This a bleeping valuable thing is in the hands of athletic director David Brandon, who followed up his announcement of Rodriguez's ouster today by helpfully outlining some of his basic criteria for making the hire that will largely define his tenure. The next coach at Michigan will be one who:
a) Has been a head coach before, although not necessarily in one of the "Big Six" leagues, specifically citing Ohio State's Jim Tressel (longtime head coach at I-AA Youngstown State before beginning his reign of terror over Michigan in Columbus) as one of many examples of successful transitions from smaller schools to a powerhouse.
b) Is "defensive-minded," in order to resurrect a rock-bottom unit that finished at the bottom of the Big Ten in yards and points allowed and generally make over the mindset of the program – "There's a thought of getting a defensive-minded everything. I want the ball boys to be defensive-minded." – to compete in a "smash-mouth conference."
c) Can "modify their approach and their attack based on the personnel they have," suggesting he wants someone who's willing to run an offense that will keep electric quarterback Denard Robinson from transferring to avoid being stuck in a pro-style scheme.
d) Is worth a top-dollar salary: Michigan has been "in the middle of the pack" in terms of coaching salaries, and Brandon doesn't "necessarily believe that's appropriate.
And e) Is not Jim Harbaugh.
Brandon didn't specifically rule out continued overtures to Harbaugh ("I have talked to Jim Harbaugh, I will continue to talk to Jim Harbaugh. He's a Michigan man."), but he was also clear that, even if Harbaugh is still on the official wish list, no one should get their hopes up: "My personal belief is that Jim Harbaugh will end up in a challenging opportunity in the NFL," Brandon said. "That’s what I think, we’ll see." That seems to be what a lot of smart people think today.
The names you will be hearing instead over the coming week(s): San Diego State coach Brady Hoke, a former Michigan assistant who's clearly had his eyes on the job for years and may not be considered so unpalatable this time, after big success at SDSU and Ball State; TCU coach Gary Patterson, a "defensive-minded" boss with a solid decade of success in Fort Worth and a defense that's led the nation in total D each of the last three years; and LSU coach/Michigan alum/insane man Les Miles, who's already gone out of his way to deny interest:
Wait, that was Miles going out of his way to deny interest in Michigan the last time the job came open, in 2007, when Kirk Herbstreit went on the air the morning of LSU's appearance in the SEC Championship Game with rumors that Miles had agreed to take his act home to Ann Arbor. He was slightly more subdued at this morning's press conference for the Tigers' upcoming date in the Cotton Bowl, where he denied any contact with Michigan. "I’m really here to speak about LSU," he said. "Michigan will be fine. They will always be Michigan. Speculation is not factual."
Well, it never is, coach. For now, it's all we've got. But don't expect any drawn-out searches and misdirections this close to the first Wednesday in February: There's a vulnerable recruiting class to save before the really heavy lifting even begins.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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