Jim Harbaugh did all the things Michigan followers may’ve hoped the previous Wolverines star quarterback would do when he returned to Ann Arbor to take over his alma mater’s soccer program. He ended hated arch-rival Ohio State’s dominance of their collection and flipped it round; he turned Michigan into the bully of the Massive Ten; after which he led Michigan to its first nationwide title in nearly 30 years.
And now, not surprisingly, after three years of flirting with returning to the NFL, Harbaugh is again assembly with NFL groups. He’s starting by assembly with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, opening up the very actual chance that he’ll now go away behind a storied program and among the finest jobs in faculty sports activities. If he leaves, who may Michigan flip to subsequent?
The plain path
That might be selling Wolverines offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore.
Moore has emerged as a powerful candidate, particularly after the final month of the common season. The 37-year-old continues to be younger, however he proved greater than able to the job when he stepped in and coached Michigan late within the 2023 season after the Massive Ten suspended Harbaugh throughout the hardest stretch of the Wolverines’ schedule. Moore led the crew to a win over top-10 Penn State in a really hostile surroundings, managed the street entice sport towards Maryland after which continued Michigan’s dominance over the Buckeyes. The crew loves Moore; spend a while across the program and also you see that his impression is critical.
“I used to be fairly near leaving,” offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, one of many crew leaders, informed me about an hour after Michigan gained the nationwide title. “The recruiting course of is a harmful factor. Everyone tells you ways good you’re. That you simply’ll begin as a freshman. As an 18-year-old child, I wasn’t essentially the most mature man. I wasn’t enjoying. I kinda stopped loving soccer. Coming into Schembechler Corridor was sort of a drag for me. Coach Moore got here in and adjusted my entire outlook on life and soccer. He made me fall in love with soccer once more. I can’t thank him sufficient. He’s only a man who places his head down and works as effectively. He began right here as a decent ends coach and now he’s an OC getting head teaching affords.”
Moore, a Kansas native who performed at Oklahoma, is beloved by his gamers and his teaching friends. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t get the job. There have been some comparatively comparable conditions to level to — most notably Ryan Day taking on at Ohio State after City Meyer left for the NFL and Marcus Freeman taking on at Notre Dame after Brian Kelly left for LSU. Day is 56-8, though Buckeye followers will not be pleased concerning the shedding streak with Michigan lately. Freeman is 19-8 and it’s nonetheless a bit of too quickly to get an actual sense of whether or not this was the correct transfer for the Irish. Continuity and the way the gamers felt concerning the transfer had been huge components, however each have needed to develop into the roles.
The general outcomes of massive jobs selling from inside after the pinnacle coach strikes on are largely constructive, although.
Florida State promoted Jimbo Fisher after Bobby Bowden retired, and that labored out very effectively for the Seminoles — Fisher led them to a nationwide title. Stanford promoted David Shaw after Harbaugh left for the NFL a decade in the past. That additionally labored out effectively, though this system backslid afterward beneath Shaw. Bret Bielema took over for Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin and that went effectively. Lincoln Riley took over for Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and the Sooners stored profitable at a really excessive degree.
Chip Kelly took Oregon to a different degree after Mike Bellotti stepped down, after which Mark Helfrich bought the Geese to the nationwide title sport, though the Geese tailed off shortly thereafter. Conversely, Bob Davie taking on for Lou Holtz at Notre Dame a era in the past didn’t go so nice (one top-20 season in 5 years). Neither did Jimmy Lake getting promoted after Chris Petersen retired at Washington a number of years in the past.
The one factor which will give Michigan brass some pause is that if Moore is tied to the continued NCAA investigation into the sign-stealing scandal. If the investigation finds that Moore — who has not been tied to the scheme — was one way or the other concerned, Michigan would possibly wish to begin over with a clear slate.
Lance Leipold led Kansas to its first Prime 25 end since 2007. (Joe Camporeale / USA At present)
Exterior candidates
Kansas’ Lance Leipold has labored miracles in Lawrence. He gained six Division III nationwide titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater, led Buffalo — one of many hardest FBS jobs — into the Prime 25 after which resurrected Kansas, the worst Energy 5 program. The Jayhawks went from 2-10 to 6-7 to 9-4 over three seasons. They ranked No. 23 within the ultimate AP ballot of the 2023 season and beat Oklahoma for the primary time in a era. The 59-year-old has Midwestern roots, having grown up in Wisconsin. He is aware of easy methods to construct a tradition, play bodily soccer and do rather more with much less. Kansas hadn’t gained greater than three video games in a season in 11 years earlier than Leipold arrived.
The truth that he’s nonetheless in Lawrence ought to make Kansas the most important winner of the yr’s teaching carousel to date. The Athletic reported on Sunday that Leipold withdraw from the Washington head coach search earlier than Jedd Fisch was employed.
Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, like Leipold, got here from profitable huge within the decrease divisions of soccer. He gained 4 FCS titles at North Dakota State. The 56-year-old led the Wildcats to the Massive 12 title in 2022, going 10-4. This previous yr, the Wildcats had been 9-4 and had a second consecutive top-20 end. Klieman has state of affairs at Ok-State beneath athletic director Gene Taylor, with whom he labored beforehand, however the likelihood to leap to a better-resourced, blue-blood program within the Massive Ten could be very tempting.
LSU’s Brian Kelly jumped from South Bend to Baton Rouge to attempt to higher his probabilities at profitable a nationwide title. Kelly had a formidable debut season in Baton Rouge in 2022, going 10-4 and profitable the SEC West. This previous season, expectations had been a lot larger and the Tigers went 10-3, but it surely felt disappointing given they’d Heisman winner Jayden Daniels at quarterback and a ton of key gamers again. They had been dreadful on protection, bought blown out by Florida State within the opener, gave up 55 in a loss to Ole Miss and had just one win over a ranked opponent, Missouri.
Kelly, 62, is a very good coach, however the bar in Baton Rouge is extremely excessive. The final three coaches there all gained nationwide titles. Making it to a 12-team School Soccer Playoff however not profitable a title gained’t minimize it. The match with him in Louisiana has appeared odd, even weird, from the second he arrived. He now has to overtake his teaching workers. Prime recruits nonetheless wish to come to LSU, however I’ve heard a number of chatter that if he may get in on Michigan, he’d in all probability go for it. Kelly spent nearly twenty years within the state of Michigan whereas teaching at Grand Valley State. How enticing would he be relative to Michigan’s different choices? I’m a bit of skeptical at this level.
Harbaugh might not have been for everyone, however all of the individuals inside Michigan — particularly his gamers — love him for his authenticity. With Kelly, it looks like you could be speaking concerning the polar reverse.
(Prime photograph of Sherrone Moore: Gregory Shamus / Getty Photos)