Michigan football wasn't expected to be searching for a new head coach one week after Early National Signing Day, but that's the situation after Sherrone Moore was fired for cause on Wednesday.
It's a black eye for the University of Michigan. Now, the question is, who comes next? We laid out five candidates, who should be considered ,and three that make the most sense.
Yet, it's also worth talking about who Michigan football should avoid. This is a critical hire. If it isn't handled correctly, it could set the program back years.
So forget who should be hired. Here are three coaches Michigan should avoid at all costs as a replacement for Sherrone Moore.
Brian Kelly
I might literally die if Brian Kelly were named the head coach of Michigan football. He's had some success at Notre Dame and LSU, but he isn't a culture guy.
There were some troubling issues at Notre Dame. He also just seems like a jerk. It wouldn't be surprising if he were angling for the job, but that would be a massive mistake.
This should be a non-starter on all levels. Besides, Bryce Underwood decommitted from the LSU program led by Kelly. There's a reason for that beyond money.
Jon Gruden
The Super-Bowl winning head coach has been connected to some openings this offseason. He surely wants to get back into coaching and Michigan football would offer a great chance for him to do that.
Gruden is known as a QB guru. Yet, he hasn't coached in years. All of his head-coaching experience is in the NFL, and it feels like hiring him would be a complete disaster. Jesse Minter, John Harbaugh, and Mike Tomlin are the only NFL-type candidates that Michigan should consider. Yet, none of them feels like viable candidates.
Michigan is an elite job. It doesn't need to chase any has-beens.
Jay Harbaugh
I love Jay Harbaugh. He's a really good football coach, and at some point, he deserves a chance to be a head coach at a college program. If that's what he wants.
Maybe he will follow the path of his uncle, John Harbaugh, who was a long-time special teams coach for the Ravens before taking over and winning a Super Bowl with the Ravens.
Seattle has been elite on special teams since Jay was hired by Mike Macdonald. But it feels like hiring Harbaugh would be settling. You can't hire him because he was Jim Harbaugh's son.
Maybe if every other option is off the table, Harbaugh could work, but it almost feels like Michigan would be trying to convince itself, like it once convinced itself that Brady Hoke was the guy.
Don't pass on a big-time head coach because you think you need a "Michigan man."