Michigan football finds itself at a crossroads that feels all too familiar. With Sherrone Moore’s abrupt firing this week, the Wolverines are searching for their second head coach in just two years. Now, Connor Stalions, the infamous figure at the center of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, has intensified the conversation with a perspective that is the harsh reality Michigan will be bracing for.

“Michigan’s most important challenge isn’t about who the next head coach is — it’s about who’s making that decision. Everyone is debating who ‘they’ will hire next. The real first step is defining who ‘they’ even are. Donors, regents, athletic department, player alumni — they all have a voice, and alignment from all of them is more important than anything else in the process.” 

Connor Stalions does not command the respect of Michigan or the college football world to have a take on the University’s functioning. But he’s not wrong in this one. The constant stream of scandals shows that whoever has been steering this ship hasn’t exactly been navigating smooth waters.​ And it’s the decision-makers who are at fault.

The reality is that Michigan’s athletic department under Warde Manuel has lurched from one crisis to another with alarming frequency. Manuel, who became athletic director in 2016, has presided over an era marked by controversy after controversy. There was the sign-stealing scandal that led to Connor Stalions’ departure. 

Before that, it was the hockey program that exploded with allegations. Coach Mel Pearson was accused of encouraging COVID-19 protocol violations and fostering a toxic work environment. And now Moore’s firing over an “inappropriate relationship” with a staff member has thrust the program back into the tabloids. When dealing with this much dysfunction, it’s fair to ask whether the problem lies with the coaches or the person hiring them.​

Manuel’s continued presence as athletic director has become increasingly baffling to Michigan observers. However, this time, donors and boosters may be seeking significantly greater control over this coaching search.

The coaching search itself has already begun in earnest. Names like Jesse Minter and Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich are surfacing as early favorites. Some have also suggested Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer’s name. But Stalions’ point hits home. It doesn’t matter how impressive the candidate list looks if the decision-making structure is broken. 

The Coaching carousel spins in Ann Arbor

The moment Michigan pulled the trigger on Sherrone Moore, the speculations have been nothing short of shocking. According to Kalshi’s prediction market, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer has emerged as the frontrunner with a 29% chance of landing the job. He is followed by Washington’s Jedd Fisch at 23% and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham at 17%. BetOnline has DeBoer listed at +475 odds, just behind Fisch at +450, making this essentially a two-horse race in the eyes of Vegas. 

Meanwhile, Dave Portnoy, Michigan’s most vocal booster, has gone completely rogue with his coaching wish list. “I don’t want to say I don’t want Deboer in case he gets the job, but I don’t want Deboer,” Portnoy declared on X. “Let’s just stop f****** around and give it to Gruden and go win a Natty.” Yes, that former Raiders coach, Jon Gruden, who resigned in 2021 after racist and misogynistic emails surfaced. 

Portnoy even dug up an old 1984 media guide showing that Gruden once wrote that he wanted to become Michigan’s head coach after graduation. The Barstool boss’s full wish list reads like a fever dream. “Gruden, Saban, Lanning, Jeff Monkin, Clark Lea, Kenny Dillingham, and Deion,” he wrote.

Setting aside the fact that Portnoy himself admitted, “I feel like I know stuff, I don’t know stuff,” immediately after Moore’s firing, his push for Gruden shows just how wild this coaching search could get.​