Post by mikeytbuckeyes on Oct 26, 2014 19:07:17 GMT -5
I read an article recently on SI.com regarding the upcoming college coaching merry-go-round and the following was discussed about that team up north:
Perception: Jim Harbaugh has worn out his welcome in San Francisco. He’ll return home to Michigan as a savior, and the program is desperate enough for a winner that it will endure his, um, quirks. (Or maybe Les Miles will be a candidate again; he went to Michigan, too).
Reality: The industry consensus is that Harbaugh won’t be back in San Francisco. Those close to Harbaugh insist that he likes the NFL and his wife enjoys the Bay Area. A return to college hasn’t been ruled out, but it appears unlikely. There are two scenarios more likely than Michigan. One is that the Raiders overpay him to go there, with Harbaugh using Michigan as leverage. He’d also be in play for the Miami Dolphins job if Joe Philbin is fired. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is a Michigan alum and huge benefactor. (Oddly, the 49ers don’t want him to get a college job, as he still has a year left on his contract and could lure some value in an NFL trade scenario like the one the Browns dangled last year).
Miles turns 61 in November. From his questionable clock management to his occasionally tortured offenses, very few people think Miles has won in Baton Rouge because of great coaching. Could Miles recruit the same caliber of players to Michigan as he has at LSU? Unlikely.
Perception: Michigan is a place of higher standards and integrity, sticking its nose up at lesser schools.
Reality: Michigan right now looks like another big-time athletic department gone adrift with overwhelmed leadership, a flailing coach and bungling public relations. Michigan’s handling of Shane Morris’ concussion situation came straight from the Julie Hermann p.r. playbook, highlighting the fissures in an already dysfunctional athletic department.
Michigan has made two consecutive poor football hires, and the scariest part is there’s no indication that the Wolverines have the leadership in place to avoid whiffing again. Athletic director Dave Brandon is a “50-50 shot” to survive, according to a source. If he does, how much say will he have in the hire? Football coaches look at the athletic director and president when evaluating a job. Brandon is on thin ice. New president Mark Schlissel, a former Brown provost, is inexperienced in big-time athletics. That’s not exactly an appetizing combination.
Who is next? Hard to say, because we really don’t know who will be making the hire. There are less logical names than at Florida once you cross Miles and the Harbaughs off the list. (There’s even less chance John Harbaugh comes.)
“There’s not a hot mid-major guy that you have to have and go out and hire,” said an industry source. “There’s no Urban Meyer at Utah or Kevin Sumlin at Houston or Brian Kelly at Cincinnati. You can go through the list. There’s not a guy out there like that this year.”
Mullen will be atop Michigan’s list, but don’t rule out him staying in Starkville. The college football world is flatter than it used to be thanks to television money, as a program like Mississippi State wouldn’t have been able to vault to No. 1 a decade ago. There’s more stability, better leadership and snazzier facilities in Starkville than in Ann Arbor. (Quick, someone get the Michigan Men smelling salts). Mullen is happy with what he’s built there, and the SEC television money will allow Mississippi State to increase his $3 million-a-year salary. History says Mullen should leave, as there’s a century worth of data that would nudge him to a higher-profile job. But there is also a chance he stays, which could encourage star quarterback Dak Prescott to return for his senior year.
The other logical Michigan candidate is former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who turned down the job in 2007 and was fired in Tampa Bay last year. Pete Carroll, Nick Saban and Jim Mora Jr. are all proof that NFL failures aren’t accurate indicators of collegiate success. Schiano’s sterling academic record and power football roots could be attractive.
Jerry Kill would be a wonderful fit in Ann Arbor, as all he’s done is win at Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and now Minnesota. Kill’s epilepsy, which caused him to miss a handful of weeks during the 2013 season, could hurt his candidacy.
After that, there are not a lot of obvious names. One wildcard scenario is that Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long takes the AD job if it opens and brings Bret Bielema with him. Other AD candidates could include UConn’s Warde Manuel and Boston College’s Brad Bates.
In short, what I get from this is there aren't a lot of options out there for ttun right now. They will be used by legitimate coaches only as leverage to improve existing contracts. There will never be serious interest there. I'm curious if they will ever lower themselves to the level of Ohio State by allowing a 1AA coach to take the reins of their heralded and historic football program. I doubt you'd ever see that from them because of their collective arrogance ("he's not a M*ch*gan Man") and their fear of whiffing on a 3rd straight coaching hire. Regardless, they are in quite a fix right now.
Perception: Jim Harbaugh has worn out his welcome in San Francisco. He’ll return home to Michigan as a savior, and the program is desperate enough for a winner that it will endure his, um, quirks. (Or maybe Les Miles will be a candidate again; he went to Michigan, too).
Reality: The industry consensus is that Harbaugh won’t be back in San Francisco. Those close to Harbaugh insist that he likes the NFL and his wife enjoys the Bay Area. A return to college hasn’t been ruled out, but it appears unlikely. There are two scenarios more likely than Michigan. One is that the Raiders overpay him to go there, with Harbaugh using Michigan as leverage. He’d also be in play for the Miami Dolphins job if Joe Philbin is fired. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is a Michigan alum and huge benefactor. (Oddly, the 49ers don’t want him to get a college job, as he still has a year left on his contract and could lure some value in an NFL trade scenario like the one the Browns dangled last year).
Miles turns 61 in November. From his questionable clock management to his occasionally tortured offenses, very few people think Miles has won in Baton Rouge because of great coaching. Could Miles recruit the same caliber of players to Michigan as he has at LSU? Unlikely.
Perception: Michigan is a place of higher standards and integrity, sticking its nose up at lesser schools.
Reality: Michigan right now looks like another big-time athletic department gone adrift with overwhelmed leadership, a flailing coach and bungling public relations. Michigan’s handling of Shane Morris’ concussion situation came straight from the Julie Hermann p.r. playbook, highlighting the fissures in an already dysfunctional athletic department.
Michigan has made two consecutive poor football hires, and the scariest part is there’s no indication that the Wolverines have the leadership in place to avoid whiffing again. Athletic director Dave Brandon is a “50-50 shot” to survive, according to a source. If he does, how much say will he have in the hire? Football coaches look at the athletic director and president when evaluating a job. Brandon is on thin ice. New president Mark Schlissel, a former Brown provost, is inexperienced in big-time athletics. That’s not exactly an appetizing combination.
Who is next? Hard to say, because we really don’t know who will be making the hire. There are less logical names than at Florida once you cross Miles and the Harbaughs off the list. (There’s even less chance John Harbaugh comes.)
“There’s not a hot mid-major guy that you have to have and go out and hire,” said an industry source. “There’s no Urban Meyer at Utah or Kevin Sumlin at Houston or Brian Kelly at Cincinnati. You can go through the list. There’s not a guy out there like that this year.”
Mullen will be atop Michigan’s list, but don’t rule out him staying in Starkville. The college football world is flatter than it used to be thanks to television money, as a program like Mississippi State wouldn’t have been able to vault to No. 1 a decade ago. There’s more stability, better leadership and snazzier facilities in Starkville than in Ann Arbor. (Quick, someone get the Michigan Men smelling salts). Mullen is happy with what he’s built there, and the SEC television money will allow Mississippi State to increase his $3 million-a-year salary. History says Mullen should leave, as there’s a century worth of data that would nudge him to a higher-profile job. But there is also a chance he stays, which could encourage star quarterback Dak Prescott to return for his senior year.
The other logical Michigan candidate is former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who turned down the job in 2007 and was fired in Tampa Bay last year. Pete Carroll, Nick Saban and Jim Mora Jr. are all proof that NFL failures aren’t accurate indicators of collegiate success. Schiano’s sterling academic record and power football roots could be attractive.
Jerry Kill would be a wonderful fit in Ann Arbor, as all he’s done is win at Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and now Minnesota. Kill’s epilepsy, which caused him to miss a handful of weeks during the 2013 season, could hurt his candidacy.
After that, there are not a lot of obvious names. One wildcard scenario is that Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long takes the AD job if it opens and brings Bret Bielema with him. Other AD candidates could include UConn’s Warde Manuel and Boston College’s Brad Bates.
In short, what I get from this is there aren't a lot of options out there for ttun right now. They will be used by legitimate coaches only as leverage to improve existing contracts. There will never be serious interest there. I'm curious if they will ever lower themselves to the level of Ohio State by allowing a 1AA coach to take the reins of their heralded and historic football program. I doubt you'd ever see that from them because of their collective arrogance ("he's not a M*ch*gan Man") and their fear of whiffing on a 3rd straight coaching hire. Regardless, they are in quite a fix right now.
