Michigan’s head coaching search took a bit of an unexpected turn over the weekend, as Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama squad defeated Oklahoma to move on in the College Football Playoff. About eight hours later, Kenny Dillingham signed a new contract with Arizona State to officially remove himself from consideration.
These developments have Michigan going back to the drawing board to an extent, as it continues looking for the 22nd head coach in the football program’s history. With two of the higher profile
candidates seemingly out of the picture, Michigan might have to dig a little bit deeper and turn over a few more stones to find its new coach.
One possible candidate that warrants some consideration — Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann.
At just 35 years old, Schumann is an up-and-comer in the coaching world. He got is first start in coaching at just 18 years old. A Georgia native, he attended the University of Alabama and joined Nick Saban’s staff as a student assistant in 2008. He served that role under Saban for his four years as an undergraduate and got to be a part of two national championships. He then became a graduate assistant, moving to an on-field role and participating in a third national championship run for the Crimson Tide. In 2014, he was promoted to Alabama’s director of football operations and was part of another national title in 2015.
In 2016, Kirby Smart, one of Saban’s most trusted assistants and now one of the top coaches in the country, accepted the head coaching job at Georgia and took Schumann with him. Schumann was the inside linebackers coach for three seasons, where he helped develop NFL standout Roquan Smith.
In 2019, Schumann earned the title of co-defensive coordinator alongside now-Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, and continued to work with the linebackers developing the likes of Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. In 2024, Schumann earned the role as the full-time defensive coordinator, manning what’s been one of the best defenses in the country the past two years.
As you can see, Schumann has been a part of winning cultures his entire coaching tenure and has had the chance to rub elbows with some of the best coaches in the country. He’s worked under Saban and Smart and alongside several assistants that have gone on to become head coaches like Lanning, Lane Kiffin, Curt Cignetti and Mario Cristobal.
Furthermore, by being a part of all those national championship runs at different schools and in different roles, it’s safe to say Schumann has an understanding of what it takes to win in today’s college football. He’s a great recruiter as well, having been the primary recruiter for a handful of five-star Bulldogs that have gone on to the NFL, including the aforementioned Dean and Walker, as well as Nolan Smith and Jalon Walker.
The major caveat for Schumann is there’s always some risk in hiring someone with no head coaching experience. Michigan just saw that with Sherrone Moore, but others have been able to quickly find success going from coordinator to head coach at big schools such as Lanning, Smart, Ryan Day and Marcus Freeman.
And if all else fails, the last time Michigan hired a coach whose first name was Glenn and their last name started with “Sch,” it worked out pretty well.
Could Schumann be the next head coach at Michigan and be the latest example of head coaching success despite no past experience? It might be worth a shot.
