Soon after Sherrone Moore was fired as the Michigan football head coach, three candidates stood out above the rest: Kalen DeBoer, Kenny Dillingham, and Jedd Fisch.
Now, according to Josh Pate, Jedd Fisch is a name that's "cooling" in the Michigan job search. The Washington head coach, who coached at Michigan for two seasons under Jim Harbaugh, felt like the floor.
If the job got past DeBoer and Dillingham, Fisch would certainly take it. He's also had nine-wins seasons at two different Power-4 programs in the past five seasons.
"There has been some sentiment on (Tuesday) that maybe Jedd Fisch's name has cooled," Pate said on his latest YouTube video. "I think that's accurate."
Pate went on to say, "I don't think Jedd Fisch is going to be a factor in the Michigan search."
Is Jedd Fisch out of the running for the Michigan job?
If what Pate says is accurate, then Michigan football is down one quality candidate. You could aruge that the Wolverines are down two of their top three.
Sam Webb said on Monday that Michigan "believes" it can still get Kalen DeBoer. I don't. Never did. Would love to be proven wrong, but it's time to circle the wagons around Dillingham.
Prying him away from Arizona State might not be easy. He's angling for more resources from Arizona State, and if he gets it, he might not be inclined to leave.
Assuming Fisch is off the board, and Michigan is turned down by Dillingham and DeBoer, where would Michigan turn next?
As worrisome as that sounds, if you believe the multiple denials from DeBoer, then if Dillingham says no, Michigan is without a clear option.
Fisch was viewed as the floor. Jesse Minter could be an option. He feels like he will be an NFL head coach, though, and I don't see Michigan as a great option. After that, it's down to Kyle Whittingham, Eli Drinkwitz, Jeff Brohm or maybe even Jason Eck from New Mexico.
There are quality candidates there. Yet, it's looking more important than ever that the Wolverines close on one of their top two candidates.