The Michigan Wolverines are once again looking for a new coach to lead the football program after the firing of Sherrone Moore last week. When it comes to the next coach, it’s important to pick someone who has the right qualities to lead Michigan into the next era of college football.
Here are our top-five qualities Michigan’s next head coach should have.
Experienced
After the debacle that just unfolded, Michigan needs an experienced head coach leading the way — someone who can step into the job and knows how
to handle the pressure that comes with leading a program. Michigan took one chance on a first-time coach, hand-selected by former coach Jim Harbaugh. That should not be the case this time around. If the university wants to find some success and make it back to the College Football Playoff, it needs to find a coach with experience.
Recruiter
With the addition of the transfer portal, recruiting has taken on an entirely new life. It’s not just building relationships with high schoolers and their families, it’s also recognizing talent currently at the college level and finding ways to get those players into your program. Michigan’s recruiting success the past two seasons has been enjoyable, and it’d be nice to see that continue. The Wolverines have the brand power and money to succeed in the NIL era of football, so they just need someone who can recruit new talent and transfers.
Developer
Michigan’s next head coach won’t likely be able to keep every current player in Ann Arbor, but it’d be nice to see some of the players we’ve gotten to know finish their careers here. Some of the young players would greatly benefit from a coach that has developed players over the years. Michigan has had a lot of guys make it at the next level, especially over the last few years, so hiring a coach that has a reputation for developing players would help significantly.
Culture builder
Michigan’s 2023 season wasn’t just great because it won the national championship, but it was also due to the culture within the program. The starters genuinely wanted the guys below them to have success. The defense played with each other and for each other. After the 2020 season, it seemed like Harbaugh made it a mission to improve and focus the culture in the program, which then translated to what we saw on the field. You don’t always get a team that’s as special as that one, but having a coach who cares about culture could help drag Michigan out of the hole it’s in right now.
Winner
Winning the natty and beating Ohio State sure feels good. In addition to having a strong culture, Michigan also needs a proven winner in its next head coach. Moral victories aren’t going to cut it with the expanded playoff, so hiring a winner should be near the top of the list in hiring Michigan’s next coach. Winning isn’t the most important thing in life, but it certainly matters to some degree in this instance. The players work hard to compete at one of the best schools in the country, so it’d be a disservice to not prioritize a coach who knows how to win.
We’d love to hear from you about what attributes you think Michigan needs to look for in its next head coach. Drop your responses in the comments below!
