Michigan Wolverines news: John Beilein interested in return, one target off the board

The Michigan Wolverines moved on from head basketball coach Juwan Howard on Friday. It was difficult to see the former Michigan basketball legend fired, but the program had gone too far off course, especially with all the negative reporting about off-the-court issues.

People can argue about Juwan Howard being able to "manhandle" his son or threaten to slap him. But the culture was broken and a third-party firm didn't need to investigate Michigan basketball to tell us that.

Howard reportedly tried to blame NIL for some of his failures, according to Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider. While that needs to be addressed, Juwan's recruiting operation has been a complete failure. Even the future NBA players he signed, weren't that great at Michigan, his son included.

At any rate, the Juwan Howard era of Michigan basketball is over. Who will replace him is the important question and one name to consider: John Beilein.

I know this sounds like a pie-in-the-sky idea for Michigan Wolverines fans, but John U. Bacon, the known Michigan insider, posted on X that Beilein might consider a return if he was offered.

That's if Beilein is asked about being the Michigan basketball head coach again. Many will say that's a no-brainer. Others won't agree due to Beilein's age and other factors. I would take coach Beilein back in a millisecond. But that's not where I see this ending up.

However, it might not be the pipe dream we all thought, if Warde Manuel is open to it, a Beilein return might be possible.

Nate Oats signs an extension with Alabama

The Alabama head coach, Nate Oats was a popular name mentioned among Michigan basketball fans on Friday. However, Oats, who has won two SEC championships, signed an extension with the Crimson Tide on Friday, ending any chance of him leaving for the Michigan Wolverines.

There are still plenty of quality candidates though, including three that would be home runs.