We’re just shy of a week removed from Sherrone Moore’s firing as Head Coach of Michigan, and the Wolverines’ search for a Head Coach will NOT be easy. Moore was fired with cause for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer on Wednesday, days after the majority of vacancies in the 2025 cycle were filled. However, there are some names being banded around who could fill the Michigan Wolverines Head Coaching job.
Another thing that could (and probably will) make the decision tougher is an ongoing investigation into the Athletic department. The Board of Regents for the University met on Thursday after Moore’s firing and subsequent arrest to discuss next steps. The future of AD Warde Manuel was also discussed. Manuel, a Michigan alumni, has overseen the Athletics department since 2016 with multiple scandals having occured during his tenure. Alas, he remains safe in his position right now (one would assume investigaion pending) and will lead the search for a new Head football Coach.
It will come as no shock to anyone that a few early candidates’ names have popped up with some having garnered more traction than others. All mentioned in this article are names flying around on social media.
Kenny Dillingham – Head Coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils
Kenny Dillingham’s name has been shouted longer, and louder than just about anyone elses. I’m also going to admit that I myself am guilty of this. Dillingham is – in my opinion – one of the best Coaches in all of College Football. He’s an offensive mastermind, who’s coached NFL talent such as Cam Skattebo, Bo Nix, Jordan Travis and Tony Pollard to name a few. He took ASU from suspected Big 12 basement dwellers to Champions in 2024. Complete with a trip to the playoffs, where they almost beat Texas. Not to mention the fact his players LOVE him. He’s a players coach. He absolutely has the pedigree and football coaching ability to succeed at the highest levels in college football.
The 3rd year Sun Devil Head Coach, however, probably isn’t going to leave Tempe. ASU is his alma mater, it’s where he met his wife and where he grew up. He has his sister next door and parents just a few doors down. Dillingham has virtually everything he would personally need right on his doorstep. Arizona State may not be able to offer him the financial package and resources Michigan can. But, what they lack in resources is made up for by the above. Kenny Dillingham has all but said this too. In recent media availabilities, he’s spoken of his love for ASU and stated the Michigan job is a great job… “for someone”.
I would LOVE to see someone like Kenny Dillingham run the Wolverines. However, I don’t have any real confidence that he’d even truly consider the job – let alone take it. If you’ve listened to the CFBUK podcast at all, you’ll be aware of my love for Coach Dillingham. None of us have shied away from our praise for him. This isn’t new because he’s been linked for the Michigan job.
Jedd Fisch – Head Coach of the Washington Huskies
Jedd Fisch would bring a wealth of coaching experience. He’s been coaching since 1997 and been in the College or NFL framework since 1999. Including a 2 year stint as QB Coach at Michigan between 2015-16 when Harbaugh took the Michigan Head Coaching job. He began his Head Coaching career in 2021 with Arizona and in 3 years he turned the programme around. The Wildcats went 0-5 in 2020, and Fisch left them 10-3 in 2023.
Coach Fisch may have ties to Michigan, but whether that’s enough to pry him from Washington remains to be seen. Similar to Dillingham at ASU, Michigan’s resources are much more vast than what he has now with the Huskies. However, that gap is smaller. The state of the programme with the investiagtion looming over his head would certainly be a factor in whether to jump ship, particularly in-conference.
Fisch would be a very good hire, but one that may be unlikely. With that being said, Wsshington played their Bowl Game on Saturday just gone – so their season is effectively over. So, in theory, the transition would be much smoother.
Jesse Minter – Defensive Coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers
This is one of the more, let’s say interesting, names being thrown around. Jesse Minter was Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023 before following Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers in 2024. Prior to Minter arriving, Michigan was the 8th ranked defense in the FBS, but under his guidance, Michigan went to 7th in ’22 and 1st in ’23. With this, he has also seen success as a DC in the NFL, taking the Chargers from the 19th ranked defense to the 3rd in 2024 and top 10 in 2025 (per PFF).
When considering strictly football, Minter makes a lot of sense on paper. Top defensive mind at a school known for producing top defensive talent, with a connection to the school and National Championship that comes with it. However, Michigan should be looking to cut all ties with the Harbaugh days if they want to clean up their sullied reputation. Alongside this, it’s also well-known that Minter would like to be coaching in the NFL. While he may be open to the Michigan job, it’s likely he would see it as a stepping-stone to get to ‘the league’, rather than a legitimate coaching opportunity he’d like to stick around for.
One other thing worth noting is he does have (or did have) a 1 year show cause as punishment for his involvement in the sign-stealing scandal. The show cause ends/ended on roughly the 15th of December (1 day before the writing of this article). So, he may have just been cleared to take the job without much fuss as far as the NCAA goes.
Kyle Whittingham – former Head Coach of the Utah Utes
Looking at social media a few days ago, I was under the impression that Kyle Whittingham had retired. It turns out – according to reports – that that’s NOT the case. Whittingham has been at at Utah since 1994, starting his career there as defensive line coach. He served as defensive coordinator from 1995-2004 before becoming the Head Coach in 2005 and remaining in that position before stepping down at the end of the 2025 season. In an ever-changing world of college football, Whittingham has been one of the consistents and it would be sad to see him out of the game for good. During his time as Head Coach, he oversaw 2 conference changes, winning 3 Conference titles (1x Mountain West, 2x Pac-12) and taking the Utes to 6 championship games. He also won AFCA Coach of the Year AND the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award in 2008, 2 Pac-12 Coach of the Year Awards (2019 & 2021) and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 2019.
Wherever Coach Whittingham will end up, he’ll bring plenty of Coaching pedigree and a wealth of experience. You don’t keep a single Head Coaching job for 20+ years by being a bad Head Coach. The only ‘knock’ some may give him is his age. He turned 66 less than a month ago, but coaches like Cignetti aren’t very far behind him in terms of age.
Kalen DeBoer – Head Coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide
I didn’t want to add this one, but the rumours are still there so I shall address them here.
DeBoer is not a coach who’s unfamiliar with the State of Michigan, having served as OC at Eastern Michigan for 3 years before moving to become the OC for Fresno State. Coach DeBoer was the Head Coach of Fresno State for 2 years before becoming Head Coach of the Washington Huskies in 2022 to 2023. He had 2 great years in Washington, in which he led them to the National Championship game in 2023 (which they subsquently lost to Michigan) and won multiple Coach of the Year Awards. This success earned him the Alabama job after Nick Saban retired. His first year at Alabama was tough. Despite a 9-3 record on the season, they missed out on the college football playoffs and calls for DeBoer to be fired were loud. His second season hasn’t been much better and while their record was very good – it seems to have fallen short of the standard Alabama would expect. He did make the SEC Championship and they are preparing for the College Football Playoffs.
Kalen DeBoer has pretty much officially said he’s not taking the job and by the look/sound of it – it isn’t something he’s going to entertain. Some factions of Michigan fans do think he could still be available, but that faction is rightly quieting down.
Has the Michigan Head Coaching Job Lost It’s Appeal?
A common, and understandable opinion held in the world of college football right now is that the Michigan job has no appeal to top coaches. PFSN’s Oli Hodgkinson didn’t pull any punches when saying “why would any coach in their right mind want to go to Ann Arbor right now?!”
It’s not a secret that the reputation of the University has been tarnished and with the impending investigation, that could very well be a deterrent. However, Michigan will still remain one of the premier landing spots for any top Head Coach in college football. The financial resources at Michigan’s disposal are eye-watering and with the likes of Larry Ellison boosting the programme, they are not afraid to use those financial resources. Whether that’s in terms of the Coaches salary, staff, or their NIL budget. The facilities at Michigan are some of the best in the country, and would likely go toe-to-toe with some NFL teams’ facilities. Not only that, but they also sit in a great place for recruitment and with the historical success Michigan has had sending players to the league – it is unlikely that the Wolverines would begin to truly struggle with landing top recruits.
All-in-all, I understand my many people on the outside would hold the view that the Michigan job has lost its appeal. But, given the wealth of resources, history and other things the University has at its dispoal – Michigan, in my opinion, will remain one of the best jobs in all of football. Would it be for everybody? No. But that doesn’t mean the Michigan Head Coaching job is not for somebody.
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