Brady Hoke is out in Ann Arbor after four rocky seasons, and now the University of Michigan is left with the dubious task of finding its third head coach in just seven seasons. This upcoming decision is going to be a major one for interim athletic director Jim Hackett, perhaps even a seminal moment in the program's history.
Three Potential Coaching Candidates For Michigan
For decades Michigan has sported one of the most traditional and powerful programs in college football, but recruiting trends, conference realignment, evolving offensive schemes (and just plain bad coaching on the Wolverines' part at times) have conspired to reduce the glint of maize and blue ever so slightly.
Even The Onion took a major jab at UM's fall of from college football grace, writing this week that "Michigan Fans Thankful Program No Longer Relevant Enough To Be Humiliated On National Stage."
If Hackett et al wants to correct-course on the Wolverines' recent slide and reassert a dominant stake on the college football landscape, this next coaching hire better be a home run. Sensing the reality and gravity of that fact, the program has shelled out six-figures to a private consulting firm to aid in the search process, according to the Detroit News.
So what, exactly, is Michigan looking for in their next head coach? They chased Rich Rodriguez at WVU because of his high-powered offenses, and cut him loose in favor of Hoke, who was of a defensive background, and who had never coached in a major conference before. Rodriguez was an "outsider" to Ann Arbor while Hoke had deep ties to its culture. Both exited as failures. Michigan hasn't won a Big Ten title in over a decade.
Hackett made headlines this week when he said he wanted to do-away with the phrase "Michigan Man," a popular term of nebulous definition that fans and boosters bandy about when discussing Wolverines coaches or coaching prospects.
It's unknown what that kind of sentiment means for former UM alumni whose names have been mentioned as contenders for the position, like NFL coach Jim Harbaugh and LSU coach Les Miles.
What matters most for the next hire isn't whether the coach has preexisting ties to Ann Arbor. UM's number one priority should be finding a coach with a proven reputation for recruiting. Merely talking about "Tradition" and "Prestige" is not going to be enough to sway the necessary amounts of blue chip high schoolers who could just as easily head south to warmer weather, larger facilities, and a perceived better track to the pros.
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