How Desirable Is The Michigan Job -- Really?

[4Q Basket Case]

From what I can tell, being head coach at Michigan has one big advantage: A huge pay-for-play budget including a donor who's a de-facto owner -- Stephen Ross.

The disadvantages are legion.

There is no permanent President, only an interim.

Warde Manuel (the Athletic Director) is on the job...today. But I'm not sure how he keeps it. At best, he's permanently damaged goods. That's because:

- He hired Juwan Howard as basketball coach. Howard punched out an opposing coach and there were multiple reports of physical contact with his own players. But he kept the job. Howard was fired only after he started losing. Punch out an opponent? Strike players? All good until you start losing.

-- I personally think there was no way Manuel didn't know about the multi-year sign stealing operation. Whether I'm right or wrong on that, there's a 100% chance that one of these is true: (1) Manuel knew about the sign stealing. In which case he's one of the most massive cheating administrators ever. Or (2) he presided over an Athletic Department that conducted an organized and generously funded sign-stealing operation that lasted for multiple years, yet didn't know it existed. In which case he's an incompetent administrator.

-- There are multiple reports from credible outlets on Manuel's awareness of various issues surrounding Sherrone Moore. If only half of them are half true, he ignored a ticking time bomb until it blew up in his face.

-- At the time of his firing, Moore was under a two-year show-cause order. Makes Bruce Pearl look like a piker.

-- Michigan has no permanent President because the former one was terminated for an inappropriate relationship.

-- So there's a good chance you won't know who your boss or your boss's boss will be.

-- A few years ago, the University's Provost (the second-highest position at the school) was also terminated for an inappropriate relationship.

Why would anybody want to be a major public face of a place like that?

 

[CB4]

It’s the reason I posted on a different thread that just can’t see Warde Manuel making this call in the Michigan coaching search. He’s been a train wreck. The only good hire he has made (it appears) was bringing in Dusty May after the Juwan Howard fiasco. Beyond the Harbaugh/Stalions/Moore scandals with NCAA violations and show causes, there was the gymnastics coach having an inappropriate relationship with an 18 year old student and Title Nine problems with the hockey program. The athletic department is run like a fraternity house.

Surely their board of regents or another committee will takeover this search. They can’t leave it in Warde Manuel’s hands..

 

[DzynKingRTR]

From what I can tell, being head coach at Michigan has one big advantage: A huge pay-for-play budget including a donor who's a de-facto owner -- Stephen Ross.

The disadvantages are legion.

There is no permanent President, only an interim.

Warde Manuel (the Athletic Director) is on the job...today. But I'm not sure how he keeps it. At best, he's permanently damaged goods. That's because:

- He hired Juwan Howard as basketball coach. Howard punched out an opposing coach and there were multiple reports of physical contact with his own players. But he kept the job. Howard was fired only after he started losing. Punch out an opponent? Strike players? All good until you start losing.

-- I personally think there was no way Manuel didn't know about the multi-year sign stealing operation. Whether I'm right or wrong on that, there's a 100% chance that one of these is true: (1) Manuel knew about the sign stealing. In which case he's one of the most massive cheating administrators ever. Or (2) he presided over an Athletic Department that conducted an organized and generously funded sign-stealing operation that lasted for multiple years, yet didn't know it existed. In which case he's an incompetent administrator.

-- There are multiple reports of varying credibility on Manuel's awareness of various issues surrounding Sherrone Moore. If only half of them are half true, he ignored a ticking time bomb until it blew up in his face.

-- At the time of his firing, Moore was under a two-year show-cause order. Makes Bruce Pearl look like a piker.

-- Michigan has no permanent President because the former one was terminated for an inappropriate relationship.

-- So there's a good chance you won't know who your boss or your boss's boss will be.

-- A few years ago, the University's Provost (the second-highest position at the school) was also terminated for an inappropriate relationship.

Why would anybody want to be a major public face of a place like that?

lots of "inappropriate relationships" in michigan.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I think Kiffin hit the heart of the matter on what makes a college "desirable" now days and that's how much does the school have to commit to NIL. Kiffin alluded to that the schools after him all offered basically the same in salary, but one schoo (LSU) committed WAAAAAY more NIL money.

I read an article the other day that talked about Cignetti and Indiana. That Indiana actually has a lot of money and has now become a desirable coaching destination for football because of the resources they have to commit to NIL. Welcome to the new age of college football.

 

[TideEngineer08]

It's an extremely dysfunctional environment, and I'm not sure why an elite coach would want to walk into that mess.

I want to state unequivocally that we want Coach DeBoer to stay. I don't care how much anyone thinks he has missed the mark these 2 seasons, if he leaves, this program is going to crater. And make no mistake, the program is headed in a positive direction. Yes there are things he needs to do, details like the OL, for example. But from a strategic standpoint, the overall direction is good.

I do not know where Alabama stands from a dollar standpoint in NIL, but we are sitting here with the #2 recruiting class this year. We've done more than well enough, it seems. I know Coach DeBoer has 100% support from a very stable administration. It seems like utter insanity that he would leave that for what Michigan has become, even with the NIL issues, whatever they may be.

I think Kiffin made a huge mistake walking away from a stable situation, which he had proven he could win at, chasing NIL money. I think it showed cowardice on his part, and a lack of confidence in himself. I do not see Kalen DeBoer as the same kind of weak man.

 

[stlimprov]

lots of "inappropriate relationships" in michigan.

"He's a Michigan Man"

 

[CB4]

I think Kiffin made a huge mistake walking away from a stable situation, which he had proven he could win at, chasing NIL money. I think it showed cowardice on his part, and a lack of confidence in himself.

Agreed. Either Kiffin wades through the dysfunction in Baton Rouge and turns it into a juggernaut or he tanks the program inside of four years. Kiffin had things working in Oxford because he had AD Carter and boosters on the same page. That was due to Carter, not Kiffin. Kiffin is not a person that “unites” people. It’s not his personality.

 

[Rkharley98]

With the money the supporters have for NIL, and the money the coach makes, I’d say very desirable.

 

[Bama Lee]

With the money the supporters have for NIL, and the money the coach makes, I’d say very desirable.

Money and NIL only go so far. Just look at schools like Auburn

 

[bamaslammer]

I think the Michigan job could be a good one but I think you'd need to cut all ties to past staffs. There is a sickness there that needs to be extricated.

The biggest problem is that they are the Auburn to Ohio States's Alabama. They will expect you to win that game more often than not but Ohio State is probably as well financed as any program in the country. For 2026 their first EIGHT games are at home, but they finish with 4 straight on the road.

 

[dvldog]

Big House = Animal House

 

[CoolBreeze]

I know a lot of meat chicken fans as they are a cocky bunch. I don't like them or their program. But it is a good job. It is perceived to be a blue blood, ton of money and you are one of the big 2 in that conference. They will pay you and put up with you for years as long as you beat the bucks now that then. I'd say it is a cherry job really since you can pay players to come and the weather is not so much of a recruiting factor. They suck though.

 

[bamaga]

The best in the country
You have an Oracle blessing the program from on high. Win a national title every thirty years, be an afterthought most other years and still be thought a blue blood. The recruiting base is stolen from the South (Ohio) and it snows a lot! What’s not to love. Did you get the Oracle part?

 

[bamajas]

From what I can tell, being head coach at Michigan has one big advantage: A huge pay-for-play budget including a donor who's a de-facto owner -- Stephen Ross.

The disadvantages are legion.

There is no permanent President, only an interim.

Warde Manuel (the Athletic Director) is on the job...today. But I'm not sure how he keeps it. At best, he's permanently damaged goods. That's because:

- He hired Juwan Howard as basketball coach. Howard punched out an opposing coach and there were multiple reports of physical contact with his own players. But he kept the job. Howard was fired only after he started losing. Punch out an opponent? Strike players? All good until you start losing.

-- I personally think there was no way Manuel didn't know about the multi-year sign stealing operation. Whether I'm right or wrong on that, there's a 100% chance that one of these is true: (1) Manuel knew about the sign stealing. In which case he's one of the most massive cheating administrators ever. Or (2) he presided over an Athletic Department that conducted an organized and generously funded sign-stealing operation that lasted for multiple years, yet didn't know it existed. In which case he's an incompetent administrator.

-- There are multiple reports from credible outlets on Manuel's awareness of various issues surrounding Sherrone Moore. If only half of them are half true, he ignored a ticking time bomb until it blew up in his face.

-- At the time of his firing, Moore was under a two-year show-cause order. Makes Bruce Pearl look like a piker.

-- Michigan has no permanent President because the former one was terminated for an inappropriate relationship.

-- So there's a good chance you won't know who your boss or your boss's boss will be.

-- A few years ago, the University's Provost (the second-highest position at the school) was also terminated for an inappropriate relationship.

Why would anybody want to be a major public face of a place like that?

Few rational people would

But some people view those situations as "ripe" for taking advantage of them, hence why the culture is perpetual

Similarly... I was confused why Kiffin seemed fixed that LSU was best and dismissed UF, especially with the AD/Governor drama stuff coming out. Then word gets out that he balked at some of UF's planned structure for the new HC. My guess is Kiffin saw the nuclear cloud over the Ath Dept at LSU and somewhere deep down viewed it as a feature, not a bug