With Jim Harbaugh off to the Chargers, Michigan is now hunting for a new head coach. Here are my top 10 picks, which might surprise some people.
1. Lance Leipold, Kansas
— He has turned around a previously horrible Kansas program and just led the Jayhawks to a 9-4 record. Imagine what he can do with Michigan resources?
2. Chris Klieman, Kansas State
— He led North Dakota State to four FCS national championships in five years and has gone 39-24 at Kansas State. He’s 19-8 over the past two years and won the Big 12 in 2022. He’d kill it.
3. Matt Rhule, Nebraska
— He resurrected college programs at Temple and Baylor before heading to the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, which was a disaster at 11-27 before being let go five games into the 2022 campaign. However, he’s an elite college coach despite his 5-7 record this year with Nebraska. The job he did at Baylor is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
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4. Brian Kelly, LSU
— BK just wins; he’s done it at every level, and his days at Notre Dame aren’t appreciated enough. He is a great coach who would be an amazing fit, but he has it good at LSU, so why leave? Michigan fans seem apathetic towards him, but he’d be a home run hire.
5. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
— He’s coached Wake Forest for the past 10 years and also made stops as head coach at Fordham, Richmond, and Bowling Green. Wake fell in 2023, going 4-8, but the team has been over .500 since his arrival, and that includes an amazing 11-win season in 2021. He’s a great coach and has little to work with in Winston-Salem.
6. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
— He had a tremendous stint at Cincinnati and made the playoff before heading to Wisconsin. The Bearcats went 57-18 under Fickell from 2017-2022, including that 13-1 mark in 2021. He guided the Badgers to a 7-6 record in his first season, and as an Ohio State player, this would be an odd fit, but he’s great.
7. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
— What Campbell has done at Iowa State is unthinkable, and many wrote him off this past season, and he responded with another great year. He’s a tremendous coach and would kill it with resources.
8. Sherrone Moore, Michigan
— He’s 3-0 as head coach at Michigan and would keep things status quo. He’s a very good coach but lacks true head coach experience, so that’s my only worry.
9. Jesse Minter, Michigan
— Keep the defense the same and keep that continuity? Why not. But, like Moore, he lacks true experience, so he’s lower on the list.
10. Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens
— The offensive genius behind two UGA national titles would be an amazing fit, but he also lacks experience running his own program. Would he be better than Moore or Minter, who are already in place?
