Michigan is now looking for a new head coach. Sherrone Moore was fired by the university for cause, and this has led to an unexpected coaching search. Michigan has named Biff Poggi as the interim coach, but for this high-profile position, multiple names will be connected. Still, there are coaches on the must-not-hire list that will be interested in the job.
Biff Poggi- Interim Head Coach at Michigan
The first name on the do-not-hire list has to be the interim coach, Biff Poggi. Poggi has done a great job of getting players to Michigan in the past. He was the coach of Blake Corum in high school, and a reason Corum chose Michigan over other schools. Still, nothing in his head coaching record suggests he should get this job.
Poggi served as the head coach for two games in 2025, as Moore was suspended due to the actions stemming from the Connor Stalions' investigation. Poggi coached Michigan to a 63-3 victory over Central Michigan and a 30-27 victory over Nebraska.
Regardless, he struggles in the college landscape when given the chance to be the head man. While he was 2-0 as the head man in the interim at Michigan, he was horrible at Charlotte. The Michigan interim coach was just 6-16 in his time with the 49ers. Moreover, the major reason for his being hired as the Charlotte coach was his recruiting ability, but he struggled to show that ability. While it is easier to recruit at Michigan, the lack of success should be cause for pause with the Wolverines' decision makers.
Brian Kelly- Former LSU Head Coach
Michigan has the expectation to win a National Championship. The last coach that did so, Jim Harbaugh, did not have prior National Title experience, but did take a middling Stanford program and turn them into a contender. Brian Kelly has yet to show he can elevate a program. His first head coaching job was at Grand Valley State, where he became the head coach in 1991. In the prior two years, they had won the conference and made the Division II Playoffs. He coached for ten seasons with three conference titles, but never escaped the first round. He finally lost in the title game in 2001, before winning it all in 2002 and 2003.
This led him to Central Michigan, where he was 19-16 and made one bowl game that he did not coach in. That led him to Cincinnati, where he was 34-6, and led them to the Orange Bowl, but he left before the game. At Notre Dame, he was 92-39, but never won it all, and then he was 34-14 at LSU before being fired. His history is one of a good head coach who has never won the big game since the Division II level. Kelly is the coach who could bring Michigan to a Big Ten title game, but will not beat Ohio State or win the National title.
John Harbaugh- Baltimore Ravens head coach
Could another Harbaugh lead the team in Ann Arbor? There are rumors that Harbaugh could be on the outs with the Baltimore Ravens. If he is on the outs, his name gives him interest for the Michigan job, but the university should not bite. This is not his brother Jim or his father Jack. John is an NFL coach. To begin with, his playing days are not at Michigan; he was a defensive back at Miami (OH) and not one good enough to make it to the next level.
He started out in the college ranks, working at Western Michigan, Pittsburgh, Morehead State, Cincinnati, and Indiana, primarily working with special teams. Further, his initial jobs were connections from his father, Jack. John then went to the NFL ranks, working with the Philadelphia Eagles and then landing the head job with the Ravens. While his brother and dad have ties to Michigan, John does not. Further, he does not have the recruiting experience to make it in the modern world of college football. While it would be nice to have another Harbaugh, this would be a disaster.
Brian Daboll- Former New York Giants head coach
Brian Daboll was mentioned for the Penn State job, and will be mentioned for Michigan as well. This is a situation of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Daboll has shown he is an NFL coach primarily. His first job in coaching was as a volunteer at William and Mary, until Nick Saban made him a graduate assistant for Michigan State from 1998-1999. He then spent time with the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, and Kansas City Chiefs, before returning to New England from 2013-2016.
When he left the Patriots and the Bill Belichick family, he went to a close relative, returning to Saban for one year as the Alabama offensive coordinator in 2017. After that, it was time in Buffalo before landing the New York Giants head job. Daboll's success has been under the tutelage of the Belichick and Saban coaching tree. When he has veered away, success has been hit or miss. He does not have the experience to coach at the top end of college, considering recruiting, and would be another Belichick experiment that would go poorly.
Jason Eck- New Mexico head coach
One of the major trends in the coach cycle has been to hire a hot G5 coach. The hottest of the G5 coaches are now gone. Jon Sumrall is at Florida, while Alex Golesh went to South Florida, Ryan Silverfield went to Arkansas, and Bob Chesney left for UCLA. Unless Michigan can convince one of those coaches to break a commitment, the Group of Five route is not going to be good. The best name left is Jason Eck.
Eck is a coach who has worked his way through the ranks. He entered coaching after his playing days at Wisconsin finished, and joined the Badgers staff as a GA in 1999. Eck would spend time all over the college football landscape. He worked at Idaho, Winona State, Ball State, Hampton, Western Illinois, Minnesota State, Montana State, and South Dakota State before his first head job. His first head coaching experience came at Idaho, going 26-13 from 2022 to 2024. He has gone 9-3 at New Mexico this year.
This type of hire has failed in the past for Michigan. Rich Rodriguez had a similar track before landing at West Virginia. He went just 15-22 at Michigan and made just one bowl game. He was replaced by Brady Hoke, who spent time at Ball State and San Diego State, but went just 31-20 at Michigan.
Michigan needs nan well-established and quality coach, and this late in the cycle, it may be hard to come by. Regardless, this is the Michigan job, and they should not just give it to a random person who does not have the chops to handle it.
