Michigan Monday: Too Early Look at Purdue and The Glowing Aftermath

It still feels good, doesn't it?  Are there stages of happiness?  Because, I think I've been going through them this weekend.  Here is how I felt on Saturday after the game.  

1. Shock 
2. Disbelief 
3. Emotional Happiness 
4. Confusion on what to do next 
5. Game recap transfusion anywhere I could find it (why is it when Michigan loses its all that you can see watching other games, when Michigan wins a huge game, it feels like it's hardly mentioned)
6. Satisfaction
7. Confusion again on where the hell this long weekend went?

There is no need to recap everything that happened as you watched the game, but I want to call out a couple of plays (not the big scoring plays) that really helped shape this win.  

- Sainristil pass break up in the end zone.  That was a TD for OSU and #0 took it away.  Having to take the field goal keep the momentum with Michigan.  I wish he played corner the entire time he was here.

-McGregor's 2 tip passes were huge in stopping OSU drives. 

-The internet has sniffed out that OSU had a fake punt on but miss fired.  It was in the 3rd quarter in Michigan territory on a 4th and 6.  That was the play where Stroud had waved the punt team off the field as he wanted to go for it.  Michigan is up 4 with 6:00 minutes left in the quarter.  There is a problem with the snap and OSU is called for a procedure penalty, making it 4th and 11 now.  That is where the confusion starts.  Is the punt fake still on?  Is the long snapper supposed to hike it to the up man or the punter? The LS snaps the ball to the punter, one side off the line is completely void of Buckeyes and 4 Wolverines are unblocked.  The snap is off center and the Buckeyes are running to block the opposite side of the field where there is only one Wolverine defender.   The punter quickly punts and avoids the Michigan punt blockers.   That play had Michigan dead to rights and might have gone for 30-40 yards with only AJ having a chance to stop a TD.  

-Michigan not getting stupid personal foul penalties and letting the Buckeye's receive them.  1st and 35! Yes, please.  

What a win, but in the words of JJ, "the job's not finished".

Purdue: 8-4 (6-3)

The Boilermakers are on a 3-game win streak with wins over Illinois, Northwestern, and Indiana.  

Best Win: #20 Minnesota 

Worst Loss: Iowa giving up 24 points

Pass per game: 280 yards (21st)

Rush per game: 125 (97th)

Score: 28 points per (67)

Give up: 23 points per (41)

Michigan has had trouble with teams like this in the past.  Purdue is very much like their Indiana neighbor IU in that they like to throw the rock and will play very hard in an attempt to steal the Big Ten Title from Michigan.  This is a home game for the Boilermakers and they probably don't even need hotel rooms in Indy.  Michigan will have to play well to win.  Michigan -16

• As expected, Michigan - OSU again breaks a viewership record with 14  17 million people (peaked at over 19M) watching the game.

• In a very strange situation, OSU game visitor (he is a guest of OSU) 3-star CB from Cincinnati Cam Calhoun committed to the Wolverines.  Right after the game.

• 2024 4-star Ohio OL Luke Hamilton commits to Michigan on Sunday.  He is 6'5 and 290 pounds and the 8th ranked OT on 24/7.  (he actually told the coaches on Saturday after the game as well)

• Michigan is also getting a ton of CB's today: Rod Pierce a 3-star DL who just de-committed from Wisconsin, D'Juan Waller a 3-star Safety, 3/4-star Jason Hewlett Athlete, and Jamel Howard 3-star DL (also a Wisconsin recent de-commit).  All players above are in the 2023 class. 

• Speaking of Wisconsin, they pulled a fast one and is expected to name Luke Fickell as its next head coach today.   Wonder where UC is going to look as they head into the Big 12? 

• Nebraska finally found the right number and hired Matt Rhule.

• FAU fired a Harbaugh coaching tree guy, Willie Taggart.  If Willie doesn't find a job, expect him to replace Biff on Jimmy's staff. 

• Speaking of the Harbaugh coaching tree, David Shaw who replaced Jim at Stanford has resigned. 

• With all these openings and 14 million people watching The Game, it's going to be tough to stop other programs from shopping in Michigan's assistant coaching pool. 

Michigan Tuesday: Face Matches the Uniforms

Remember when Brian Kelly would get all purple on the sideline after his QB would throw a pick or take a sack after missing a wide open WR?  Well, he is taking that face and coaching bona fides to Baton Rouge to become the LSU Tigers next head coach.  To me, this is a 100% fish out of water scenario and something that probably won't last 3 years.   There have been rumors Brian has been looking to jump to the NFL for years, but no takers in that league.  When LSU came calling with a warehouse full of money and a chance to face Alabama every year, Brian jumped quickly. 

Since ND has a similar recruiting base as Michigan's, fans quickly last night thought about who might be a candidate to jump to Ann Arbor?  Here are a few thoughts:

-WR CJ Williams is one of the top WR's in this class.  Michigan was his first offer, so there is a special spot in his heart.  He is from California and USC just got a new coach as well.  

-Amarion Walker is a 3-star WR from Louisiana was has been thinking about a flip to Ann Arbor already.  Does Kelly going to LSU change things? Michigan has 100% of the CB's.

-Tobias Merriweather is a 4-star WR from Washington.  Reports are Kelly was in home when the news broke, he is heading to LSU.   Awkward!   There is family in Detroit.  UW also has a new coach. 

-Josh Burnham, 4-star LB from Traverse City.  Instate guy in a position of need for the Wolverines.  Would seem like a good match if he wants to come home.  Don't know if any bridges were burned. 

Michigan needs WR's and getting a couple from the above list would be a home run.  Not sure what Josh is thinking, but I'm sure it will depend on what ND does for its next head coach.  DC Marcus Freeman status will also be a factor.  (Fickell to ND and Freeman to Cincy?)

• Domani Jackson decision is expected to go down to signing day.  It seems it's a Michigan - Bama - USC decision.  Favorite school growing up, regular national championship contender, staying home with a new coach.  

• Speaking of 2022 DB's - Zeke Berry a 4-star S out of California is expected to announce his college decision on Friday.  He is a former Arizona commit and a very good defensive back.  All CB's are to Michigan after a visit on Saturday.  I believe his quote was, "Michigan does everything different then the PAC 12" 247 ranks him the 63rd player in the country! 

• PFF now has Hutch as the #1 NFL Draft Prospect

• Gattis is now a finalist for the Broyles award for the top assistant

• With all these coaches running for huge paychecks, Harbaugh is donating all of his bonus to AD staff that had to take pay cuts due to COVID. 

• Last night it looked like BOB (Bill O'Brien) was leading candidate for the VA Tech job, now it seems like Penn State's DC Brent Pry.  They really like Penn State current or former coaches. 

• Reports are Temple to consider Chris Partridge and Mike Hart for its head coaching role.  Temple is considering a long list of top assistants. 

• Spencer Rattler who many thought might be the top QB taken in the NFL Draft is now in the transfer portal.   Oklahoma is also losing committed recruits every couple of hours it seems. 

Michigan Thursday: How I See The Michigan Coaching Candidates

Brandon is gone, so step one is complete.  Step two is getting another AD in place ASAP.   I really don't see this as a difficult hire and there seems to be plenty of good candidates out there.   I really don't have a preference, just get one hired and don't allow this delay to hurt your chances at a tier one coach.    A tier one coach is a much more important hire then the AD. 

Michigan is 50/50 if they are going to beat Northwestern and Maryland at home.  They will probably be a two - three touchdown dog to OSU in Columbus.   The best the team can do now is get bowl eligible.   Even if they win two out of the last three last games, Hoke will not be retained next season.  

There are some people saying, "that if coach wins out" he could save his job.  I highly doubt either will happen.  Hoke is a good guy but he is a fit for Ball State not Michigan.   It's time to clean house. 

The question now is:  When do you fire Hoke?  A lot of course depends on when the new AD is in place.   Brandon made a huge mistake in not letting RR go after the OSU game and let Harbaugh win a bowl game and blow up as the top coaching candidate in football.    I don't see that being an issue this year as long as the new AD is working on who the new coach would be.  

Best Scenario:  Hoke announces his resignation after the OSU game, effective after the Blue Bonnet Bowl.  This would allow Michigan to recruit a new head coach and let Hoke coach the bowl game.  If Michigan doesn't make a bowl game, new or interim AD will need to move on replacing Hoke right away.

Tier 1 Coaches:

1. Jim Harbaugh - Could it be the perfect storm for him coming back to A2? 
2. John Harbaugh - Might have some interest but will stay in the NFL.  How many young Super Bowl winning coaches do you know that have gone back to college?
3. Dan Mullen - Hot coach this year, blew out Michigan in the Gator Bowl a couple of years ago.  A big dollar offer could pull him from Miss. State.  He also knows Urban all to well. 
4. Les Miles - I know he is a bit crazy and many in A2 hate him, but he is a big name and would probably take the job.   He can recruit and has a history of hiring very good coordinators.  If we get 3 no's above,  I think they have to take Les and run.  He could give Michigan a solid 5-7 years before retiring. 

Tier 2 Coaches

1. Butch Jones - Has State of Michigan ties, but comes from the RR coaching tree.   He really hasn't done much at Tennessee and would be a risky hire.
2. Todd Graham -  Has won everywhere he has coached at.  The problem is he has coached everywhere.   Another guy from the RR coaching tree.   I would not support this hire. 
3. Mike Gundy - He is a Man! But does anyone really consider him a great coach?  His teams are competitive most years but that is about it. 
4. Greg Schiano  - He accepted the Michigan job and then turned it down and then maybe tried to accept it again before RR was hired.    He left Rutgers for Tampa Bay and was pretty much the most hated coach in the NFL.   His stay there probably couldn't have gone worse.   He was always known as a good college coach, but really never achieved anything at Rutgers.  If you like Jimmy's style - Greg is a good fit.  There is just something that doesn't feel right about hiring Greg. 
5. Charlie Weis- just kidding. 
6. A Top NFL Coordinator - This list is long and would be hard to hire if their teams are in the playoffs.

If we get past Tier 1, we are in trouble folks.  Jimmy is the home run here and everyone knows it.   I would prefer Les for 5 years then fishing in Tier 2.   Michigan needs a coach that Meyer and Dantonio see as an equal, I don't see many of those guys in Tier 2. 


I'm not sure Jimmy makes it past another embarrassing loss like they had last Sunday.  If the 49'ers brass know they are going to fire him after the season and still think they can make the playoffs with a new attitude, Jimmy could be on the street sooner then we expect.  There will be NFL teams interested, so getting to him quickly and selling him on the Michigan turnaround is going to be key.   What would Bo want you to do Jim?

Another photo for no reason:

 

 

I had to add this great insight from Hoke's press conference yesterday:

 

With some of the struggles you guys have had on the road is there anything you can do or you're going to do differently to kind of get rid of that? 

     “I think the biggest thing we're going to do differently is take care of the football, because when you look at it I think we're -11 turnover margin on the road this year. That doesn't help. We're -2, which isn't great, at home but I think that has a big part in it. I think the familiarity with going back there. We understand the locker room, how to take the field. They did switch the sidelines this year where we'll be on the other side and they'll be across the way, which is different. I'm sure they had their reasons for doing it.”

 

 

Wow, coach that would be a great thing to change! 

Michigan Monday: Sunday Was a Good Day For The Wolverines

This is a bit of reach but stay with me.  

The Dallas Cowboys minus Tony Romo lost to Arizona at home, which increased their lead in the NFC West.

The 49'ers lost on a last second fumble making them 4-4 and 3 games behind Arizona. 

With every embarrassing loss the 49'ers acquire the father the divide between Jimmy and the front office grows.    If it gets bad enough, they could fire him before the end of the season.    Mostly if his successor is currently on staff.   Getting the opportunity to sell Jim on being Michigan's head coach and getting him a couple more weeks of recruiting, would be a wonderful thing!!

Miami also played their best game of the year and shut out San Diego.  Most expect Miami and Stephen Ross to be a suitor when/if Jimmy leaves the 49'ers.

• Denard had another nice game for the Jags.  94 yards rushing and a TD.
• Tom Brady did his thing against Manning and Denver.

BTW:  David Brandon is no longer Michigan's AD if you haven't heard. 

• ESPN Joe Schad reported this weekend that Michigan is looking at Northwestern's AD Jim Phillips.   Jim doesn't have any Michigan ties.   Michigan travels to NW this weekend are they maybe looking for two wins?

• Another name that I have heard is Joe Castiglione from Oklahoma.

Michigan Thursday: Talks About An SI.com Story

SI.com has a story on it's NCAAF front page about potential Big Time coaching changes in college football and who is going where.  

A lot of it, we already know.   What was interesting is Dan Mullen's and Florida's AD relationship not being that strong.   I pretty much thought it was a no-brainer for Dan to head back to Florida where he coached under Meyer.   I guess he didn't leave on great terms and that Foley is going to shop for a huge name like Bob Stoops. 

It also mentions that Jimmy is going to be a big reach for the Wolverines.   That Jim likes the NFL and even though his time with 49'ers will come to an end, the Raiders or Dolphins will throw a ton of money at him.   Since Mrs. Harbaugh loves the bay area, he may consider the Raiders.   If Jim picks the Raiders over Michigan, I will lose my mind.  I still think Jimmy is starting to understand his style does not work in the NFL. 

The story also says John isn't coming.  Which I agree with.

They talk about Les being 61 and won't be able to recruit the same type of player to Michigan that he has been able to get at LSU.   I think Les would take the Michigan job in a second.  With Les, you just need very good coordinators to keep him from making dumb mistakes during games.   I have zero concerns about his recruiting at Michigan.

What is interesting about the article is they see the top candidate for Michigan being Dan Mullen but that he could stay a Mississippi State.   I think Dan would be a very good hire for Michigan.   The back-up plan is Greg Schiano which concerns me after his complete train wreck of his NFL coaching stint.  I would worry about recruiting and hiring great coordinators.   I think Greg is a little bit of coaching poison right now.   Take the SMU or Kansas job Greg!

They even mention Jerry Kill for the Michigan job.   Are you kidding me?  How many MAC level coaches should Michigan hire?

On a funny note, they also mention RR for the Florida job.  RR does well coaching the football programs at basketball schools.  Maybe he learned something at Michigan, but I would not hire him for the bright lights at Florida.

• Speaking of SI:  They have Devin Funchess as their #13 on their NFL Draft Board right now.  
• Michigan is now a 17 point dog on Saturday.   
• Alan Branch signed with the Patriots after being cut by the Bills earlier this season after a DUI.

Wolverine Wednesday: Coaching Changes Outside of Ann Arbor

Will there be any coaching changes on Brady Hoke's staff this year?   If there are (and there should be) I expect them to come after signing day, in about a month.   Michigan doesn't want to upset the apple cart before the class in finalized.  Of course this is all just a pipe dream because everyone believes Brady Hoke doesn't want to fire Big Al.  

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden

So we will look at some changes and some rumored candidates:

• Reports are that Louisville is looking at MSU's Pat Narduzzi and Bobby Petrino for their head coaching job.  My guess is that they are more interested in Pat then re-hiring Bobby who has been everywhere since he left Louisville.   Don't they know that John L. Smith is available?  Update:  Looks like I'm wrong as Louisville is going to hire Petrino.

• It sounds like Vandy's James Franklin could be Penn State's next coach.   If they hire him Michigan would get to see teams lead by Franklin, Meyer and Dantonio every year.   Does Michigan have the coaching IQ to coach against some of the best coaches in the country?

• How is that hire at Texas going over?  Red McCombs is to Texas as Stephen Ross is to Michigan.  He said this about the hire of Charlie Strong:  "I think the whole thing is a bit sideways," McCombs said of the selection process during an interview with ESPN 1250 San Antonio. "I don't have any doubt that Charlie is a fine coach. I think he would make a great position coach, maybe a coordinator. "But I don't believe [he belongs at] what should be one of the three most powerful university programs in the world right now at UT-Austin. I don't think it adds up."  For the record, I think Red is way off base and that Charlie is on the best young coaches in college football and could be at Texas for the next 20 years.

• Big Mark Mangino is back in coaching as Iowa State's OC.

Michigan Monday: U of M Basketball and College Football Stuff!

The Michigan Basketball team moved to 2-0 in the Big Ten with a home win over Northwestern on Sunday afternoon.   The Wolverines started slowly but got it into gear half way through the first half and never looked back.  It was clear the Wildcats did not have the talent to match-up with the Wolverines.  

I have been impressed with Jon Horford now that McGary is out, he is really stepping up and playing some nice defense.   Even Jordan Morgan got it going in the low post on Sunday.  Michigan will need both guys to play well if they are going to compete with the elite teams in the Big Ten.    GR3 was back and seemed healthy, the ankle didn't seem to bother him at all with some nice dunks and solid defense on Crawford, Northwestern' s best player (btw how long has Crawford been there?  It seems like 10 years).   Nik lead the team with 18 points with most of them coming from the line. 

The Wolverines travel to Nebraska on Thursday, their only game next week.

• Texas makes a Strong hire in getting Charlie Strong from Louisville.  I always thought he was a good coach and a great recruiter in Florida.  I'm sure he will be do a great job at Texas.

• Penn State continues it's search and it interviewed Al Golden and the recently fired Mike Munchak.  Al says he is staying at Miami, so it seems it might be Mike or bust.   Vandy coach James Franklin's name also continues to be mentioned.

• Former Michigan recruits Sammy Watkins is going pro and OSU's Braxton Miller is staying in Columbus.  Sammy had Michigan #1 after his trip up for the Spring Game, what might have been Sammy!  He is rated the #1 WR in he draft.

• Even though Kansas City lost to Indy this weekend, it was great to see Junior Hemingway get so much playing time.  He finished the year with 13 catches and two TD's for 125 yards but played a lot the last two weeks.

• RR is reportedly the #1 candidate on Louisville's short list for a new head coach.   I'm not sure Rita is going to move from the desert to Louisville.  RR does seem to like cowboys and might want a horse farm. Pat Narduzzi's name has also been mentioned.

Enjoy the BCS Championship game tonight.  I have it FSU 38 Auburn 28.

Michigan Thursday: Denard Kicks The NFL 's Tires

Denard Robinson has filed paperwork with the NFL Advisory Board to predict where he might be taken in the NFL Draft.   This doesn't concern me and Denard should cover all his bases so he can make an informed decision.  Do I expect him to go to the NFL this year? The answer is no.   "A year under my belt is going to help me a lot," Robinson said. "I think I can do some special things next year."

I expect he will be back and facing Alabama next year in Dallas. 

• Congrats to Paul Chryst, Wisconsin OC who it seems will be getting the Pitt head coaching job. 

• Josh Garnett tweeted that a reporter asked him: Why Michigan?  He tweeted 1) He loves Erik Magnuson and 2) He hates Ohio State.  Come on down big fella! 

• David Brandon doesn't like OSU or any school having two coaching staff recruit during the December.  He believes it gives teams with 2 coaching staffs an advantage:  "No one will ever convince me of the merits of allowing anyone — including the University of Michigan — to have this kind of advantage, or that this is sensible in terms of being a fair and equitable approach," Brandon told The Detroit News last week. "Our coaches right now are sleep-deprived. They've got to plan to get 130 people to New Orleans (Michigan plays Virginia Tech in the Jan. 2  Jan 3 Sugar Bowl), practicing and preparing a game plan and doing all the things coaches do, and yet this is one of the busiest recruiting seasons of the year."

• The Michigan Basketball Team plays Bradley today at 6:30 BTN

• If you didn't hear, when Big Al was asked if he was interested in the Florida OC job, He responded:  “No. This is Michigan Fergodsake -- the noble words of someone we all know and love. Next question.”

Thursday Funny from the 7th Inning Sketch

Michigan Thursday: Loves Coaching Changes

I don't know about you, but I love College Football Coaching searches (when it's not happening to Michigan).   I just love how things unfold and how AD's pick their coaches.  Couple of changes to keep an eye on if you don't follow these things as closely as I do:

ASU: Picks Todd Graham from Pitt.   Graham was at Pitt less then a year after Pitt had hired a guy with recent domestic assault on his record.  Todd Graham is a RR disciple and was a head coach for Rice for a year, Tulsa for 4 years and now Pitt for a year before taking the ASU job.   Side note, Graham hired 3 RR's assistants when he got fired from Michigan, those assistants are now in state but working for RR down the road.  Also the recent Michigan transfers who left for Pitt are now with out the coaches that they transferred for.  So the question is now where does Pitt go for a head coach (don't forget they are moving to the ACC)?

Kansas:  Picked Charlie Wies for some reason.  Charlie got fired from ND for not under preforming and spent a year as Kansas City's OC and Florida's OC.   This is a clear case where Charlie is a better OC then head coach.  This hire makes zero sense to me, I understand big names are not knocking down the door to coach Kansas but the only positive thing Charlie did at ND was recruit.

Texas AM: Went from Mike Sherman to Houston's Kevin Sumlin who was the hottest candidate this year.  I think this is a good hire even though Kevin's team got blown out at home in the USA Championship game and a BCS Bowl on the line.  Not sure on a guy with Conference USA experience leading a team into the SEC.

UCLA:  A few years ago, UCLA tried to resurrect Rick Neuheisel career and it didn't work.  Now they go after another resurrection project with Jim Mora, Jr.   It seems UCLA is a job that most people don't want and there are rumors they are not committed to football financially.   They had a chance to make up some ground on USC and didn't.

Penn State: Is the biggest job still available.  This job right now is scary at best.  Their recruiting class is falling apart and who know what the future might bring.   I have no idea where they want to go with this one.  This seems like a no win situation at the moment.  I have heard they might be looking at Havard's head coach.

Ohio State: got the most successful coach on the board.   The OSU brass sold him on that the NCAA wouldn't do anymore harm and now he is selling it to recruits.   I know coaches say a lot things including this:  "But what I didn't want to have happen, and I made this clear to Jeremy [Foley], if I am able to go coach, I want to coach at one place, the University of Florida. It would be a travesty, it would be ridiculous to all of a sudden come back and get the feeling back, get the health back, feel good again and then all of a sudden go throw some other colors on my shirt and go coach. I don't want to do that. I have too much love for this University and these players and for what we've built."

Illinois: Let it ride with Zook as long as they could.  I don't think Illinois really draws top coaching talent and they picked a good young coach from Toledo Tim Beckman.   Good hire. 

Washington State: made the best hire out there in Mike Leach.  Mike is a different guy and doesn't need to be in the big city with a ton of media watching is every more.   This is a perfect place for him in a league where he could do some damage if he has similar success to his Texas Tech days.  Mike was able to get solid players at Tech to run his system when he had to recruit against Texas and A&M.  Hopefully he has learned a few things after being out of football and that concussions are a serious injury.

Michigan Friday: Coaches are Hitting the Road to Recruit

One of the advantages of not playing in the BIG 10 Championship game is an extra week of recruiting on the road before bowl practices start.  Michigan will find out on Sunday if they are heading to the Sugar or Citrus Bowl.  This week though the assistant coaches are on the road to visit as many prospects as possible.  Think about a couple other things as well: OSU doesn't know who their assistant coaches will be and still waiting for the NCAA, PSU is worried about the off the field situation and they don't have a head coach either, Wisconsin and MSU are busy this week preparing for a game and Illinois needs a head coach, so the time is now to make up some ground on the local competition. 

Here are some of the visits we know of:

• Brinote Dunn
• Josh Garnett
• 2013 WR Kevin Gladney
• 2012 TE Taylor McNamara
• Today with Yuri Wright
• 2012 TE (PSU de-commit) JP Holtz
• WR Jehu Chesson
• 2012 Center Evan Boehm (4 Stars and Missouri de-commit)

Rumor Mill:

I love this time of year because so many changes are happening in college football. 

• Mike Sherman got fired last night from Texas AM - the rumored leading candidate is Houston's head coach, Kevin Sumlin who seems to be the "hot" candidate right now.  There is a report out that ASU has already offered Kevin as well.  Looks like if Michigan plays  "5 Slamma Jamma" in the Sugar Bowl, they might be with out their head coach.

• I watched WVU beat South Florida last night and wondered if Jeff Casteel would join RR in Arizona.  It's pretty strange that he hasn't hired any assistants yet.  I am sure Pitt and Indiana are trying to lock down their assistants right now.

• Have you ever seen such a bad championship game as the PAC 12 game tonight?  Oregon plays 6-6 UCLA who just fired their coach.  The Ducks are favored by 31 points.  Good game.  There are plenty of rumors that UCLA wants to target Chris Peterson from Boise State.   Chris said no the last time they had an opening but there is some thoughts that Chris might be more interested now.  That would be a huge hire for them.

• If Alabama plays LSU in the NC game,  I think Michigan and Ohio State should get their 2006 teams back together and play for the 2006 NC game again.   (I thought nobody wanted to see are-match?)  Both Michigan and OSU lost their bowl games by wide margins that year.

• There are plenty of rumors floating around that Mac Brown is about to retire at Texas.   That would be an interesting job opening. 

• Don't forget Monday's post on who you want to root for this weekend if Michigan can jump two spots an earn a BCS Bid.

Breaking News: Rich Rod is Fired

Sources are saying Rich Rodriguez has been fired.  Now is the time to panic, if your into panicking.

Bartender, please make it a double!

****It seems the firing is not official yet and that maybe someone at Fox 2 pulled the switch a little early.  David Brandon has not made an announcement and Rich Rodriguez has not notified his staff yet.  Sources are saying they are still meeting.


Brady Bunch?  I am starting to hear it's Brady Hoke and it might already be a done deal.  Again nothing offical just a rumor at this point.  

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.

Breaking News: Help Wanted in Minnesota

If you are a head football coach, I would suggest networking the greater Minneapolis area with your resume.  Now both football programs (Vikings and Golden Gophers) in Minneapolis are without head football coaches. 

USC Hired Who?

January is becoming College Football's most exciting month. You have News Years Day, The BCS Bowls, Recruiting, and now the Head Coaching Exchange.

What is going on? Is this the NFL?

Pete Carroll leaves for the NFL because it was time or the NCAA is going to come in with a hammer and smack down the Trojans. There have always been "rumors" around the Trojans program with recruits and shopping trips. There is much more to this story then OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush. Still, USC is a top tier college program and losing it's coach is big news.

So USC, goes after Mike Riley, he says no. Then they go after Jack Del Rio and he declines. Steve Mariucci has been out of the game too long and heck even the Detroit Lions quit on him.

So whose next? Lane Kiffin at Tennessee. Are you kidding me? He is a walking recruiting violation. I'm sure the NCAA will look kindly on this hire. Isn't Tennessee being investigated by the NCAA regarding the practices of some weekend "hostess"?

Congratulations USC! I'm pretty sure a recruiting class isn't as important as selling your entire program down the river. Don't get me wrong, Lane can coach, knows the X's and O's, can recruit with the best of them and is a Pete disciple but what if the NCAA finds major violations at USC? Then does this hire make any sense?

The LA media from what I have read, loves this hire. Really? Why? Because he coached with Pete? I feel sorry for Tennessee, which is a major program in the SEC. They have lost most of their coaches and now under the gun to get a good coach and save their recruits.

USC moved fast to save their recruiting class. They should have taken a step back and thought about the entire University's reputation first, a different type of Class.

This has been one wild month and were not even half way done.

Coaching Searches are Not What They Used to Be

Michigan was in the market for a new head coach two short years ago. As a Michigan fan, I was excited for the first time in 40 years to bring in a high quality coach. I was really surprised that Michigan didn't have it's choice of any college football coach out there. I thought high profile coaches would be lining up to coach the Wolverines. I was wrong and so are the ND fans that are throwing around names like Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops.

Here is what I learned regarding coaching searches. So fans from Notre Dame, Louisville, and Virgina please take note of the following bullets:

• Coaching Searches help current coaches get extensions and raises: The coaches that stay at their programs are the big winners in coaching searches. The mention of their names with any opening gets them big raises and contract extensions. For example look at TCU and Gary Patterson, he just got an extension yesterday on the belief teams would be asking him to interview. Notre Dame made one of the biggest mistakes in the history of college football when Charlie Weis name came up for an NFL job and they quickly gave him a 10 year - $40 Million contract.
• Big name jobs are not what they used to be: With the big name programs comes big spotlight. If coaches can stay at Iowa or Rutgers and still make the same money, why move? The expectations are lower and the pressure/stress is lower. Look at Rich Rodriguez as the example. He took the Michigan job: has won 8 games in two years, paid a large buyout, has an entire state hate him, been called a "Snake Oil Salesman" by another Big Ten coach and had a local newspaper accuse him of overworking his players which has lead to an NCAA investigation. I'm pretty sure none of those things would have happened to him if he had stayed in West Virgina. Good thing Ann Arbor is a great place to raise a family.
• Coaches are hired to be fired: Remember the last time ND was looking for a head coach? They went after all the big names like Shanahan, Gruden, Meyer, etc. Well, Shanahan, Gruden, and Belichick are Super Bowl winning coaches and available. What? They are not on a short list at ND now? Why? Because they got fired? They are still the same coach they were five years ago.
• If your at a major program and make big dollars why move? What would be the motivation for a Bob Stoops or Urban Meyer to take the ND job? I can't think of one reason. Both are at top successful programs that compete for national champions each year. Why would they want to rebuild ND?

So where do you go if you need a head coach?

You need to look at coaches at schools that can't match the money your going to spend. For example, University of Cincinnati can't pay Brian Kelly $4 Million a year. If your Louisville, Central Michigan can't pay Butch Jones a couple Million a year. That is where you have to look for your next coach. Don't forget Ohio State found Jim Tressel in Division 1A.

So ND swing for the fences and talk to Urban and Bob through third parties and have them tell you quietly "no thanks" and move on to the Brian Kelly's of the world quickly. The longer this plays out the worse it's going to get. You almost have to do what Ole Miss did a couple of years ago; Houston Nutt left his job at Arkansas and 10 minutes later was announced as the coach at Ole Miss. You almost need to have a "silent and quiet" deal with the replacement before you let your current coach go. That is why Athletic Directors hire 3rd party firms, so they can contact the coaches and gauge interest, salary, buy out, etc.

BTW: Terry Bowden is doing a great job at the University of North Alabama and is available to interview anytime you like.

Was Greg Robinson a good hire for Michigan?

At first, I was not a big fan of the hire of Greg Robinson for Michigan's defensive coordinator. He had just come off a 10-37 record as the head coach of Syracuse, so I'm sure many shared my same feelings. That was my initial reaction to the hiring.

Then I thought, what if Michigan had hired former Notre Dame and Washington coach Ty Willingham? I thought that would have been a very good hire for Michigan. What would have made the Ty hire a good one and the actual hire of Greg a bad one? I needed to look into why I felt this way.

Then Mark Snyder from the Free Press wrote a story about Greg yesterday and totally changed my mind. If you read Big House Blog regularly you know that I believe good coordinators don't always make a good head coach. Not everyone has leadership skills.

I also believe that good coaches run together. They have respect for each other, hire each other, and keep in touch with each other. I was surprised to learn that Greg's former teammate and friend in college Pete Carroll helped him get his first job. I was also surprised to learn that Greg was first hired by Monte Kiffin, one of the best defensive coaches ever. To quote Snyder for the Freep: Kiffin and Carroll are regarded as two of the top defensive minds in football at any level, and that only can help improve a Michigan defense that allowed the most points in modern program history. I also believe, Pete, Monte, and Greg are good examples that being a great coordinator does not make a great head coach. Pete failed as a head coach a number of times in the NFL before he found his perfect situation at USC and Monte just left Tampa Bay to be the DC under his son at Tennessee, which pretty much gives up on him getting another head coaching job.

Mac Brown, Texas head coach also called Robinson, "the best defensive coordinator in the country". So what does Mac Brown, Pete Carroll, and Monte Kiffin know about Greg that I don't? It actually looks like a lot! Here are a couple of highlights from Greg's resume:

• 10 years experience as an NFL DC
• 2 Super Bowl Rings
• Experience as an offensive coordinator at UCLA
• Experience as an defensive coordinator at Texas
• Former Head Coach at Syracuse

That is an impressive resume and he came to Michigan for $275,000 a year. Now don't get me wrong, that is good money in today's economy but when you compare it other DC's salaries at major program's that are over or close to a Million dollars a year, Greg's pay check wouldn't compare. Heck, Michigan's now famous strength and conditioning coach makes $250,000 a year.

So was this a good hire for Michigan? The proof will be on the field, but the answer has to be Yes. Rich Rod got a guy with great experience that has a chance to turn around a defense that gave up the most points in Michigan history, while paying him only $275K a year. Yes, I would call that a good hire.

• Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Kurt Wermers won't return to Wolverines this fall. He wasn't on the two deep depth chart for this Fall and hadn't gotten any spring practice buzz. So he most likely left to find some playing time.

• What about Grady? Rodriguez also said he plans to talk with senior running back Kevin Grady, who was jailed last week for probation violations related to a drunk driving conviction. The coach said he wouldn't decide on Grady's future with the team until the two had a discussion.
  
  
• More to departures to come? "Stay tuned," he said. "There's a couple guys I'm gonna sit with here. Just guys that maybe if they're not doing all their responsibilities and doing what they need to do to be part of our football program may not be back. I hope that's not too many."

Arizona Basketball = Michigan Football

What happens when your a major program in your sport and your head man retires? You have to go out and find a replacement that will make a big splash with alumni, boosters, and fans.

Michigan Football had that same situation 2 years ago. The "man" that wanted the job and was a "Michigan Man" was in the middle of a National Championship run with another team. He couldn't leave his golden egg for his dream job. That left Michigan with a National Coaching Search that took many twist and turns before Rich Rodriguez surfaced as Michigan's next coach.

Arizona Basketball is experiencing something similar. Now I'm not comparing The Arizona Basketball Program to the most winnest program in College Football history, what I am comparing is the coaching search and need to find the right fit with the right name.

Arizona has known for about 5 months that Lute Olson was hanging it up for good. They went through an embarrassing situation with their "interim" coaches and now are having trouble finding the right fit to lead the program. This from a team that "most" thought shouldn't make it to the NCAA Tournament but ended up playing very well and making it to the Sweet 16. This is a good basketball team at a basketball school!

Arizona first offered the job to Tim Floyd, who turned it down to stay at USC. Now, just this morning, Xavier's head coach Sean Miller has turned down Arizona's latest offer. These jobs are not just about the "program" any longer.

Remember the painful searches, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Kentucky Basketball (2 years ago) had. Coaches can stay in the Atlantic 10, Big East for Football, or USA Conference and win a ton of games, get paid and have job security for years to come. Kentucky understood that when they let Billy Gillispie go and broke the bank to get John Calipari to come on board and he still had to think about it for two days. If UK offered a 10% raise to Calipari he would still be at Memphis recruiting the top class in the nation.

The lesson here is the pressure of the big programs better come with huge dollars or it's not worth it. Who wants to be Charlie Weis right now? Nobody. The only thing that gets him to sleep at night is the stack of $100 in his mattress.

If your a big time program in your sport and you need a "named" head coach, you better think about doubling someones salary, because the risk of running a big time program isn't worth the reward anymore. Or you could always look at the D1a or D2 schools and find a diamond in the rough like Jim Tressel. Could you imagine Ohio State Football hiring a D1a coach these days? It would never happen.

As Michigan fans, we could never fathom the head coach of Rutgers turning down the chance to lead the Maize and Blue. I'm sure Arizona fans are thinking today, "How could the Xavier coach turn down a chance to coach the Wildcats?"

Everyone has a price and if you don't bring your check book don't bother calling these named coaches.

NEVERMIND: It seems Miller has changed his mind when Arizona added a few zero's to his offer. They can send the 10% consulting fee to the Big House Blog! :-)

Do you want to be Michigan's new DC?

Feel free to submit your resumes here: http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobdetail.cfm?job=3048540

Let me add two more requirements: Defense must be able to tackle running backs and cover receivers down field. Keeping a team under 10 points is preferred.


Assistant Football Coach
POSTED: Dec 17

Salary:
130,000.00 - 150,000.00

Location:
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Employer:
University of Michigan

Type:
Full Time - Experienced
Category:
Football

Required Education:
4 Year Degree

Description
The University of Michigan invites applications for the position of Assistant Football Coach. This position entails assisting in the planning, organizing, directing, and implementing of all phases of a Division I football program. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Identifying and recruiting athletically and academically qualified student-athletes, organizing and planning practice and match strategies, participating in public relations and fundraising efforts, observing team members and determining the need for individual or team improvement; determining position assignments of team members; recommending contest strategy for a facet of the sport; insuring adherence to all association and conference rules by athletes and supporting staff; assisting in the monitoring of academic progress and status of team members.


NOTES:
Additional Salary Information: Salary dependent upon experience and qualifications. Employer may assist with relocation costs. (Wow! Thanks!)


Requirements :
Qualifications/ Skill Requirements: Bachelors degree is required, prior participation and coaching in collegiate and/or professional football is required, proven ability to train and motivate athletes, excellent communication and organizational skills, ability to serve as a mentor and leader, thorough knowledge of NCAA rules and regulations, personal computer and related software skills are all desired. (I got the software skills covered)

English to EMU and LLP is impressive in debut

• ESPN and the Detroit News are saying that Ron English will be the new head coach at Eastern Michigan as soon as Monday. Ron is the current defensive coordinator at Louisville and the former defensive coordinator at Michigan under Lloyd Carr. English would become just the fifth African-American head coach among the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision schools.

• Michigan beats Oakland 89-76 on balanced scoring and a "hot" 10-18 from 3 point range in the first half. Sims was the leading scorer with 20 points, Manny Harris had 15, Laval Lucas-Perry had 14 in his Michigan debut, and Stu Douglass was hot e$arly in the game and ended with 12 points.