The Michigan Wolverines are in search of a new head coach, and this time, there will actually be an interview process and it won’t be gifted to someone.
It’s been about a week since Sherrone Moore was fired,
and we’ve seen and heard a lot of names that would be potential candidates for the job. Today, we wanted to put together our Hot Board to give you an idea of what the Wolverines are working with (as of Monday, Dec. 15, at least).
This is not the entire list of all the candidates Michigan is considering, but merely what we have seen, heard and reported on over the last several days, as well as some guys Michigan should at least give it a shot with.
The 1A/1B candidates (IMO)
Kalen DeBoer, HC, Alabama
The hottest name from the get-go, Kalen DeBoer has a ton of experience and is a strong offensive mind.
After two successful seasons at Fresno State, DeBoer turned Washington into a national title contender before heading to Tuscaloosa to take over for Nick Saban at Alabama. He is 123-19 overall in his career as a head coach and is preparing to take on Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday.
DeBoer would be a home run. Not only would he bring a solid staff with him — including former Michigan player and general manager Courtney Morgan, who identified and recruited Mason Graham when he was a no-name recruit — but he would more than likely be able to retain Michigan’s current offensive nucleus of Bryce Underwood, Jordan Marshall, Andrew Marsh and others.
My one concern is he’s never had a high-quality run game, which is obviously something Michigan prefers to have. DeBoer has only coached one 1,000-yard rusher in his career (Dillon Johnson in 2023), and the Tide currently have the No. 116 rush offense in the country by averaging just 116.2 rushing yards per game. To compare, Michigan had the No. 16 rush attack this year and averaged nearly 100 more rushing yards (213.2) per game than the Tide.
Now, DeBoer did release a statement on Sunday saying, in part, “I have not spoken and have no interest in speaking with anyone else about any other job. I am fully committed to this program and look forward to continuing as the head football coach at the University of Alabama.”
Does that tell me he’s off the board? No, because he hasn’t yet signed a contract extension that is reportedly going to be offered to him. Until that happens, I’m still considering DeBoer a possibility.
Kenny Dillingham, HC, Arizona State
The youngster (35 years old) on this list, Kenny Dillingham has worked with some great college quarterbacks during his time as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with guys such as Bo Nix (Auburn, 2019), Jordan Travis (Florida State, 2020-21) and Sam Leavitt (ASU, 2024-25). It’s safe to assume he’d be able to work some magic with Underwood as well.
After a 3-9 season in 2023, Dillingham had a monster second season as the head coach of the Sun Devils in 2024, winning the Big 12 championship and advancing to the second round of the College Football Playoff before losing to Texas in double overtime. He placed second for AP’s Coach of the Year award that season. His team went 8-4 this year, with two of those losses coming without Leavitt as he dealt with an injury.
Dillingham is one of Maize n Brew’s favorite candidates. He would bring his fiery attitude into everything he does on and off the field. That, along with the resources in Ann Arbor, would make him a smash hit on the recruiting trail as well.
One notch below DeBoer and Dillingham
Jedd Fisch, HC, Washington
Jedd Fisch has a long list of experience coaching football, having done so at every level of the sport. He’s been the head coach at Washington the last two years; prior to that, he helped turn around an Arizona Wildcats program that was in the mud before he got there. Arizona got to 10 wins in a season for just the fourth time in program history in Fisch’s final season there.
Before all that, Fisch had stints in the NFL in various offensive assistant roles dating back to the early 2000s. He was also at Michigan for two years (2015-16) serving as Harbaugh’s quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, and at UCLA for one year (2017) as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (and interim head coach).
I think Fisch is the “floor” of Michigan’s coaching search. He’s a likable guy (quality recruiter) that has some history in Ann Arbor, and is an offensive-minded coach that has done a lot of solid work over the years. I’d prefer DeBoer and Dillingham, but Fisch would be a great third option.
Unlikely, but should be in the mix
Jesse Minter, DC, Los Angeles Chargers
Jesse Minter is on the list simply because of his ties to the university and because he’s a future head coach, whether it be in college or the NFL. It’s more likely the former Michigan defensive coordinator would prefer a head coach job in the NFL, but he should be someone the Wolverines make a phone call to just to get a temperature check.
Clark Lea, HC, Vanderbilt
Another unlikely option, in my opinion, but Clark Lea needs to at least be discussed. One of my colleague Nick Durand’s favorite candidates, Lea has turned around his alma mater Vanderbilt and led the Commodores to a 10-2 record this season and just on the outside of the College Football Playoff. He also played a large role in flipping five-star quarterback Jared Curtis from Georgia right before National Signing Day a couple weeks ago, so he’s got the recruiting chops as well.
Lea did sign a six-year extension with Vanderbilt last month, so buying him out of the contract may be tricky. Again, I believe this is a very unlikely option, but he is worthy of being talked about at the very least.
Not happening, but there’s a report
Tommy Rees, OC, Cleveland Browns
As reported by Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the Wolverines have “interest”* in Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, and that he “would likely take the interview”* if called for one.
A former offensive coordinator (and quarterback, for that matter) at Notre Dame, Rees coached up former Irish quarterback Ian Book and led him to becoming the second-leading passer in school history. Rees also was the offensive coordinator Alabama for one season (2023) prior to joining the Browns’ organization.
Rees is a good coach and well liked within coaching circles, but the fact of the matter is he has no head coaching experience. That should be a prerequisite for Michigan.
*His agent probably said these things to the reporter to help his client get more $$$.
Eli Drinkwitz, HC, Missouri
The AP reported on Saturday evening that Michigan’s search firm has been in contact with representatives of Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The 42-year-old just signed a six-year contract extension with the Tigers back in November and has never coached, nor resided in Big Ten country. This feels very, very unlikely of happening, but Michigan appears interested in him at the least.
Call and have them tell you ‘no’
Curt Cignetti, HC, Indiana; Dan Lanning, HC, Oregon; Marcus Freeman, HC, Notre Dame
These are three of the top head coaches in the sport and don’t have any major ties to their respective school. If you’re Michigan, you pick up the phone, give these guys a call, and if they say “no” — which they will — you did all you could and did your due diligence.
