Michigan coaching search: Paul Finebaum names Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer No. 1 candidate for job

The Michigan Wolverines are dealing with the fallout from Sherrone Moore‘s firing within the athletic department. They’ll have to move no quickly, too, as one of the most prestigious jobs in the sport is now open in mid-December.

Michigan is expected to draw a long list of candidates, given its prestige. That could even include Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer, who Paul Finebaum recently named as the No. 1 candidate for the job during a Thursday morning SportsCenter hit.

“It feels like the No. 1 candidate is going to be Kalen DeBoer of the University of Alabama,” Finebaum said. “He has led Alabama to the playoffs in his second year. He was under consideration when he was the head coach at the University of Washington. Remember, Washington played Michigan in Jim Harbaugh’s final game for the national championship.”

On paper, DeBoer makes a lot of sense. A South Dakota native, he has found success at every level he’s been. That includes as the offensive coordinator at Indiana, taking Washington to the Playoff, and now taking Alabama to the Playoff. As an FBS head coach, he is 56-16.

There are a few obstacles that would come with hiring DeBoer. He’s obviously at his own prestigious job and is currently preparing for a College Football Playoff game. That’s less than two weeks from now, and it would make for an incredibly awkward situation.

Of course, Finebaum knows that Michigan is going to have a few other candidates. That includes former Jim Harbaugh assistants, like Sherrone Moore had been, and even the current Washington head coach.

“He’s not the only possibility. Jedd Fisch, who is a current coach at Washington, is also a possibility,” Finebaum said. “And then there could be a number of other of Jim Harbaugh’s former assistant coaches. But it feels like, after what happened with Sherrone Moore, that Michigan will likely go after an established head coach.”

The Moore firing was a shock to most people around the country. He would be fired for cause  after a university investigation found “credible evidence that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” He would later be detained by police in an investigation related to an alleged assault.

Paul Finebaum reacts to Sherrone Moore firing, Michigan job opening

Paul Finebaum was on the air when Sherrone Moore was fired. In the immediate aftermath of the firing, Paul Finebaum shared his own reaction.

“I don’t want to understate, or overstate, I should say, how good a job this is,” Finebaum said. “Like Michigan or not, Michigan sits in the front row of college football. There are not many places more revered, and they have a good program. They have one of the best quarterbacks, futuristically, in the country in Bryce Underwood. Unlike a lot of times, you’re walking into a good situation. They weren’t a bad team this year, but I never thought Sherrone Moore was that great of a coach.”