The Florida Gators will lead the coaching carousel this silly season, but the Michigan football head coaching job will likely be next. Then Illinois, Kansas and Virginia will battle for third choice. (Indiana will be next after them).
Basically, Brady Hoke can’t be fired until after the new year, because of financial concerns. They could likely fire him on January 1, 2015, but it probably won’t be before then. According to Hoke’s contract, signed on March 28, 2011, he will be owed $2 million to buy out the remaining two years (2015, 2016) left on his contract. The second to last year of his deal begins on January 1. Firing him at any time in 2014 would cost that $2 million, plus the buyout amount.
Still the Michigan football program can just do all of this back-channel. And they likely will. So Wolverines supporters should be ready for a new regime.
Here are your leading Michigan football head coaching candidates:
1. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State Head Coach
Mullen could end up as the frontrunner here, as he’s the hottest coach. He would have to decide if he wants to leave the SEC, as Sports Illustrated put it. Of course, SI also said in the same piece: “If anyone tells you they know who is getting the Michigan job, don’t believe them. Michigan doesn’t even know who will be firing Brady Hoke or hiring his replacement.” On the first domino falls (Florida decides who they want), the rest will fall into place.
2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma Head Coach
Is Bob Stoops going to be the next coach of the Michigan Wolverines? Well, some supposed media “insiders” seem to think so. (Of course, “insider” is a word like “troll,” it’s lost all meaning since everyone misuses it these days) “Big game Bob” might bolt for Ann Arbor. On the other hand, it could just be Stoops’ people sending out feelers through the media so that Stoops has more leverage at OU.
So this could be a way to increase his salary/status. We covered this one in more detail here.
3. Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss Head Coach
If you’re a Michigan football fan, this one probably hits the sweet spot. Freeze has shown that he can compete and win the SEC; meaning he could dominate in the Big Ten. Plus going from Ole Miss to Ann Arbor is the next logical step upward.
4. Al Golden, Miami Head Coach
This is more about a culture fit. Golden doesn’t seem to click in Coral Gables, but he could gel here. You’ll notice we waited until the very end until bringing up the one dyed-in-the-wool bonafide “Michigan man” on this list. Don’t be shocked if we really see an outside the box hire on this one. The over-emphasis on hiring a Michigan man last time last to this disaster brought on by institutionalized groupthink.
5. Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers Head Coach
Ah yes, the money shot.
We saved the best for last intentionally. According to NFL “insiders” Harbaugh is more likely to stay in the NFL, or take the Oakland Raiders job (zinger! LOL!) instead. No seriously, Oakland seems more likely than the Michigan football program. And you’ll want to check out what the sports book are saying about Harbaugh. Here are the odds of where he’ll be coaching next season.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2