- Jeff Brohm (Head Coach, Louisville): Brohm is 94-56 overall as a head coach, which feels like a high number of wins for a guy who’s 54. He has been head coach at Western Kentucky, Purdue, and now his alma mater, Louisville. Brohm is known for gutsy calls and fun play designs, but regardless of where he’s been, he seems to find a way to lose four games per year. In fact, in twelve seasons as a head coach, five of them have ended with four losses. Brohm played quarterback at Louisville, so he may not be willing to abandon his alma mater. I don’t think the culture shock would be as high as it was for Rich Rodriguez when he came to Michigan, but the backlash from Louisville could be similar to when Rodriguez left WVU to head to Ann Arbor.
- Kyle Whittingham (Unemployed): Whittingham has been rumored to be an option for Michigan the last couple times the job has opened, but nothing ever materialized. Whittingham attended BYU and played some linebacker in the NFL before spending his entire coaching career in Idaho and Utah. He had been the head coach for the Utes ever since Urban Meyer left Utah for Florida, and he was defensive coordinator for Utah for ten years prior to that. Meyer (who’s a good football coach but a questionable human) said Whittingham is a top-five coach in college football. My contention is that if Whittingham had the juice to be a head coach, he should be doing it at Utah – where he was 10-2 this season – instead of somewhere else. How much gas is left in the tank for a guy who’s 66 years old and has never worked anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains?
- Jesse Minter (Defensive Coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers): Minter is a former Michigan defensive coordinator (2022-2023) who helped Michigan earn a national championship in 2023 before heading to the Chargers with Jim Harbaugh. There’s really no doubt that he could put together an elite defense, but he has no head coaching experience. One thing I like about Minter is that he’s a football lifer, someone who grew up as the son of former Cincinnati head coach Rick Minter. It’s kind of like my affinity for players who used to play quarterback; there’s a certain baseline of competence and intelligence. Minter might be able to be an NFL head coach next year, so perhaps coming back to college and dealing with all the recruiting and such year-round isn’t his ideal.
- Biff Poggi (Interim Head Coach, Michigan): Poggi was a key component of Jim Harbaugh’s staff, coming in as somewhat of a consultant. He then left to become head coach at Charlotte, where he was doomed to fail and did. This year he came back to try to help Sherrone Moore, which . . . well, you know. Poggi reportedly has been telling people that he wants the head job at Michigan, but wanting it and getting it are two different things. I don’t think a serious program can give Poggi a head coaching job at this point. He seems like a great dude and went 2-0 as Moore’s replacement to start the 2025 season, but it would be the gamble of all gambles.
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