for the job are “Michigan men” in some capacity. So, let’s take a look at the field of candidates.

Since Hoke’s seat started to heat up early this season, there has been one name thrown around more than any other as his replacement: Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has all of the qualifications to be a top candidate as a former Michigan quarterback, a successful stint at Stanford, a seemingly unsalvageable relationship with the San Fransisco 49ers brass and an active, progressive temperament compared to Hoke. If things work out, Harbaugh will not return to the 49ers  and Michigan will be the most enticing opportunity for him.

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    • But don’t let the simplicity of that scenario fool you; I’d still bet the field over Harbaugh going to Ann Arbor next season. A major dilemma with hiring any current NFL coach is the timing involved. Harbaugh will still be coaching the 49ers until December 28th at the earliest and potentially into January if they make the playoffs. Every week Michigan’s command post sits empty, the program grows weaker. Whomever Michigan hires as their coach will need to hit the recruiting trail immediately to stop the bleeding, and waiting a month just to be able to hire Harbaugh is sub-optimal at best. Whether he even really wants the job, or even ultimately leaves San Francisco as rumored is a massive unknown too.

    Another candidate with connections to Michigan is LSU head coach Les Miles. Miles was rumored as a candidate during the last two coaching searches, but the match wasn’t right either time. Will this time be any different? And, does Les Miles really want to leave a strong SEC program, where he has brought in immense talent, for Michigan?

    If Miles was on the outs in Baton Rouge, this would seem like a more viable option, but there is no obvious impetus for Miles to leave LSU right now, unless he suddenly really wants the Michigan job. Whether Michigan would match any interest is another mighty question.  Put delicately, Miles made some enemies while on Gary Moeller’s staff in the 90s. (Surely you can go find those rumors with some simple internet detective work, if you want.)  John Bacon’s “Three and Out” touched upon this riff and it seemed to be the reason Miles was not hired in 2008 when Lloyd Carr left. Now it’s possible Hackett will decide it is more important to get this hire right that honor a decades old grudge, but this doesn’t look good for those wanting Miles in Ann Arbor.

    Once one gets past Harbaugh and Miles, the two most obvious and high-profile candidates for the job, things are wide open.

    Greg Schiano is a name that has been thrown around, but I believe most Michigan fans, and more importantly, hopefully Hackett, will want to stay away from him after his tumultuous and embarrassing time as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach.

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    Another candidate is coach Harbaugh,

    John Harbaugh

    that is, of the Baltimore Ravens. The younger son of Jack Harbaugh and Super Bowl winner in Baltimore’s name was rumored back in late September as being the preferred brother, but barring some unforeseen events, he is an infinitely longer shot than Jim Harbaugh.

    In 2011, Michigan reportedly chose Hoke over Kevin Sumlin. I would venture to say that that choice should be placed in the “Terrible, Horrible, Miserable Mistake” category. Would Hackett now be able to pry Sumlin away from Texas A&M four seasons later or has that ship sailed?

    Another interesting name is David Shaw, who like Jim Harbaugh has found great success at Stanford. If there was ever a time to buy low on Shaw stock it would be now, following a relative down season in Palo Alto. Still, whether the quarterback whisperer is even a candidate for Hackett is unknown.

    Finally, how about this one. He is a big name coach and a strong offensive mind who would love another shot at a big time head coaching gig. Michigan is not unfamiliar with hiring away Alabama’s offensive coordinators so Lane Kiffin— yes, that Lane Kiffin— should be kept in mind as an unlikely, though incredibly intriguing potential hire. It sure would cause a ruckus in the college football world.

    The reality is that unless Michigan can nab Harbaugh or Miles, tougher tasks than many would like to think, the field for the next head coach in Ann Arbor is frighteningly wide open. Surely there will be reports on Hackett’s search going three dozen different directions over the next couple weeks, and perhaps into the new year. One thing is true though: whomever Michigan hires will have a lot on their plate and immediate expectations to bring the Wolverines back to the top.

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    Written by GBMWolverine Writer — Alex Dale

    You can follow Alex Dale on Twitter @alexdalecfb

    Go Blue — Wear Maize!


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