Now that the biggest poorly kept secret has finally been revealed, and Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan football for the Los Angeles Chargers, that leaves an opening for the Wolverines' head coaching position.
As if this hadn't already been a crazy coaching carousel season, with Nick Saban retiring from Alabama, which left Washington's Kalen DeBoer headed for Tuscaloosa, then Jedd Fisch heading to Seattle, now Harbaugh is leaving Ann Arbor.
But unlike those other places, there's already a rightful successor on the Michigan football staff in place in offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore if athletic director Warde Manuel chooses to go that route.
But if not, then Manuel will enter Michigan into their first head coaching search in almost a decade, causing even further chaos across the college football landscape. So, let's take a look at who all Manuel could consider.
Sherrone Moore, Michigan Offensive Coordinator
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Moore has been with the Michigan football program since 2018, starting as a tight ends coach and moving his way up to the offensive coordinator position. But during the 2023 season, Moore got a taste of what it was like to be the head coach when having to fill in for both of Harbaugh's suspensions during the season. The most notable of those is when Moore had to become the interim during the last three games of the regular season with the Wolverines facing No. 10 Penn State and Maryland on the road, and facing No. 2 Ohio State at home. Moore went 3-0 during the stretch.
In the wake of the current landscape of college football, Moore is about the best bet you can get. Unlike Alabama, where there wasn't necessarily a contingency plan or someone waiting in the wings to take over, Moore is that for Michigan. It would more than likely be accepted by players and fans, and an easy plug-and-play type deal.
Jesse Minter, Michigan Defensive Coordinator
If, for whatever reason, Moore isn't the person they're looking for on staff to take Harbaugh's place, then Minter has to be the next best option. Minter came over from Harbaugh's brother's Baltimore Ravens team as a defensive backs coach and has been an exceptional hire for the former Michigan coach. He produced some of the best defenses in school history, which obviously helped the Wolverines win a national title this past season. The only reason he would make more sense than Moore would be that Manuel would not want to lose such a strong defensive-minded coach.
Mike MacDonald, Ravens Defensive Coordinator
MacDonald definitely has some familiarity with the Michigan program as he was the team's defensive coordinator back in 2021, helping lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten Title and College Football Playoff berth. The problem is that MacDonald and the Ravens' No. 6 ranked total defense have gotten him multiple NFL head coaching job interviews. But if, for whatever reason, he doesn't like his options or they don't like him, then Michigan could be his gig.
Lance Leipold, Kansas Head Coach
It feels like Lance Leipold, 59, gets mentioned every time there's a new head coaching vacancy. And that's for a good reason, as he's probably one of the best coaches in the country. He has completely revived what was an all but dead Kansas program and made them more than respectable in just his two seasons there, taking them from 2-10 to 9-4. He has some experience around the Big Ten area.
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