While the Sherron Moore story continues to grab headlines, the Michigan football team still needs a new head coach for the 2026 season. We have a shortlist of early candidates, although not much has changed since day one (Wednesday). But with some of these names and others starting to pop up for the Wolverines, it’s time to make some adjustments to the roster.
It’s no secret that Alabama head coach Karen DeBoer is one of the top prospects for the Wolverines, but we didn’t include Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham on our list of potential picks (we went with Southern Methodist University’s Rhett Lashley). However, the list of candidates is longer than these two, although most are unlikely to receive serious consideration. So let’s take a look at the existing names and give some ideas.
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Karen DeBoer – Alabama
DeBoer is almost certainly a top target for Michigan football right now. He reportedly wanted the Michigan State football job last time out, but Jim Harbaugh hadn’t made an NFL decision yet, so DeBoer decided to take the Alabama job (a good decision regardless).
Things have had their ups and downs in Tuscaloosa. On one hand, he’s won some big games, like the past two regular-season games against Georgia. But he also lost some things that a lot of people didn’t expect (two straight losses to Oklahoma State and one to Michigan State). Crimson Tide fans appear to be rooting for him right now, even if a 10-2 season isn’t what was expected, but that wasn’t always the case. However, with Alabama currently in the playoff picture, he won’t be able to be hired that quickly if Alabama avenges a regular-season loss to the Sooners — that is, assuming he’ll do more than just listen to Michigan State’s field. We do believe he will at least listen. But is it enough?
advantage:
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Wherever he went, he had an incredible record. He compiled a 123-19 record as a head coach, transferred from Fresno State to Washington, where he excelled, but may not have been as good at Alabama.
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Can mesh well with young offensive players, especially in the passing game. He has overseen the careers of Jake Haener, Michael Penix Jr., Jalen Milroe and now Ty Simpson. He also had great receivers in his era, including Roman Odunze, Jalin Polk, Jalen McMillan and Ryan Williams.
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Sherron Moore can be a stabilizing force, the adult in the room, and a no-nonsense presence after a meltdown.
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Originally from South Dakota but started his career at Eastern Michigan (OC/QB, 2014-16) and Indiana (OC/QB, 2019). So he’s familiar with Ann Arbor (well, Ypsilanti) and the Big Ten.
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A reliable recruiter who takes full advantage of the Alabama ecosystem.
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shortcoming:
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Never played much of a running game. Aside from Michigan’s COVID year, the Wolverines have been far more productive on the ground than any team DeBoer has overseen. Unless his philosophy changes, this will be a schematic shift for Michigan that could also impact current and incoming personnel.
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While he held a high position on the team and won games that many didn’t expect, he wasn’t quite as much of a killer as some of his elite contemporaries.
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After not being a head coach for long, he got his first opportunity in 2020 at Fresno State.
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It might be a wait to even interview him, let alone get him to play in the College Football Playoff with Alabama.
Kenny Dillingham – Arizona State University
A new addition to our list, he’s probably the odds-on favorite right now (literally – the betting sites shut down the odds because he made so much money on Friday). Dillingham, an ASU alumnus whose wife is an ASU alumna, is a master of a little bit of obnoxiousness. He tore his ACL in high school and immediately went into coaching instead of seeking rehab and eventually playing football. He worked as an offensive assistant during his time in school (2014-15) and as a graduate assistant at Memphis for one year (2016) before becoming quarterbacks and tight ends coach the following year and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the following year as he rose dramatically through the ranks. He then replaced current Michigan State offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey as Auburn’s offensive coordinator the following season before moving to Florida State for two years. He was Dan Lanning’s first offensive coordinator in Eugene and worked wonders with Bo Nix, who had previously struggled at Auburn.
If Michigan wanted him and the smoke was in the air, it would probably get him right away and the Sun Devils weren’t in the College Football Playoff. Rumor has it that this will happen sooner or later.
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advantage:
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Ideologically more consistent with what Michigan football has been trying to do this year. His offense is very good, and he also has explosive passing while driving the ball. He’ll be paired with Bryce Underwood and a cadre of running backs. He put together a physical football team and proved he could go toe-to-toe with more talented teams.
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He’s been a coordinator or head coach even longer than Sherron Moore, so he still has a lot of high-level experience. This includes working in high-stress jobs. In 2019, he served as Auburn’s offensive coordinator and won an Iron Bowl that year. He is the head coach of Oregon State in 2022, and his offense performed very well that year except for the Georgia game.
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He produces receivers, something Michigan has lacked in recent years. Jordan Tyson is projected to be this year’s top draft pick in the NFL.
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He inherited a tough situation in a tough part of Arizona. He replaced Herm Edwards at a time when the Sun Devils were on NCAA probation, with wins vacated and recruiting restricted.
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Ready to use.
shortcoming:
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At 35 years old, he is still very young. He has only been a head coach for three years and has only played one elite season.
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In three seasons as head coach, he compiled a 22-16 record; however, one could tell he had a plan, especially given the circumstances he inherited and the many shortcomings present in ASU’s system.
Jed Fish – Washington
Michigan fans became familiar with Fish as he served as Jim Harbaugh’s passing game coordinator in 2015-16, his first two years in Ann Arbor. Fish left Ann Arbor to become the true offensive coordinator at UCLA (he had previous coordinator experience in college and in the NFL). After falling apart with the Bruins (as a whole), he ended up working as an offensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams before becoming the New England Patriots quarterbacks coach in 2020 under Bill Belichick. He carried that into his head coaching job at Arizona State, where he elevated an undrafted program into not only a competitive team, but a team that no one wanted to see on the schedule. Noah Fifita has made a name for himself as a quarterback in his system.
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Fish succeeded Karen DeBoer in Seattle, and despite a less-than-stellar record, he took over a Washington team that lost nearly everyone in the College Football Playoff and kept the Huskies competitive.
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Great offensive mind that can work well with personnel and take them to the next level.
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Get to know the University of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan and understand the academic restrictions.
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Has shown that he can build a program in a short period of time.
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Maybe not a one-time hire, but likely the steady hire the program desperately needs.
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He has an extensive coaching background and served as the offensive coordinator for several NFL teams and college teams before becoming a head coach.
shortcoming:
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While he took over a failing team in Arizona and rebuilt it in Washington, he only beat one ranked team and didn’t show he could consistently punch above his weight class.
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While this would be a good, solid hire, it’s not the splash that Michigan football fans were hoping for.
Clark Lee – Vanderbilt
Leah, another alumnus of the school he coaches at, just received a contract extension. He did the unthinkable and turned around a school in the SEC that was viewed not only as the bottom school in the league, but in the entire Final Four. Led by Diego Pavia at quarterback, Lea has a strong passing game and has only recently started running the football with impunity. He shocked the world last year by beating Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide, and this year he’s knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff with the Commodores going 10-2. His offense is excellent, but his defense needs improvement. But he’s an incredible recruiter and just snagged the No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class out of Georgia.
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advantage:
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It’s absolutely possible to build a program and have a well-organized “front office” led by Barton Simmons (former 247Sports executive).
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Can punch above his weight class and do more with less.
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Well above the average recruiter.
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Also showed the ability to organize high-altitude attacks.
shortcoming:
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His defensive performance was nowhere near where Ann Arbor expected it to be.
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Already at his alma mater (like Dillingham), but seems even more entrenched.
other candidates
There are multiple other candidates listed, but at this time, we don’t believe anyone will be on the shortlist in Michigan. Here are our thoughts on each issue.
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Brian Kelly – Sorry, there’s no way Kelly and the Michigan football team are a good fit. He’s encountered some controversy, and that’s the last thing the Wolverines need right now. Not to mention, Bryce Underwood quit the LSU program and came to Michigan State. The odds of retaining Underwood are slim under Kelly.
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Tommy Reese – Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator – The former Notre Dame quarterback and offensive coordinator has returned to form and is one of the top offensive minds. But after the Sheron Moore debacle, the Wolverines never had the chance to take that gamble.
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Lincoln Riley (USC), Mike Elko (Texas A&M), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Dan Lanning (Oregon State) – Joel Kratt mentioned two of these four (Elko and Freeman) on his podcast. We’d put all four of these guys in the category where it’s hard to imagine them leaving their current spots, even if Michigan does come. But as far as Riley and Freeman are concerned, it’s probably unlikely Michigan State will come calling. However, never say never.
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Jesse Minter – Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator – Considering Minter’s performance in Ann Arbor in 2022-23 and the past two years with the Chargers, it’s not a completely impossible opportunity. However, the Wolverines do feel somewhat alienated from Jim Harbaugh’s tree at the moment, and the likelihood of them switching from one Harbaugh coordinator to another in his first head coaching job feels low.
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Jon Gruden – Again, no. Gruden hasn’t played in a college game since the 1980s, and (we say this as Gruden fans) his play in the net was pretty silly even before he was a Barstool. He’s had his share of controversy, and while it’s been clarified, it’s not the focus Michigan needs right now.
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Random Coordinator – You hear these random names come up like Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haynes. Like Reese, Michigan has been through this before with Sherron Moore, and while the aforementioned two may have better pedigrees, the Wolves appear to be looking for more experience.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Our updated Michigan coaching hot plate, candidates are heating up
