The coaching search for the Michigan Wolverines reportedly includes Steve Addazio of Boston College, Kyle Whittingham of Utah and Greg Schiano, formerly of Rutgers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Michigan coaching search reportedly includes Greg Schiano, Steve Addazio, Kyle Whittingham
Anyone other than Jim Harbaugh would likely disappoint plenty of Michigan fans, but the search to replace Brady Hoke reportedly includes some new names.
How extensively Michigan has pursued or contacted any of the three is unclear, but there have been discussions of Addazio and Whittingham as possible candidates to fill the void left by the firing of Brady Hoke, according to a report from Football Scoop. Gil Brandt of NFL.com listed Schiano as a possible front-runner who could receive high praise from NFL coaches.
It wouldn’t be the first time Michigan has contacted Whittingham though, as he has reportedly been approached by the school in the past, per Football Scoop:
Michigan has checked sources regarding Boston College head coach Steve Addazio and there are some we have spoken with who believe Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, who we understand has been approached by Michigan in the past, could become a target of this search.
The hiring of either Addazio or Whittingham would be a bit of a surprise, as neither has been listed as a candidate. Neither appeared on the list odds released by Bovada, though Schiano appears as a longshot at 9/2.
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Schiano hasn’t coached at the collegiate level since 2011, but turned Rutgers from a team that won three games in his first two seasons into one that won a bowl game in five of his last six. While an unsuccessful stint with the Buccaneers may have tarnished his reputation as a coach, his performance at the collegiate level was still impressive.
Addazio took over at Boston College in 2013 after two seasons at Temple and has a 14-11 record in two seasons with the Eagles. Whittingham has coached the Utes for the past 10 seasons and has an 83-43 record with the team.
The favorite appears to still be San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, despite plenty of reasons why a coach would never want to spurn a potential NFL job to be a college football head coach.
Anyone other than Harbaugh will likely be disappointing for Michigan fans, as the former Wolverines quarterback is the dream scenario, but waiting for the end of the NFL season could be a risky move for the team. Ultimately, getting it right and finding a winner is a must whether that’s Harbaugh or not, according to Joshua Henschke of Maize N Brew:
Winning cures all wounds and Michigan was walking the incredibly thin line of a total implosion before it decided to change course. The fortunate part is that the job still has some incredible positives to it from a candidate perspective. There’s always going to be interested candidates, from a Les Miles to a Dan Mullen, it will be Hackett’s responsibility to land someone that can come in to this situation and be successful.
Whether Harbaugh is part of this equation or not remains to be told, but he’s not the only candidate out there for Michigan.
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