Michigan coaching candidates: Five names to watch, from Kalen DeBoer to Jedd Fisch – The Athletic
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was fired on Wednesday after the university said an investigation had found evidence Moore had “engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” As of Wednesday evening, Moore had been detained by police and was being held at the Washtenaw County Jail.
His exit opens up the top job at one of college football’s most storied programs, and at an unusual point in the postseason calendar.
Biff Poggi, who was named interim head coach on Wednesday, could be an option to keep this job permanently. The 65-year-old Poggi, a legendary high school coach in Baltimore who also made a fortune in the business world, was one of former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s most trusted advisors as the former coach returned the Wolverines to consistent national contention.
“Biff’s presence there is huge,” Seahawks head coach and former Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald told The Athletic in 2022. “He’s kind of like the consigliere. He’s really the only guy that is willing to hash it out with (Harbaugh).”
Poggi left Ann Arbor in 2023 to take the head job at Charlotte but was fired during his second season with a 6-16 overall record. He returned to Michigan as an associate head coach earlier this year, then led Michigan to wins over Central Michigan and Nebraska with Moore sidelined due to suspension. Michigan faces No. 13 Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31.
A bunch of the coaching candidates you’d think the Wolverines might consider are off the market at this point in December, most notably Matt Campbell, whom Penn State just hired away from Iowa State.
Who else could be in play?
Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer was never actually a serious candidate for the Penn State job. Sources told The Athletic neither DeBoer nor his representatives had any contact with anyone connected to the Nittany Lions search. Would he have some interest in this job? That could depend on the outcome of the Crimson Tide’s visit to Oklahoma on Dec. 19 in the opening game of the College Football Playoff’s first round. If Bama loses that game to cap a disappointing final month of the season, pressure will mount around Tuscaloosa.
DeBoer, 51, is an outstanding coach. Two years ago he led Washington to the national title game, where the Huskies lost to Michigan. The South Dakota native spent a couple of seasons in the Big Ten as Indiana’s offensive coordinator. We have heard that he and his family really like it in Tuscaloosa, but if Alabama makes an early exit in the CFP, would he be wise to think about a reset at a Big Ten blue blood with a highly touted second-year quarterback and some gifted young skill talent already in place? DeBoer’s general manager at Alabama, Courtney Morgan, played and worked as GM at Michigan.
Washington’s Jedd Fisch spent two seasons in Ann Arbor early in Harbaugh’s tenure and was very well thought of internally. The 49-year-old Fisch did a remarkable job reviving a spiraling Arizona program and fielding a 10-win team that finished No. 11 in the nation in his third season. At Washington, where he took over a team that lost almost every starter from DeBoer’s national runner-up, he is 14-11 through two seasons. The Huskies improved to 8-4 this season and have a budding star quarterback in Demond Williams Jr. Fisch likely would be able to spark a Wolverines offense that has been listless the past two seasons.
Duke’s Manny Diaz might get some consideration after leading the Blue Devils to the ACC title in his second year on the job. The 51-year-old Diaz had an impressive two-season run as Penn State’s defensive coordinator, getting a taste of the Big Ten. He might be a good fit at Michigan, having worked at several schools with lofty academic reputations.
If there is a wild-card candidate, maybe it will come from the NFL, but we’re going to throw out one name of a guy with Big Ten roots who would be an intriguing fit: New Mexico coach Jason Eck. A former Wisconsin O-lineman, Eck has risen up the coaching ranks through the lower levels. He was the offensive coordinator at FCS powerhouse South Dakota State before Idaho gave him his first head coaching job. He crushed it there, and the Vandals gave Oregon all it could handle in 2024. Eck has New Mexico 9-3 after replacing Bronco Mendenhall this year. The Lobos actually opened at Michigan, losing 34-17. No shame there. They went on to hammer UCLA at the Rose Bowl, beat UNLV on the road and then beat 9-3 San Diego State.
Eck got New Mexico bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016, and he did it all with just 34 returning players, the fewest of any FBS roster. That earned the 48-year-old Mountain West Coach of the Year honors. Eck’s teams are physical and fun to watch. He has a big personality and presence, and I’ve been convinced for a while that he will be coaching in the Big Ten before long. The Lobos, picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the Mountain West in the preseason, face Minnesota in the Rate Bowl on Dec. 26.
