After a disastrous week in which Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore was fired, the Wolverines are looking for their next leader.
For now, Warde Manuel is safe as the athletic director. It seems as though he will be hiring the next head coach, along with the help of an outside search firm.
With the timing of it all, which is terrible, Michigan doesn't have time to waste. The Wolverines need a coach in place within the next week or two, but at least by the time the transfer portal opens.
Since Moore was fired and the shift focused to the head-coaching search, there have been two clear names that have emerged. The Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is one. He's got a team in the College Football Playoff.
An "early favorite" for Michigan football head coach
If Alabama loses to Oklahoma, the Wolverines could try to make a play to hire him. However, according to John U. Bacon, a trusted Michigan insider, the program has started to focus on another candidate to be Sherrone Moore's replacement.
That's Kenny Dillingham. The odds are starting to favor the Arizona State head coach, who led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Arizona State's 35-year old head coach Kenny Dillingham is the early favorite to replace Sherrone Moore at Michigan, but I'm not hearing it's done yet.
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) December 13, 2025
"Arizona State's 35-year old head coach Kenny Dillingham is the early favorite to replace Sherrone Moore at Michigan, but I'm not hearing it's done yet," Bacon wrote on X.
If Dillingham is the hire, Michigan could get it done sooner rather than later. A hire this weekend seems quick, but you never know.