Comprehensive Coaching Change/Coaching Search Thread

[Cody_Russell]

Candidate: Matt Campbell

Quick background: Played for Pitt and Mount Union. Then coached in a variety of assistant jobs in the MAC before taking over at Toledo in 2012. Maintained Toledo at a decent level before heading off to Iowa State for the past five years, where his record has been fairly impressive.

Years of HC experience: 9

Overall record: 68-42

Signature win(s): Beating Oklahoma in Norman in 2017

Would he take the job? Almost certainly, yes

Hanni's assessment: A really solid candidate. Maybe not elite and 2020 is only his legitimate first breakout season at ISU. I'm always a little hesistant to look at guys who go 7-5 or 8-4 at really bad programs like Iowa State and assume that translates up the chain to huge winning at a place like Michigan. Brady Hoke and James Franklin are examples of how this doesn't necessarily work. I would still like this hire though. Can he recruit top 10 classes? That remains to be seen as well, but I love his Ohio background in that regard. We don't need a Michigan Man but I feel like we really need a Midwest Man.

Prematurely ripped on Matt Campbell the other day for a conservative coaching decision.

Regardless of that, I’m warming up to wanting either M or the Detroit Lions to hire Matt Campbell. Closest comparison to Matt Rhule in college right now. Campbell built a historically terrible Iowa State program into a consistent winner. Impressive.

[lineygoblue]

...is RichRod available?

He is, and I'm sure he'd do well in Lincoln.

[Hannibal]

Candidate: Pat Fitzgerald

Quick background: Lifelong Northwestern guy, was a standout as a player and then inherited the job way before he was ready when Randy Walker tragically passed away. Has had somewhat of an up and down career as a head coach at Northwestern. Some of his teams have been really bad, and some of them have been pretty good. Overall though, given the lack of tradition, recruiting base, and fan support at Northwestern, his tenure there has been impressive. And he's still only 45 years old despite having a ton of experience.

Years of HC experience: 15

Overall record: 104-80

Signature win(s): He has had a couple of nice bowl wins. But no wins over OSU, and no wins over Michigan when they were actually any good.

Would he take the job? Probably not. He supposedly could have taken the ND job 10 years ago. But once again, you never know. He may have an itch to take that big step up and Michigan could give that to him. As a B1G school, Michigan would be a better fit than ND.

Hanni's assessment: I would like this hire. I think that Fitzgerald would have us consistently in the Top 20, with occasional stints in the Top 5. For the most part, I think that his success can translate to a higher level. His recruiting is tough to assess, but I think that he would recruit well at Michigan. I like that he is a high energy guy, but not to a clown level like PJ Fleck. His life long Midwestern roots make him a really good fit. His stubbornness holding onto crappy assistants (e.g. his OC for years and years) is a bit of a red flag. But overall, I would love to have him at Michigan.

[lineygoblue]

I just read up a bit on Venables, and he's rumored to be headed for the S. Carolina job.

Mike Stoops hasn't been that impressive at KY. Not sure why he'd do better in AA.

Bob Stoops? Yeah, he deserves a phone call.

Whomever ends up in the hotseat in Ann Arbor needs to be able to get re-involved in HS recruiting in Ohio. Used to be that Michigan could snipe 2-3 of the state's top 10 talent nearly every year. I've got to believe that of all the native talent on OSU's roster, there has to be a half dozen or so that have been under utilized there, (at least in their minds) and could help out Michigan. A guy named John Kolesar was one of those guys. His kid plays for Michigan now. Michigan's history is filled with Ohio guys who felt slighted by OSU and came to Ann Arbor. Harbaugh has basically forsaken Ohio, and sought to make Michigan more of an ACC team, even with coaching positions. Michigan has to become a Midwest team again, from coaching down to the youngest freshman.

I have no idea why Jeff Brohm or Tom Allen would leave Purdue or Indiana respectively. Brohm has bad-mouthed Michigan in the past, and Allen has spent years working on making Indiana relevant in football. Now that he's there, he'd want to come to Ann Arbor for all that drama? I don't think so. If either of them made that move it would have to be for money and prestige alone. Its certainly not better than the situations they are in now.

[Hannibal]

Those were all of the guys that I could think of today. I'm sure that there are others.

[lineygoblue]

I thought that Bill O'Brien might be worth a call, but I think the Texans put him in an associate GM job or something.

Not sure if he'd be interested in returning to CFB or not. If he coaches again, he might want to stay in the NFL.

[Hannibal]

Candidate: Mario Cristobal

Quick background: Some of the mgoblog folks like him. He has been Oregon's coach since Willie Taggart left for his disatrous stint at FSU. Before that, he was the coach at Florida International for six seasons, peaking out at 8-5 before getting fired the next year. He has a Florida background, having played for Dennis Erickson at Miami.

Years of HC experience: 10

Overall record: 51-55

Signature win(s): Blew out #5 Utah in the PAC-12 championship game last year and then beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl

Would he take the job? I doubt it. If he wants a step up, there are better fits for him. Plus, is Michigan even a step up from Oregon anymore?

Hanni's assessment: I like what Cristobal has done at Oregon, but his 27-47 record at FIU is a pretty big red flag. He mostly lucked into the Oregon job. For what it's worth though, he has been really good there so far. 24-8, having largely turned around the mess that was left behind by Mark Helfrich. I like what I have seen in he few games that I have watched him coach. No Midwestern roots makes this a poor fit. This is probably not a good hire.

[THE_WIZARD_]

He is, and I'm sure he'd do well in Lincoln.

Touche' my whistle blowing fiend...

[Jeff Buchanan]

So, basically nobody would be both ideal and would seriously entertain an offer, right? Fitz is probably the closest to both of those. Campbell, I suppose.

I'm sticking with my earlier take that Harbaugh is going to get a pass from the deciders on this season. That there's nobody noboreally fits the bill will contribute.

I'll allow Harbaugh may have already decided this is his last season and told Warde that. I can see an Interim HC appearing out of nowhere from the staff including analysts. Nobody will like that but I can see it along with Harbaugh getting a "promotion."

[THE_WIZARD_]

Stay the course man...stay the course.

HARBAUGH!!

[Hannibal]

So, basically nobody would be both ideal and would seriously entertain an offer, right? Fitz is probably the closest to both of those. Campbell, I suppose.

I'm sticking with my earlier take that Harbaugh is going to get a pass from the deciders on this season. That there's nobody noboreally fits the bill will contribute.

I'll allow Harbaugh may have already decided this is his last season and told Warde that. I can see an Interim HC appearing out of nowhere from the staff including analysts. Nobody will like that but I can see it along with Harbaugh getting a "promotion."

There is an abundance of candidates who could at least stabilize the program and improve over Harbaugh.

[Jeff Buchanan]

There is an abundance of candidates who could at least stabilize the program and improve over Harbaugh.

I don't think there is anything stabilizing about a coaching change. I'm not saying Harbaugh should stay to avoid the hassle of having potentially dozens of employees getting displaced as a new coach brings in his own people including employees who aren't on the sidelines or in the press box. It's disruptive and you can be sure, right or wrong, M is going to give considerable weight to that reality in any discussions involving a replacement of Harbaugh.

[Hannibal]

Coaching changes don't have to be a shitshow. For what it's worth, our last two coaching changes have resulted in an immediate five-win improvement over the previous year. I think that we can pretty easily find a guy who would re-energized the team and win 9-10 games next year. There is more than enough talent on the team to do this. Harbaugh will not leave behind a smoking crater where our program used to be if we fire him soon enough. But that has to happen soon.

Edit: Hoke's first year was only a four win improvement, but I think that y'all get my point.

[Cody_Russell]

True.
A lot of experience will return for M in 2021 thanks to all of the injuries ... barring the transfer portal.
In particular, the OLine.... all of the youngsters receiving playing time now.

M's next HC needs to check all of the boxes:
- Can energize the program. Harbaugh had that energy in 2015 and 2016... Lost it for some reason (medical or age).
- Recruit.
- Coach / player development. I'm thinking about QB in particular ... all of the talented QB recruits M has had, yet they have mostly missed there. M needs to get more out of their QBs in general.

[iam416]

I don't know who M's next HC will be, but I'm almost certain that M's coach for 2021 will be HARBAUGH!!!!!!