I'm not Hoking: The Big Ten Doesn't hire Big Name Coaches

I will be the first to admit that in early January, I made statements like: "You don't fire Rich Rodriguez to hire Brady Hoke".   At the time, that hire didn't make much sense to me.  Why would you bring in a guy that had limited success at Ball State and San Diego State to replace a guy that has lead his team to BCS Bowls and was one win/a QB's hand a way from the National Championship game?  Brady's name wasn't in the same class as a Jim Harbaugh, Les Miles, Urban Meyer, etc.

I will also have to admit that I was wrong and that Brady has impressed me so far in building his staff, keeping players (mostly Denard), and recruiting hard to finish the 2011 class and the momentum he has built for the 2012 class.  The proof will be on the field but so far so good.

That got me thinking about the Big Ten and hiring Big Name coaches.   I also thought back to when Minnesota fired Tim Brewster during the 2010 Season.  The Minnesota AD stood up in front of reporters and said he wanted to make a Tubby Smith type hire for his football program.   Which means he wanted a big name coach to run his football program.  They hired Jerry Kill from Northern Illinois.   Not exactly Vince Lombardi was it? 

So what about other Big Ten Programs?  Let's start with that school down south.

Ohio State:  Jim Tressel was hired in 2001 to replace John Copper.  Jim had spent a couple of years in the 80's coaching Ohio State's QB's and WR's but in 2001 was the head coach of Youngstown State for 14 years.   Jim was very successful at his current job but was he ready to lead the Buckeyes?  I think we all now know the answer to that question but could you imagine Michigan hiring the Grand Valley's Head Coach?  At the time that was a pretty risky hire that worked out well for the Buckeyes.

Purdue:  Back in 1997 Purdue needed a new coach after they had let go Jim Colletto and hired Joe Tiller from Wyoming.  Joe had spent 6 years at Wyoming with a 39-30 record and was coming off a good year where they finished 10-2 and #22 in the both polls.  Joe ended up at Purdue for 12 years and retired after the 2008 season and was replaced by Danny Hope who was on staff.   Danny had been on staff at Purdue for 1 year as the Assistant HC and OL coach.  Danny had spent 5 years as Eastern Kentucky's head coach before joining Purdue, he was 35-22 at EKU.

Indiana has tried to find lighting in a bottle with their head coaches.  Back in the day they had coaches with the names you might recognize like Lee Corso (41-68-2), Sam Wyche (1 year 3-8), and  Gerry DiNardo (8-27).  This year they have hired Oklahoma OC for the past 8 years Kevin Wilson, who doesn't have any D1 head coaching experience and has struggled to keep his staff together only being on the job for a few weeks.  Can any coach win at IU?  That is the big question. 

Iowa: Hyden Fry was a Big Ten legend when he retired.  He had been at Iowa from 1979 -1998 with a overall record of 143-98-6.   So in 1999 who did the Hawkeyes turn to?  Baltimore Raven's offensive line coach Kirk Ferentz.  Kirk's only head coaching experience at the time was two years as Maine's head coach.   Before hired at Iowa Kirk had spent 5 years as an OL coach in the NFL.   I would say this Risk = Reward as Kirk is one of the highest paid coaches in college football and has been rumored to been a candidate for a number of NFL jobs and Michigan's last two openings.  Recently, Kirk has had a number of off field issues with his players. 

Wisconsin:  Does any of these names ring a bell?  1986 - Jim Hilles, 1987-1989 - Don Morton?  Those were the two coaches before Barry Alvarez was hired.  Barry was Notre Dame's DC for 2 years before taking the Wisconsin job.  Barry had spent 7 years as Iowa's LB coach before moving to ND to coach the LB's for 1 year and then 2 as the DC.   Barry moved to Wisconsin's AD position in 2006 and Brett Bielema took over.  Brett was on Barry's staff for 2 years has his DC coming over from Kansas State where he was the DC for 2 years as well.  I guess Wisconsin likes those 2 year DC's.

Penn State: Does not hire new head coaches.  They have had the same head coach for 44 years.

Michigan State:  We all know that Nick Saban spent 5 years in East Lansing but his coaching success came after he left the Spartans.  Since Nick left the program in 1999 the Spartans have struggled to find it's next head coach.  Bobby Williams was there for 3 years, then John L. Smith for 4 and now Mark Dantonio.  Mark came to State from the University of Cincinnati where he spent two years has head coach with a 18-17 record.  Before UC Mark was the DC at OSU for 2 years and before that 5 years as MSU's DB coach.

Illinois has probably the closest "Big Name Hire" outside of Rich Rodriguez when they hired Ron Zook who was just fired as Florida's head man in 2007.   Illinois must like Ron's because Zook replaced Turner.  Ron Zook has had an up and down stint at Illinois with an overall record of 28-45 (really?) with one Rose Bowl appearance which was a 49-17 loss to USC.   Before Ron took over at Florida he was the New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator for 2 years.

Northwestern:  Sadly, Randy Walker (former head coach of Miami of Ohio) died unexpectedly in June 2006 of a heart attack.  At the time, Northwestern hired LB coach and recruiting coordinator Pat Fitzgerald as it's head coach.  We all know Pat was a famous LB for Northwestern but his coaching experience before joining NW included 1 year as Maryland's LB coach, 1 year as Colorado's LB coach, and 1 year as Idaho's LB coach.   Pat was NW's LB coach for 5 years before took the head coaching job.

Minnesota:  Had some famous named coaches that didn't stay very long.  Names all Michigan fans will remember like: Fitz Crisler 1930-31 he had a 10-7 record and  Lou Holtz for another 2 year stint from 84-85.  Lou went 10-12 in two years.  Recently, Glen Mason was the Golden Gophers coach for 10 years and a 64-57 record.  I guess Glen's record wasn't good enough and they hired Tim Brewster in 2007.  Before Minnesota Tim was the TE coach for the Denver Broncos, before that he was the TE coach for the Chargers.  His college experience came in 1998-2001 as Texas's TE coach and 87-89 as North Carolina's TE coach.  I'm not a coaching expert but it seems to be this guy is a good TE coach.   After Minnesota fired their good TE coach, they hired Jerry Kill from Northern Illinois who was 10-3 in MAC last year.  Jerry has been the head coach of Saginaw Valley State, Emporia State, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and now Minnesota.

So to net it out, it seems Big Ten coaches who are successful and who are not successful usually don't come from other Big Time programs as head coaches.   It also seems some of the more successful hires were assistant coaches (at some point) at the programs they now run.

We all know Bo was from Miami of Ohio and the rest of Michigan's hires were internal before RR.   So maybe the Brady Hoke hire was the perfect fit for Michigan now and long term (the proof will be in his win loss record) and maybe the reason Rodriguez didn't do well at Michigan was because a Big Name + Big Program + Big Ten = Big Problems.

Brandon's Process = FAIL

I have been a big supporter of David Brandon since he got the AD job at Michigan.  How many people do you know would take millions in a pay cut to come lead an athletic department?  As much as I love Michigan, I would stick with the big green and the free pizza. 

I thought David was smooth in handling the NCAA investigation and findings.  I thought he was really the perfect candidate to lead the Wolverines through this rebuilding period.  Now, I'm questioning everything. 

His "process" in evaluating Rich Rodriguez and his firing has been a complete failure.  Today was just another example of that fact as Michigan went 0-3 in the Army All American commitment battle.  Frost, Lyons, and Hart all picked other schools.  Hell, Lyons picked a school without a head coach as he committed to Stanford.

Let me ask you this.  If Brandon made a coaching change on 12/1 do you think Harbaugh would have accepted his $5M offer?  That 2 of the 3 Army All American above would have picked the Wolverines?

The reason he waited was because he felt the current Wolverines deserved to play and be coached by the current coaching staff in the bowl game.  How did that work out?  I'm not sure if the current players played or were coached in the Gator Bowl.

We are now sitting a couple of weeks from signing day and Michigan's 2011 class is getting smaller by the minute.  All available candidates are not Jim Harbaugh.   RR is investing his $2.5M and David is probably flying around the country talking to candidates about this Michigan job.   Will this end well?  It doesn't look like it right now.

Get the pitchforks and torches ready.

Current rumor mill seems to be saying that Les is More.  I disagree but we will see what happens.  Joe Schad from ESPN is reporting that as of this afternoon Michigan has not contacted LSU and that LSU will do whatever it takes to keep him. 

Harbaugh is a 49er

Done deal.  So in the last week the media has had him as Stanford's coach, Michigan's coach, Denver's coach, Dolphins Coach, Back to Stanford's coach and now the 49ers.    I'm sure he loved every minute of it.  49ers = 5 years and 5 Million a year.  

So now what Mr. Brandon?  Now what?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  This process has a very familar ring to it.

Pat Fitzgerald is Out

ESPN is reporting he is staying at Northwestern after Michigan asked to meet with him.  Isn't it nice that guys coaching in places like Northwestern and Rutgers aren't interested in coaching Michigan?  Not good. 

Jimmy and Pat now out.  Who's next? 

Again not having a coach lined up when Brandon fired RR is a huge "FAIL".

Harbaugh a Michigan Man with the Dolphins

ESPN is reporting that the deal between Stephen Ross (a Michigan Man) the Miami Dolphins owner and new head coach Jim Harbaugh (another Michigan man) is nearly complete.

David Brandon, another Michigan Man has fired his head coach and is now searching for another. 

Good news for Chad Henne and Jake Long. 

Michigan Thursday: Gives my $.02 on the Next Head Coach at Michigan

I'm sure all of you like me have been taking a lot of time thinking about who the next Michigan head coach might/should be. 

I would like to get a few things out of the way first:

1. Jimmy is not coming here.  The Dolphins owner is willing to pay him the highest contact in the NFL and the 49ers are probably will get close to that number as well.
2. Kurt Herstreit is not to be trusted with any Michigan coaching rumors.  He still would be "shocked" if Harbaugh isn't Michigan's next coach.
3. I'm betting that Desmond Howard will be giving David Brandon a lot of advice on this hire.  He was the only person that was in contact with David Brandon between the two RR meetings this week.
4. I don't see a viable "Michigan Man" option.  IMO you don't fire Rich Rod and hire Brady Hoke.   That would be going from a Cadillac (ok one that didn't run great all the time) to a Taurus when you are willing to spend more money on a car above the Cadillac.   They are both good cars but not in the same class. 
5. I'm basing this decision on guys who I think would consider the job and willing to take it.  Also someone that would be willing to be announced as the next head coach by this weekend.  

Here are my top two candidates:

#1 Pat Fitzgerald: Pat is the best young coach in the Big Ten.  He has Big Ten experience and has a great relationship with his players.  He has learned to be a HC on Northwesterns dime and will continue to be a great HC.  He is young and runs the spread, which would keep Denard happy.  He also was a good Big Ten linebacker and would make sure Michigan's re-built it's defense.   Northwestern is his school and I'm not sure he would want to leave for another Big Ten school that has competed against.  Michigan would probably could double his salary.  His current DC also played under Bo at Michigan.

#1A Kyle Wittingham:  Kyle has been the head coach of Utah for 6 years.  A couple of years ago he had an undefeated team that beat both Michigan and Alabama.  He has been able to keep Utah a ranked program after Urban Meyer left for Florida.  He is 51 and has a lot of coaching years left.  He is a hard nose guy that could really re-build the toughness this team has been lacking.   He also runs the spread and would be a good fit with the current Michigan personnel.   Would he be willing to move to the Big 10 with Utah set to move t#o the PAC 12 next year?  Michigan would be able to more then double his $1.2M salary.   He is also an Urban Meyer disciple.

If I'm David Brandon, those are two phone calls that I make for sure.

Who is Michigan's Next Head Coach?

That's the $3M question right now.  Whose next. 

#1) Jim Harbaugh - With his recent success and all the NFL attention, his ego could float in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.   Don't forget about his DUI and him throwing Michigan "player" academics under the bus a few years ago.  Still is the fans #1 choice.  Prediction: Jimmy goes to the 49ers at about $6M a year.   Even David Brandon thinks that.

#2) Brady Hoke - seems to every ones favorite to win the job.  Why?  I guess because he spent 7 seasons in Ann Arbor as the defensive line coach.  Brady had one nice season at Ball State and turned a bad San Diego State team around.  He has a losing overall record and not nearly ready for the Michigan job.  Prediction = Doesn't have enough experience to take over Michigan.  You don't fire RR to hire Hoke.

#3) Les Miles = Les is not more, it's Less.  Les has a good team and shouldn't even be on this list.  The mad hatter as he is known is not a bad coach but does come with a lot of baggage.  The LSU faithful would love nothing more then to send Les and his big contract to Ann Arbor.  Michigan is looking for a coach for the next 10-15 years, not sure Les has that type of time.  Hasn't been contacted by Michigan either. Prediction: The Mad Hatter continues to eat grass in Louisiana. 

This is where the Michigan Man Coaching Tree breaks down.   Here is a list of the other coaches in the NFL with Michigan Ties (only Cam Cameron has any HC experience):

Harold Goodwin, Assistant Offensive Line Pittsburgh Steelers: Cam Cameron, Offensive Coordinator Baltimore Ravens: Jim Herrmann, Linebackers New York Jets: Mike DeBord, Tight Ends Chicago Bears: Jerald Ingram, Running Backs New York Giants: Terry Malone, Tight Ends New Orleans Saints: Andy Moeller, Assistant Offensive Line Baltimore Ravens: Bill Sheridan, Inside Linebackers Miami Dolphins: Mike Trgovac, Defensive Line Green Bay Packers.

I would take Trgovac as Michigan's next DC for sure.
 
So if it isn't a Michigan Man then who?
 
Jon Gruden - He turns everything down and zero recruiting experience
 
Urban Meyer - Just left the best program in football.  Not happening.
 
Gary Patterson - Good coach, but heading to the Big East where they will dominate.   Doesn't have strong recruiting ties to the area.
 
Chris Peterson - He is not leaving Boise for any job.
 
Kyle Whittingham - Utah is heading into the PAC 12 and will have a chance to compete in that conference.   A good coach (maybe the next Urban Meyer?) but doesn't have any recruiting ties to the area.  Did get a win in the Big House.   Might be worth a conversation.
 
Pat Fitzgerald - maybe the best young coach in the Big Ten, recruits the area and very well respected.  Does run the spread and could keep Denard happy.   - Definitely worth a conversation.
 
It really doesn't leave many choices for the quick right decision.  Not having a top tier coach already signed up is a major mistake by Brandon.  This is very bad timing.   If Harbaugh is not coming to Michigan then I expect Hoke or Fitzgerald.  I would pick Pat over Brady.  I also think Whittingham should get a serious look. 
 

RR = Train Wreck at Michigan

So its over.  3 years of losses and embarrassments.  3 years of NCAA Probation underway.  3 years of the Rich Rod era. 

David Brandon just concluded his press conference and was his regular professional self.  In where he makes an announcement and then answers an hour worth of questions that really doesn't tell us anything. 

In reading between the lines, David was clearly upset at how Michigan played in what he called "red letter games" against ND, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State, and Ohio State as well as the bowl performance. 

David also made it clear that the new coach would need to understand what it means to be the Michigan coach and the expectations that comes with that.   Maybe RR didn't understand the rivalries or thought his rebuilding process could have taken a few years longer. 

Obviously, a new coach was not named during the press conference and it seems that DB has been in contact with Harbaugh and the people close to him.  Maybe Harbaugh had a hand shake agreement with Brandon and broke it or maybe he didn't.  He clearly seems off the table now. 

It seems DB is looking for a head coach with head coaching expertise, that can recruit in the Midwest and nationally and that can win right away.   I'm really worried about two groups of people: the current Wolverines and the 2011 recruiting class.  As David Brandon said in his press conference: "they will have to trust I will make the right decision for Michigan"  He said he was going to be very active in communicating with the players and has an open door policy.  

This time table has been a total failure by Brandon IMO.  It seems his first choice did not work out and now he is left with few to no options and the potential loss of valuable players and an entire recruiting class.  How are those odds for winning now?  He did say he is willing to "pay" for a good head coach.  So we have that going for us. 

It is time to question everything and anything can happen from here.  This is a sad day for the Wolverines who are creeping towards (if not already there) towards Notre Dame status. 

As for RR, I expect that Pitt and UConn will be very interested in having discussions with him on his next job.   Or he can just sit home and count his $2.5M.  Those WVU payments he had to make sure do suck for him.

Wolverine Wednesday: Memo To David Brandon

January 5, 2011

To: David Brandon, Director of Athletics - University of Michigan
From: Big House Bob
Subject: Head Coach of Michigan's Football Program

David, I first would like to congratulate you at taking the AD role at the University of Michigan.  Not too many people would leave a CEO role and a multi million dollar salary to become the AD at his alum mater.  I personally believe you a perfect fit for this role.

With that said, I need to openly question your decision process on the head coaching position in Michigan's football program.   I understand your process and the decision you are trying to make.  I also had a lot of confidence that you had a plan on whether you were going to keep current coach Rich Rodriguez or relieve him of his duties.

Many have wondered why wait until after the bowl game?  Your response was you wanted to judge his performance on the entire body work from the season.  Which makes sense, but it also doesn't.  You can't judge the football head coach like Michigan's golf coach.  The month between the OSU game and the Bowl game is when many head coaches get hired and fired.  I understand keeping the staff together for the bowl game but it was assumed you had a plan and that you were sticking by it. 

The plan could have been a number of things.  1) You could be keeping RR and making him rework his defensive coaches  2) You could be planning to fire RR and have a Jim Harbaugh type locked up to replace him.  What the plan couldn't be is really trying to make a decision the first week in January and then go fishing for a new coach.  You can't fish in January in Ann Arbor!  Your big fish won't be there.

Fast forward to yesterday.  You sit down with RR and before you get your second cup of coffee during the meeting, Fox 2 in Detroit runs with the story that you have fired him.  That of course was not your mistake but now instead of you owning a decision on the future of the football program, you sir now own a circus.

So Dave you are now damn if you do and damned if you don't.  If you keep RR your going to be second guessed all day.  If you bring in Brady Hoke, you will have gone from a good well known coach to a un-proven head coach with his only ties to U of M is that is was the D-line coach for 7 years.  You sir have one way to get out of this mess and his name is Jim Harbaugh, anything less is a huge failure.  Which would be the second huge failure regarding this decision from the Michigan Athletic Director in 3 years.

Les Miles should not be an option either for a number of reasons (including cutting scholarship true freshmen as the move into their dorm room, zero time management skills, eating grass, the list goes on and on).

So now what?  Your meeting today with RR and I hope and pray you have solution to fix this mess.  If you don't, it's only going to get worse and this Circus will need Big Top Tent.  So please be careful and good luck on making the right decision. The one thing you can count on is that everyone won't be happy with your decision. (unless you convince Jon Gruden to come to Ann Arbor to coach!).

Breaking News: Not So Fast on the Firing...........

Well done Fox 2, it seems that you just can't guess at something and report it as fact.  Now, it's all over everything which is based on their report that seems to be either false or at least premature. 

Rivals is reporting that nothing will happen today and the players meeting as been re-scheduled until 4:00 on Wednesday. 

Three thoughts: 

1) This might be a hard run at Jim Harbaugh who clearly has mixed feelings about taking the Michigan job. 
2) This gives Brady Hoke enough time to fly in
3) Maybe David Brandon gave RR the ultimatum to fire his entire defensive coaching staff and continue as head coach or leave altogether.

Michigan Tuesday: Keeps an Eye on the Clock

First the latest news: The Freep (which I wouldn't even trust with a weather forecast) is saying that Harbaugh is not likely to go to Michigan.  ESPN and Chris Mortinson also confirmed that was the buzz before and after the game.  That Jimmy is more interested in going to the NFL and competing with his brother.

RR and DB are meeting this afternoon at 2:00: Will a decision be made?  There is also a meeting today with the players scheduled at 7:00 PM.  This meeting was set up before the Gator Bowl.


The Miami Dolphins might be looking for a Michigan man?  The Miami Dolphins are owned by Michigan man Stephen Ross (whose name is on Michigan's Business School).  It seems they might have put a horse in the Harbaugh race.  Michigan owner, coach, QB, and #1 draft pick Jake Long.  Ann Arbor South?

Recruiting Decisions and Visits:

As you know there are only a few more official weekends left in the 2011 recruiting class.  Michigan could be expecting these visitors this weekend:     S Sheldon Royster, ATH Raymon Taylor, WR Devin Lucien, DT Darian, Cooper, WR Shane Wynn (tentative) QB Cardale Jones (tentative), TE Frank Clark DE Deion Barnes, TE Tanner McEvoy.

Army All American Game Decisions from Kris Frost and Wayne Lyons.  Dee Hart and Avery Walls are also playing in this game who were both high on Michigan at one point in their respective recruitment's.
 
Michigan does not have a lot of prospect is the Under Armour Game.

Michigan Tuesday: Jimmy Has Some Decisions to Make

So Monday night Stanford won a BCS Bowl Game by playing good defense and beating Virgina Tech in the second half with a balanced offense.  Congratulations to Jim Harbaugh and Stanford on winning the Orange Bowl. 

Now what?  The best analogy I saw on Twitter yesterday was that maybe Jim would hold a press conference and have a 49ers, Broncos, Carolina, Stanford and Michigan hats all on a table.  He would then pick one and say he is committing to that organization.  

Reports are all over the board from, "if Michigan offered he would take it" to "Michigan is off the table and he wants to stay at Stanford or go the NFL".

Here is my take on his decision process:

49ers:  Pro's:  Close to home and comes with the largest paycheck.  Con's: In the NFL coaches are hired to be fired.  Could be there just for a few years. 

Stanford: Pro's: Build a very nice top 10 program there.  Con's: Will he ever make the money he wants at a private University?

Broncos: Pro's and Con's = John Elway.  A Hall of Famer who has never been an NFL executive.   Could be a good or bad thing, jury is still out.

Carolina: Pro's: Could draft his QB Andrew Luck.  Con's:  How far is that franchise away from being relevant again in the NFL?

Michigan:  Pro's: He is an Alum and former QB, his coaching mentor is Bo Schembechler and Michigan has been rumored to be his dream job.  Could be his 1 and only job for the next 10-20 years if he is successful.  Con's:  Did you watch the Gator Bowl?

I think all this insider stuff is BS.   We will know things when they happen officially.  I wouldn't expect Michigan to let RR go if they didn't already have at least a hand shake agreement with a new head coach.   Brady Hoke would take this job in a New York minute, I don't think Les Miles is a candidate.   Wild card could be someone like Pat Fitzgerald for example. 

My gut is telling me that its Harbaugh or Michigan keeps Rodriguez with a new defensive staff.   We should know something soon.  We need to because Michigan's 2011 recruiting class is hanging in the wind with official visits set up for this weekend and 2 big all star games coming up.

Michigan Monday: What is a Michigan Man?

There has been complaints about Rich Rodriguez as soon as he took his first steps on the Michigan campus. Why? Because he wasn't a Michigan Man. 

So the question remains: What is a Michigan Man?  It goes back to when Bill Frieder took a job at Arizona State before the NCAA Tournament began.  Bo Schmeblecher at the time was the Michigan Athletic Director and said, "He wanted a Michigan Man coaching Michigan".  He let Frieder go to ASU right away and the Wolverines went on to win the National Championship.   The legend of the "Michigan Man" term began.

So when it comes to football a "Michigan Man" is a former Wolverine player or coach.  After Bo retired, Michigan never left the family for it's head coach.  It was first Gary Moeller but he drank his way out of the job, then it was Lloyd Carr who after some initial success needed to walk away from the game, now it's Rich Rodriguez.   What name doesn't fit with the others?  There is a coaching theory that you never want to be the coach that replaces the legend you want to be the guy that replaces the guy that replaced the legend.  Rich Rodriguez is really the first coach to replace the Bo Schembechler family tree.

Most people look at Bo as The Michigan Man, he came to Michigan from Miami of Ohio.  He also was an assistant at Ohio State under Woody Hayes.   That's right, The Michigan Man had Ohio State on his Resume twice!  (1952 and then from 1958-1962).  He wasn't a Michigan Man when he was hired.

My point is I understand the idea around being a Michigan Man, I understand the tradition and philosophy.  Michigan fans are also lucky (or un-lucky) right now that the hottest candidate in the nation is a Michigan Man who is a former Michigan QB and current Stanford head coach.   What if Jim goes to the NFL, then what?  Do you make a reach for a Michigan Man that might not be ready?  Would TCU's head coach not be successful here?  What about Urban Meyer?  I'm sure he wouldn't be successful, right?  Chris Peterson? (I'm not speculating that they are candidates).  My point is if you limit your pool of coaches of this football program to Michigan Men, you better hit a grand slam with Jim Harbaugh or you might just strike out.

I wish David Brandon all the luck in the world, he is basically up to the plate.  I hope he is a power hitter. 

49'ers Contact Harbaugh

Have the 49ers made the first move on Jim Harbough?  Fox's Jay Glazer says that the 49ers have reached out to Jim and he is clearly their first choice. 

Michigan Gator Bowl Recap: Leaves More Questions Then Answers

So Michigan and Rich Rodriguez had a bad day on Saturday.  I happened to be at the game and didn't have a very good day either.  I got a call before the game that my sump pump and back up pump had both failed and that my basement was full of water.   Yes, it's a finished basement.  Then Michigan goes out and gets embarrassed by an average or below average SEC team.   I drove back all night and now back home.   Fun Times.

Not much to recap in that beat down on Saturday.  Michigan started fast on offense in the first quarter and then didn't score again.  Michigan got a punt blocked and RR tried a field goal for some reason.   The defense couldn't have stopped MSU if they played with 12 players all day.   It was a complete disaster, in every aspect of the game.  Hey, at least Devin didn't blow his medical redshirt!!  

Denard and RR both spoke after the game.  Denard is a humble young man that was clearly upset on how he and his team played in his home state.   Rich looked like a dead man walking.  The press who usually doesn't hold back in press conferences, had a hard time even asking him questions.  He looked like a defeated man with out answers. 

So now what?  I have been a long time supporter of Rich on this blog.  My takes have been that he is a good coach who has had some bad luck and 2 poor hiring decisions at defensive coordinator.   I still think he is a good coach but now I'm resigned to the fact that he is not going to be successful at Michigan.   This week I got to spend some time with parents of the kids on the team and most talk very highly of the Michigan coaching staff.  That they truly are a family and that Rich and staff are the perfect mix of knowing when to break a kid down and then build him back up.   I think Rich could be very successful at Pitt , Clemson or Maryland or some other place that doesn't have the expectations that Michigan does.

The reason, I have left the RR Express is due to a couple of things.  #1 This team is not getting better, they are getting worse as time goes by.  Michigan had 6 weeks to prepare for a 1 dimensional offense and couldn't stop the run when everyone knew they were going to run.   #2 The offensive game plan was terrible and this high flying offense didn't execute outside the 1st quarter.  Every team that plays Denard is going to stop the run, if you can't have an effective passing game to counter that, you are not going to score too many points.  There is no excuse for the state of Michigan's special teams, none. 

Yesterday was a complete embarrassment for the entire University and I think most of us are tired of being embarrassed.  It started with App. State and continues with 0-3 records to MSU and OSU and now the Gator Bowl.

I still think RR is has a great offensive mind but his downfall at Michigan will be his decisions at defensive coordinator.  He has always looked for a defensive "head coach" so he could focus on developing his young offensive players.  He is 0-2 in that strategy and I believe it will now cost him his job.  

If RR is out, who is in?  That is the big question.  It's either Jim or RR stays another year with a complete overall of the defensive coaching staff.  I would buy an RR and say a Marvin Lewis or Randy Shannon at DC.  Both of those guys would come with a decent pay check but I think we are that point if we don't land Harbaugh.   Illinois had some success doing a 100% overall of their assistant coaching staff this year.   

The rumor mill is that everybody and their brother are interested in Harbaugh.  Denver Broncos, 49'ers, Carolina, and Michigan.  He is the clearly the #1 candidate out there and some NFL teams are going to throw big dollars at him.  It will be interesting to see how David Brandon plays this one out.  I'm willing to bet a $1 he won't fire RR without having Jimmy locked up.   The press box at the Gator Bowl was full of rumors that Maryland might be interested in RR and now maybe even Pitt.  Could a former WVU player and head coach be the head coach at Pitt?  Would that be like Harbaugh coaching at Ohio State?


Is Brady Hoke an option?  I think he might be more of an option then at this time on Friday.  I still think Brady is a bit of a stretch for this job.  I know Bo was from Miami of Ohio and Miami of Florida just hired a guy from Temple, but does a couple good seasons at Ball State and San Diego State make you ready for the Michigan job?  I'm leaning towards, probably not.


What about Denard?  During the press conference Denard gave the "no comment" to whether he would stay at Michigan if Rich was no longer the coach.  That isn't a ringing endorsement for a new coach.  If I'm Harbaugh and I come to Michigan, I run an offense that caters to Denard's skill set. 

My biggest concern at Michigan right now are the kids on the team and this recruiting class.  RR will be fine with a $2.5M check and probably a new job within a week.  Denard is a special young man that has time to sign every autograph and takes blame for every loss.  He is a hard worker and kid you want representing Michigan.   I worry about him and others like him on the team. 

I'm less concerned about former backup QB's who think they are the big man on campus and don't even need to show up for class.   I don't have anything official but I'm expecting that he has flunked out of Michigan by not going to class.

The man with the plan and the answers seems to be David Brandon.  I'm guessing he won't be going on any sailboat trips this week. 

Side Note:  Herbie if you have a "scoop" on Michigan's next head coach.  Please keep it to yourself or give it to Joe Schad

*** Dee Hart has de-committed from Michigan again and has committed to Alabama.  Too bad he was at Alabama's practice all week which is a violation and could make him ineligible to play for the Crimson Tide.  The hits just keep coming!

Below looks like a goodbye hug between Barwis and Lewan.

Michigan Monday: He Said, Harbaugh Didn't

It's officially bowl game week in chilly Florida for the first time in two years and nobody really notices.  The talk of the town and the sporting world is who is the better NFL MVP candidate: Tom Brady or Mike Vick.  I think you know which candidate this blog supports!  Whoops, sorry I meant whether or not Jim Harbaugh will be Michigan's next head coach or not.

Jim himself has basically only said that he hasn't talked with Stanford's AD about a contract extension yet.  Which is rumored to be $3M a year.

"I haven't even discussed it," Harbaugh told the San Jose Mercury News in a story published Friday.   Speaking about the AD and the extension:  "Maybe he misspoke," Harbaugh said.

Those comments are the closest thing Jim has said regarding the Michigan job or any other job outside of his current one.  Both NFL insiders Adam Schefter from ESPN and CBS Charlie Casserly both reported yesterday that sources are linking Jim to Michigan.   I happen to believe Adam because he is a Michigan Alum and won't spread a rumor just to spread it.  I would expect that his sources have to be pretty solid to run with a story about his favorite college football program. 

Is it a done deal?  Maybe or maybe not.  An NFL job just opened up in his backyard last night with the the 49'ers.  Would Jim be more interested in that job?  Who knows but it would seem like he might.   Not too many college coaches have been successful in transiting to the NFL.  The last one most can remember is Jimmy Johnson.  With that said, Jim was a in the NFL for many years and I think his brother could give him some pretty good advice.   So Jim isn't exactly high risk (compared to other college coaches) when it comes to an NFL job. 

I guess we will have to see how this one plays out next week. 

Funny Story:  We drove down to Florida last night and staying in Orlando for a couple of days before heading to the Gator Bowl.  We pulled up to the hotel in Orlando today to find the Spartans are staying here.  They are running all types of plays in the ballrooms due to the cold weather.   I'm getting a few strange looks in my Michigan gear.

Speaking of cold weather and getting to Florida:

Michigan Monday: Early Week Recruiting Buzz

The Dee Hart watch is on again:  Dee didn't have a very good weekend.   His Orlando Dr. Phillips team lost in the State of Florida Championship game to Miami Central 42-27 and Dee came in second in the Mr. Florida voting.   Florida seems to be coming on strong for both Dee and his teammate Ha'sean Clinton-Dix who is rated one of the top safties in the 2011 class.  Both guys are expecting to play together in college.  Here is some new information from Orlando Sentinel:  
Clinton-Dix said there was an 85-percent chance he and Hart could end up playing together. Hart upped the ante on that projection.



"Oh yeah, we're still hearing from Florida, Florida State and yeah, it's still 85 percent ... probably 90," Hart said.


Florida is not the only school making a push. He had a visit from Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson, a visit from Muschamp, who also called Hart the night before the big game, and he said he has also been in contact with Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett.


One thing that raised eyebrows Saturday night was Hart's confirmation that he still plans to enroll early, a plan that was in limbo for awhile, as the 5-foot-9, 185-pound runner was waiting out the situation with Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. Hart said his plan is to leave for college Jan. 21, but most schools are well into spring semester by then.

Not sure I understand the leaving for college on 1/21.  I guess we will see what happens as this one plays out.  At least we should know who Michigan's head coach is by then.  Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson was down to see Dee this past week and Dee and Ha'sean are planning a Florida visit in January.  I hope Dee is planning to be at the Gator Bowl on 1/1 and not in Orlando for the Citrus Bowl or Tampa for the Outback Bowl. 

• Former IU verbal commit and instate CB Raymon Taylor who is rated 3 or 4 stars by the recruiting services was at Michigan's practice on Saturday and received an offer for the 2011 class. Raymon had 5 Big 10 offers.   This offer seems like a big deal for Raymon and I expect he might commit in the next few weeks to the Wolverines. 

• Michigan continues to recruit Kris Frost hard.  Listen to the video in this article and how he talks about Michigan and his love for the Wolverines.   He is still planning on annoucing at the Army All American Bowl. Kris is rated the #39 player in the US by   Here is an update from the All Star Shrine Bowl this past weekend:  Kris Frost finished second on the North Carolina team with seven tackles, including three for loss, and the Matthews (N.C.) Butler prospect was all over the field tracking down running backs and making some violent hits.

• Former Michigan 2010 recruit at DB Tony Grimes has flammed out at Ole Miss and is no longer on the team.

• Chris Mortenson from ESPN says that Andrew Luck might not go to the NFL if Jim Harbaugh stays at Stanford.  Chris reports that Jim prefers to stay on the West Coast.  Maybe the 49'ers?

• The Michigan coaches were in to see Darian Cooper last week which maybe kept the Wolverines in his recruitment. 

Michigan Thursday: 1/8/2011 is a Make or Break Date for the Wolverines 2011 Recruiting Class

Why you ask?  Well, first of  I assume that the Michigan coaching situation will be decided by then.  Michigan plays in the Gator Bowl on New Years Day and Stanford plays in the Orange Bowl on 1/3. 

So what's so special about the 8th?  January 8th is the day of Army All American Game where top 2011 recruits like to pick a hat for their school of choice on National TV.   By this game, Michigan should know if RR will continue his head coaching duties or another head coach has been hired.  If RR is retained Michigan has a legitimate shot at these following Army All Americans:

• RB Dee Hart of course
• Safety Wayne Lyons
• WR/LB Kris Frost
• CB Blake Countess

Bowl Practice:  RR gave us an update on Bowl Practice and how it's progressing.  They have had 5 practices so far and basically working on fundamentals (freep): "You get the timing back, you get some of the conditioning back a little bit, you can see the first couple days we were a little bit rusty, especially throwing the football, but as we went along, we've been getting better,"

"I can see from all the guys their legs are fresh, and Denard is obviously the healthiest he's been since the season started," Rodriguez said. "He's running a little faster, which you'd expect."


Austin in Austin?  There are rumors that former Michigan assistant coach Teryl Austin will be Texas's new defensive coordinator.  I have also heard Randy Shannon former Miami head coach name as well.

Hands off the MAC!  In less then 2 weeks, three BCS programs have picked off coaches from the MAC.  First it was Jerry Kill going to Minnesota, then Al Golden at Miami and now it's another coach from Miami but this time it's Miami of Ohio.   Pitt has hired Mike Haywood who turned around the Miami program from a 1 year win season a year ago to MAC Champions this year.  Mike was a former assistant under Charlie Weis at ND.   In a related story the MAC is looking for some good young coaches. 

Does anyone else think that the situation at West Virgina next year is going to be awkward? Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen has been hired as WVU's OC and "coach in waiting" for current coach Bill Stewart for one year.  Bill is planing to resign or retire after the 2011 season.  Does this make any sense to anyone?  I'm guessing they had a small window to hire Dana or they were going to lose him to Pitt.  So they put this plan together so that Bill could coach the bowl game and step down after.  I don't see any upside for Bill Stewart to coach next year.  Pay him his salary and let him go find another job or head to Florida.  There are a couple of openings in the MAC. 

Max Issak a 6'3 240 DE from NJ and current Pitt commit is re-thinking his verbal and might be interested in re-considering Michigan.

Information about Miami's coaching search:  It seems they contacted Jim Harbaugh and he wasn't interested.

Michigan Monday: Ponders Coaching Hires and How They affect the Wolverines

Since we don't know what David Brandon's plan is, we only have our thoughts to ponder on what will happen after the Gator Bowl.  In fact, here is David's reaction on waiting to make a decision.

Q: People are saying, "Why is he waiting? This is ridiculous. Recruiting is a mess."

A: I don't think recruiting is a mess. I met with recruits last weekend. I'm going to meet with recruits (before the Big Chill). The coaches are actively recruiting. Coach Rodriguez and I are just fine. We spend a lot of time together. He has a very clear understanding, and has from Day One, as to what the plan is. What I want is for everyone to focus on the fact we still have a game to play. It's a real important game. Everybody whines for the last two years because we haven't gone to a bowl game. Well, now we're going to a bowl game. I sense that's important to people.

And it's an important game and we've got to go play it, and the focus should be on, "Leave the coaches alone and let them coach. Leave the players alone and let them prepare and let's go finish our season." And then once the season has finished, we'll go through the evaluation process, as I do with all the sports, as we should.


To create a lot of distractions and stir right now, while we're getting ready to play one of our biggest games, to me, makes no sense. And to me the only people who are stirring the pot are people who are trying to create controversy because controversies are fun to write about. They get people stirred up and people start to worry, and I understand all that. But I'm doing my job.

Some interesting "coaching" things happened this weekend that got me thinking about Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan situation:

• Florida hired Texas - coach in waiting Will Muschamp.  This seemed to be an inside job and that Florida might have only offered the job to Will.  Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino signed a new 7 year deal on Saturday on strong rumors that he was a candidate for the Florida job.  The Florida job might be the best job in the country right now, but with that comes high expectations and big shoes to fill.

• Miami, FL - Picked up Temple head coach Al Golden.  Temple went 8-4 this year but was not invited to a Bowl Game.  The thing that surprised me was that Al was rumored to be the next head coach at Penn State or even the open Pitt job. 

• Vanderbilt looks to be hiring Auburn's OC Gus Malzahn.

So here are my random thoughts on all those hiring and how they might relate to Michigan:

• What percentage of Michigan fans would have thought in August, if Michigan was playing in a January 1st bowl, RR's job would still be in question?  I'm guessing about 90% would of thought his job was safe.

• If Jim Harbough is such a hot "prospect/candidate" why wasn't his name linked to either the Florida or Miami jobs?  I suspect this means he is either a lock to come to Ann Arbor, he has his sights firmly on the NFL or maybe the guy just wants to stay at Stanford. 

• I wonder if Mitch Mustain current USC backup QB has any eligibility left to join his former high school head coach at Vandy? 

• Remember when Michigan was looking for a coach 3 years ago?  A couple of things we sort of knew was that:  Michigan wouldn't hire a head coach without head coaching experience - well that wasn't a factor for Florida and a coach in the MAC wasn't really qualified enough to coach the Wolverines.  Well that wasn't a factor for Miami either.  

Does Harbaugh's name not coming up in the Miami or Florida searches lend credibility to the rumor of him coming to Michigan?  It might a little.   These coaching searches are done through intermediaries and agents.  Do these guys know something we don't?  Most Michigan insiders believe, Michigan's head coach in January will either be Rodriguez or Harbaugh.  That there isn't a plan B.

Does Miami hiring a MAC coach give some credibility to Brady Hoke as a Plan B?  I doubt it.

Michigan Head Coaching Situation and 2011 Recruiting 

• Speaking of Bobby Petrino, on Saturday he pulled a scholarship offer from Dr. Phillips defensive back Roderick Ryles.  Roderick is a current teammate of Dee Hart and a Michigan recruit. 

• Saturday's visitors to Ann Arbor, Anthony Zettel, James Richardson, and Chris Bryant were all impressed by the Big Chill and will all wait to make a decision until January when the Michigan coaching situation is cleared up.   Michigan is looking good for all 3 prospects if they agree with the direction of the leader of the program in January.

• Avery Walls a 4 star DB will make his decision on Tuesday.  Avery was a strong Michigan lean all year but the coaching un-certainty and a recent trip to Oregon will probably make Avery choose the Ducks.

Wolverine Wednesday: Where do we go from here?

Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?  That is the biggest question right now for the Michigan Program. 

Michigan has lost 3 games in a row this year and is 0-1 in what has been known as the "winnable stretch".  Michigan plays a much improved Illinois team this weekend that has beat the Wolverines twice in a row.   There isn't a team in the nation that needs a win more then the Wolverines.   A win would equal a bowl game and more importantly 14-15 days of practice.  If you think about it, this team has missed out on 30 days of practice the last two years by missing a bowl game in consecutive years.  That is like one Fall Camp.  You can't miss that much time with a young team.  It's a competitive disadvantage.

So now what?

Fire Rich Rodriguez or Fire Greg Robinson or both.

In my mind, Greg is gone either way.  He has done nothing this year to improve the defense or even make them competitive.   Nobody was expecting this defense to be the Baltimore Ravens but we hoped to see improvement during the year.  We have seen regression.

Now the RR decision.  On one hand you can say that Michigan's offense is explosive and rated very high in the nation.  That is Rich's expertise and he deserves one more year to find a person that can fix the defense.

On the other hand, you say that Rich is the head coach making $3M a year and has been through 2 DC's in the last 3 years.   Since he is the CEO of Michigan Football and since this defense is ultimately his responsibility, he should be fired. 

One thing most people are not thinking about is the NCAA.  What is taking so long on that decision?  Many people expected a decision 6 weeks after the meeting in early August.  We are in November and still nothing.   With all the "good" luck Michigan has been having lately, don't you just expect to hear something from the NCAA in the next couple of weeks?  Or how about the week of the Ohio State game.  Wouldn't that be perfect timing?

Also don't forget that if the NCAA comes down hard on the Michigan Football program, David Brandon can fire RR without paying his buyout.   Rich can't afford losses against Illinois and Purdue along with an NCAA announcement and keep his job.  Which will hurt recruiting and many other things.

If David does cut RR loose, let me go on the record by saying he better have a coach all but signed up.  I don't want another Bill Martin fishing trip like he went on 3 years ago.   BTW, it shouldn't be Les Miles, he has done more to lose the Michigan job that earn it the last few years.  LSU fans would pack up his house and move him to Ann Arbor for free.  The name that keeps coming up is Jim Harbaugh, if he is the one I want him announced as the Michigan head coach the day after they let RR go.   Michigan can not "mail in" this recruiting class, it just can't afford to. 

If they hire Jim, expect some more down years since he plays a power pro style offense or just the opposite of RR.   Not an easy decision, is it?

RR will be coaching for his Michigan coaching career the next 2 weeks.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  The news about JT Floyd's ankle doesn't help.