A week ago, the college football world was turned on its head with the shocking news that Michigan fired Sherrone Moore, and everything that followed in the days and hours after. We are now a week into the Michigan Wolverines' search for their next head coach, but thus far, the Wolverines haven't landed their next head coach.
When the job opened up, the name that quickly became the fan favorite for the job was Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. While Michigan thought they could take a run at Kalen DeBoer, he was realistically never leaving Alabama, and he made that clear with a statement as well as his comments in the lead up to the College Football Playoff.
The rumors since Kalen DeBoer seemingly shut down, the job has run rampant as the Wolverines continue their search. Kenny Dillingham seemingly shut it down, but he's yet to sign an extension with the Sun Devils. Other candidates have become hot names to watch, but the next few days will be telling for Michigan.
These 5 coaches make the most sense for Michigan
There's a world where Michigan keeping the current staff in place and interim head coach Biff Poggi in the role makes the most sense. Given that when Sherrone Moore was fired, most of the top candidates were already off the board, this could push Michigan to wait until next season to make the hire. Poggi has served as the team's interim head coach several times, and he comes with experience from his time leading Charlotte.
Michigan may be forced to turn to some unexpected names, as on the surface, it looks like Kalen DeBoer and Kenny Dillingham turned down the job. One of the surprise names being tied to the Michigan job is current Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Hiring Rees may not be a bad gamble for a program like Michigan, as he's done a solid job as a top assistant at several big programs.
If the Michigan Wolverines wanted to make a smart hire, they'd go to Duke and poach Manny Diaz from the Blue Devils. After failing at Miami, Diaz has shown he's learned from his mistakes and grown, winning the ACC before the Hurricanes were able to do so. Diaz has already had success in the Big Ten as Penn State's offensive coordinator, and he's familiar with working with high academic standards.
After the Wolverines were seemingly denied by Kenny Dillingham and Kalen DeBoer, there's a clear top candidate to call. Jedd Fisch already has experience in Ann Arbor, serving as the team's quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, and pass game coordinator from 2015-16. Fish did an excellent job at Arizona, and he's currently in the Big Ten at Washington, where he's done a solid job after Kalen DeBoer's departure.
While head coach Kenny Dillingham keeps talking about how much he loves Arizona State, an extension hasn't been signed, which should be easy if the two sides are as serious as they say. The Wolverines can frankly offer Dillingham far more from a resource standpoint, which rings especially true after Sam Leavitt left the Sun Devils. Every day that Dillingham goes without signing an extension increases the chances that Michigan could lure him away from his alma mater.