Michigan football went from being in a seemingly solid situation in terms of its head coach search to replace Sherrone Moore to now one that appears to be awfully dire.
The Wolverines were clearly targeting Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, in hopes that the Crimson Tide would lose to Oklahoma on Friday night, thus giving the maize and blue a window to lure away the former Washington coach with Midwest ties. However, Alabama rallied from being down 17 points to win, extending its season to January 1 at the earliest. Michigan needs a head coach in place by January 2 due to the transfer portal opening.
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The perceived runner-up was Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, who appeared to covet the job, but he ended up re-signing with the Sun Devils early on Saturday morning. Beyond those two, it’s unclear where Michigan looks.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, there are three names that Michigan is now tracking. (subscription required)
Reports indicated earlier in the week that Fisch was out of the running but that may have been premature, with Michigan believing it was in a stronger position with its top two candidates. Fisch is a former Michigan pass game coordinator under Jim Harbaugh who elevated Arizona from an also-ran into a 10-win team. He’s been working at Washington after DeBoer departed for Tuscaloosa.
Brohm is the former Purdue head coach who quickly brought the Boilermakers to relevance, particularly offensively. Louisville, his current location, is his alma mater, and while Brohm has enhanced that program, it’s still a team that lost four games this season. Drinkwitz leads Missouri, and the SEC team has punched above its weight class while he’s been in charge there, but he’s certainly ruffled some feathers along the way, including some in Ann Arbor.
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Other options include former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham (who is 66 years old) and interim coach in Ann Arbor, Biff Poggi.
It appears that Michigan has to reset the board and widen the search. On ESPN College GameDay on Friday, former Alabama legend Nick Saban called the Wolverines ‘a top five job’ and yet, with everything going on at the moment, the timing and ability to lure a coach to turn things around looks to be a much harder task than those in the administration had realized at the outset.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football coaching search resets after DeBoer, Dillingham exit
