Things didn't go quite as planned for Michigan football in its search for its next head coach after Sherrone Moore was fired for cause last week.
The Wolverines had set their sights on Kalen DeBoer of Alabama and Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State. It feels like DeBoer is off the board after Alabama advanced to the Rose Bowl, the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, with a win over Oklahoma on Friday night.
Michigan was expected to shift its focus to Dillingham. However, he re-upped with Arizona State on Saturday morning, sending the Wolverines back to square one.
It's not an ideal situation, but here are three coaches who can prevent it from becoming a disaster.
Jedd Fisch, Washington
There were a lot of rumors about Fisch this week. Josh Pate said on his show that Fisch was no longer under consideration earlier this week.
However, after things have gone south, Fisch might need to be reconsidered. His on-field resume certainly isn't an issue. He's a proven QB developer and offensive guru. He's also won nine games with two different Power-4 programs.
The decision makers will need to take a long look at Fisch, because when this search started, he felt like the fallback option.
Michigan is now at that point.
Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Brohm is a proven winner. He might not have the perceived upside of Dillingham, and could also be tough to lure away from Louisville, his alma mater.
Brohm won a conference title with Western Kentucky. He's also coached Louisville and Purdue to the ACC and Big Ten title games. That's an accomplishment in its own right.
Brohm led Purdue to four bowl games. Between Purdue and Louisville, he has had five seasons with at least eight wins, and over the past five years, owns seven wins over top-25 opponents, with four wins over teams ranked in the top 11.
From 2021-2024, Brohm had two quarterbacks drafted, and four consecutive seasons in which his starting quarterback threw for at least 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Like Fisch, Brohm probably has the best chance of any candidate left of keeping Bryce Underwood in Ann Arbor next season.
Kyle Whittingham
Kyle Whittingham is stepping down from Utah after the Las Vegas Bowl, which is the same day as the Citrus Bowl.
Whittingham joked that he was in the "transfer portal" earlier this week. He's won three league titles with the Utes, including two in the Pac-12. He also had some pretty good offenses with Cam Rising.
Whitingham led Utah to a perfect season in 2008, which included a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama, which was coached by Nick Saban.
The former Urban Meyer assistant has won 66 percent of his games. He's coached eight teams to finishes in the top 25, and 17 to bowl games. Whittingham coached the Utes to the Rose Bowl twice, in addition to the Sugar Bowl berth.
The downside is that Whittingham is 66. He's known as a great defensive mind. With a better roster and more NIL/recruiting resources, Whittingham could have a successful five-year run. Curt Cignetti is 64.
Michigan football has been trying to load up for a national championship run. Before all the Sherrone Moore stuff happened, the roster was shaping up to be in a strong position in 2026 and 2027.
The idea of Whittingham coaching that roster is intriguing. Maybe if he kept Chip Lindsey in place, along with Biff Poggi and others, keeping Underwood might be possible. And if that happens, the rest of the roster might fall into place.
It's not guaranteed to work, but it makes sense, a lot more sense than Eli Drinkwitz.