Michigan Football: Assessing what little is known about the coaching search

As Michigan approaches the first whole week of the head coaching search in relative silence, fans have been left in the dark about which direction this search is taking, with some questioning whether there even is one.

While some people take the lack of traction as a bad sign, others see it as a sign that there’s a plan in place, that things are going according to plan, and that there’s no reason to panic until one presents itself.

All of this to say, at least publicly, U-M is no closer to naming a new head coach on Sunday than it was entering the week.

With that said, is that really the case?

We will assess the search by addressing the major narratives that have emerged over the past few days.

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A non-offer is the only real public news to work with

As soon as news broke of Sherrone Moore’s firing, three names were immediately mentioned as names to watch in this search: Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, and Washington’s Jedd Fisch.

Now, as of this writing, DeBoer seems to be the only candidate of the three left standing.

Why?

Sources suggest that something surfaced during Turnkey’s background checks with Fisch, prompting U-M to pause further pursuit. However, people fall short of saying he’s eliminated from the search, leaving the door open for U-M to revisit his candidacy if they absolutely have to. Still, there is no concrete information to suggest that it is necessary right now.

The first piece of public “bad news” that prompted an adverse reaction from the fanbase was Dillingham signing an extension with the Sun Devils, which was framed as ASU fending off a U-M pursuit to keep him in Tempe.

While we can confirm that Dillingham did speak with U-M on more than one occasion, those involved in the search, as well as Dillingham personally, confirm that the Wolverines didn’t formally offer him the job.

You can’t accept what you’re not offered, right?

This leads to one of many unknowns currently surrounding the search. Did U-M know that Dillingham had every intention to stay in Tempe no matter what, thus not offering him a deal? Did U-M discuss terms at all, meaning what Dillingham agreed to was a “match” for what U-M offered?

Simply put, we don’t really know. Without a formal offer, it’s hard to distinguish between agent posturing and ASU posturing to create the narrative that the football program had a big win over a program like U-M.

And all of this leads back to square one. What now?

The DeBoer Debate

Knowing what we know now, it’s highly likely that most people were banking on Alabama to lose to Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff on Friday. That, obviously, did not happen.

With its back against the wall, up against keeping its team together as well as supplementing it via the transfer portal, U-M is in a position where it can’t afford to wait very much longer.

Whether you want to believe it or not, until an extension is signed, Kalen DeBoer is technically still an option, even with the Tide playing on January 1 and the transfer portal opening the next day. If DeBoer is your top target, as had been suggested from the start, what other reason is there to delay this search further?

A coach not participating in the CFP, like Dillingham, could be offered by midweek, and things would be moving forward. If not, offering Dillingham, who was your supposed number two choice, would suggest U-M is willing to wait out DeBoer, right?

This is where the disconnect currently lies, as it’s not clear whether DeBoer remains the target or whether U-M has to regroup after the Tide losing and Dillingham working out his extension.

At first glance, this suggests one of two scenarios: U-M is working in silence with a firm plan in place that is currently being kept under wraps, or it has had to step back and rework its list.

Even if a rework is needed, why wait?

The lack of concrete information from those in the know has created a disconnect between the current search climate and the path ahead. This is also creating some general unrest among the fanbase, assuming this search has not been handled well, despite nothing concrete to suggest otherwise.

What is that path?

That’ll reveal itself once the hire is made.

It’s a choose-your-own-adventure book where every ending is the same

If you read Choose Your Own Adventure books growing up, you’d remember reading a story and being given a choice to go to the page that signified where you wanted the story to go next for the protagonist. Giving you some ownership of a story that had already been pre-determined by the author anyway.

I liken U-M’s coaching search in its current form, a half-formed puzzle where we haven’t found all the border pieces, to one of those books. The only difference is that every choice you make is the same adventure with the same conclusion.

Why wait?

If U-M’s current intentions are to drag things out, why does that move benefit someone who is not currently in a playoff setting? A deal could be made within the hour with one of a handful of fringe names, such as Fisch, Jeff Brohm, or Eli Drinkwitz.

U-M could be off to the races right now if it wanted to be.

It doesn’t necessarily mean the news would enthuse U-M fans, nor does it signify a well-conducted search, but you’d have your coach and someone to rally support behind to keep the roster intact and bring in a solid staff of coaches. The name doesn’t necessarily need to be a home run, the results on the field do, though.

Until there are more answers, things feel like we’re in a holding pattern, with a disconnect that hasn’t yet been established. Everyone is sitting around with bated breath, waiting for the first proverbial domino to fall.

Whether that domino is DeBoer, a “mystery candidate” currently in the CFP or coaching in the NFL ranks, or someone in the next tier of names, all will be revealed in due time.

The closer things get to January 2 without at least an inkling of where this is headed, you’d have to assume things are going to go according to plan, right?

At least it should be, until it isn’t.

For now, we wait.