Two days after Michigan football scored 13 points to beat Ohio State, head coach Sherrone Moore announced that he has moved on from offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell.
Moore said in a statement that after a thorough review of the season, it was in the best interest of the program. It was the right move, although I don't doubt Campbell would do a better job with a better quarterback room.
Bryce Underwood is expected to sign with Michigan football on Wednesday. He's the No. 1 overall prospect and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2025 class. That's going to make the job really attractive.
Some candidates have already been connected to the opening but here are three that Michigan football should target to upgrade the offense
Dan Mullen
Dan Mullen, former Florida and Mississippi State head coach has been floated as a candidate for the job. That was happening before the season was over.
His name has been mentioned for the Purdue job too, so who knows if he would want to be an offensive coordinator. But if he doesn't get a head coaching job, hitching his wagon to Bryce Underwood wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.
It wouldn't be bad for Michigan either. Mullen has coached guys like Dak Prescott, Tim Tebow, Alex Smith and Kyle Trask. He comes from the spread offense with connections to Urban Meyer but he's been able to make it work with running and passing quarterbacks.
Underwood can do both things pretty well, but obviously, you want to lean into him throwing the ball. Mullen has a 103-61 record as a head coach. He won 11 games at Florida and won at least eight games at Mississippi State five times.
He's a good football coach and it would be a boon if the Wolverines landed the 52-year old who has been working for ESPN.
Joe Craddock
Mullen might be the biggest name on the list but the most realistic and maybe the best long-term fit is Joe Craddock, the current offensive coordinator for Tulane.
Craddock is an experienced offensive coordinator calling plays for SMU, Arkansas, Troy, and Tulane. With Troy, where he coached before getting the job at Tulane, he coached an All-American running back in one season, while ranking in the top 25 in pass plays of more than 60, 50, 30, and 20 yards. Troy ranked in the top 10 in pass plays over 50 yards in 2022 and 2023.
Those are attractive things when thinking about an offense quarterbacked by Bryce Underwood. He's got elite arm talent. Tulane also runs a lot of interesting concepts. The Green Wave averaged 40 points per game this season and the advanced passing stats are really good.
Craddock was mentioned as a name to watch by Bruce Feldman on Big Noon Kickoff before the Ohio State game and it feels like Craddock would be a dream hire. Craddock runs what he calls a "pro-style offense with some college wrinkles" according to he told Wave after Wave.
“We will run a pro style offense with some college wrinkles. Always as a coach you have to understand, it’s about the players. Don’t force a square peg in a round hole, you have to adapt to the best players you have. I like to use a tight end, but we maybe have only one or two guys that can play the position the way I’d like. For that reason, you’ll see less 12 personnel than we have run in the past and likely more 11 and 10 in base sets. We will figure out who we got in the spring. Once we know who our best players are, we will adapt….I want to be an outside-zone-type team. We are going to run the football. Expect some no huddle and some speed huddle with a fast break out. We will change up the cadence and employ a lot of motion and shifts.”
That quote has me intrigued. He's one of the best up-and-coming minds in college football and it would be great to add someone like that to the offensive side of the ball.
Jason Candle
I've listed Jason Candle as a Michigan football head-coaching candidate before so the fact that he's getting tossed around by insiders as a possible candidate has me excited.
Candle has done a stellar job at Toledo. It's surprising to me that he hasn't been swallowed up by a Power-4 program at this point. In 2023, Candle was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time.
Quarterback Dequan Finn won the MAC MVP award, and running back Peny Boone was named the MAC’s Offensive Player of the Year that same year.
Need I say more?
Candle has always been viewed as one of the best offensive minds in college football. Hiring him won't be easy and it won't be cheap. He's been mentioned as a candidate for the Purdue job. He's also had success recruiting in the Detroit area, as well as the state of Ohio.
For Candle, the sell would have to be a big bump in pay, which Michigan football could easily accomplish. Then, if Candle hitches his Wagon to Underwood and the duo has a ton of success, it would only be a matter of time before he got a head coaching opportunity he wants.
This one feels like a longshot. I just don't know how receptive he would be. Chip Kelly left UCLA to be Ryan Day's offensive coordinator but I don't know if Candle would do it, unless he truly believed it was the best way to get a head coaching job he coveted.
Yet, if Michigan football hires anyone on this list, it should be considered an upgrade.