Michigan coaching candidates: Kalen DeBoer, Marcus Freeman among options after sudden Sherrone Moore firing

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As soon as it seemed like the college football coaching carousel was finally slowing down, Michigan announced it had fired Sherrone Moore for cause after an investigation revealed an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. 

The Wolverines becoming a late entry to the coaching search fray throws a real wrench in this offseason. We saw a ton of coaches sign fresh contract extensions after turning down openings at Penn State, Florida and Auburn, but Michigan may be a different beast. It is one of the best jobs in the country in terms of resources, and teams with a top-tier coach they haven’t locked into an extension already may have to get ready to fight to keep their coach in town. 

Michigan hired Moore to keep things on track after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, but they never quite reached those same heights, falling short of the Playoff in Moore’s two seasons at the helm. Getting back to the Playoff and contending for Big Ten championships will be the expectation for another coach, and with Michigan clear of the NCAA investigation into Connor Stalions and the sign-stealing scandal, they should be viewed as one of the nation’s top jobs. 

Who will be Michigan’s top candidates after starting a late search? Let’s dive into the names they’ll be pursuing. 

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Kalen DeBoer, Alabama coach

DeBoer’s been on and off of the hot seat at Alabama, and he is expected to be the top target for the Wolverines. 

The Crimson Tide snuck into the College Football Playoff as the 9-seed, but after a lopsided loss to Georgia in the SEC title game, there are still skeptics in Tuscaloosa that DeBoer is the right man for the job. The expectations following Nick Saban were always going to be nearly impossible to meet for DeBoer, and if he were looking for a soft landing before the Tide faithful can run him out of town, he’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than Michigan. 

The Wolverines have tons of financial resources, an elite young quarterback in Bryce Underwood and plenty of desire to close the gap on their hated rivals in Columbus. DeBoer is a midwest guy and might view Michigan as a better long-term fit on a personal level. When he was at Washington, Michigan was always regarded as a spot where DeBoer could jump. Alabama came open first, and here we are. 

At this point in the carousel, with so many top names inking contract extensions or already taking other jobs, Michigan won’t have its pick of the litter as it might in a normal situation. DeBoer represents their best chance to land one of the country’s best coaches with experience heading up a Playoff program, and they will likely make a strong run at him. It’s worth noting that DeBoer’s Alabama buyout would only cost the Wolverines $4 million, according to CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. 

The most fascinating thing to watch will be how hard Alabama fights to keep DeBoer in Tuscaloosa. They could certainly match just about any offer Michigan could come up with, but they will have to decide if they want to make that kind of commitment or take a spin around the carousel themselves. 

Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame coach

Freeman has been a name floating around a lot this year, and most recently he has been picking up a bunch of buzz about a potential leap to the NFL. It remains to be seen whether he has a desire to take his talents to the professional level, but if Freeman is at all unhappy with his situation at Notre Dame and looking for an exit, Michigan would certainly make for an interesting home. 

It should be noted that much of Freeman’s experience has been at two of Michigan’s longtime rivals. He played at Ohio State and has been at Notre Dame since 2021 as defensive coordinator for Brian Kelly for a year before taking over as head coach. 

We saw with Kelly that a Notre Dame coach can be wooed away by a big contract and promises of a grander financial commitment. Michigan can certainly make that case, but Freeman would have to really be looking for an exit after this year’s Playoff snub to bolt for a hated rival (even if they don’t play annually anymore). 

Lincoln Riley, USC coach

Riley is another name that popped up earlier in the coaching silly season as someone who might be available for the right price, with questions about how hard USC would fight to keep him. 

That was before Riley and USC put the finishing touches on the nation’s No. 1 overall recruiting class, and he would have to leave what appears to be a bright future in L.A. — and a huge contract — to make an in-conference jump to Michigan. That said, there was a time where it seemed impossible he’d ever leave Oklahoma before he bolted for Los Angeles.

While the Trojans’ recruiting class is packed with tantalizing talent, Riley knows better than anyone how vital having an elite quarterback talent is to success. His best years have coincided with Heisman Trophy winning QBs, and if he viewed Underwood as that kind of talent, getting two years with him would be a very tempting opportunity. On top of that, given the investment Michigan made to bring Underwood in, Riley wouldn’t have any concerns about whether the Wolverines will pony up to keep the elite talent flowing into Ann Arbor. 

Jedd Fisch, Washington coach

Fisch is finishing up his second season as the coach at Washington, and his name has been linked to a few job openings — most notably his alma mater, Florida.

Fisch is a true journeyman in the coaching business and has ties to plenty of programs beyond the Gators, including Michigan. He made a two-year stop in Ann Arbor from 2015-16 as the pass-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Jim Harbaugh and will likely garner at least some interest from the Wolverines, depending on how things unfold with their dream candidates.

After turning things around at Arizona, Fisch has taken Washington to bowl games in back-to-back years and appears to have the Huskies on an upward trajectory as well. The one constant in Fisch’s coaching career is changing locales, as his longest tenure was a four-year stint as an offensive assistant with the Ravens in the NFL. That’s led many to wonder if he might be looking for his next gig, and Michigan would represent quite the opportunity if it came his way.

P.J. Fleck, Minnesota coach

Minnesota has become a very steady program under Fleck’s guidance, but one wonders if he’d be willing to flip to the other side of the Little Brown Jug if Michigan came calling. 

Fleck’s gone 65-44 in his nine seasons at the helm of the Gophers, missing a bowl game only twice in that span and has made five straight. If Michigan can’t pry one of those bigger names away from a marquee program, Fleck could be someone that interests them. 

We’ve never seen Fleck at a program with the kinds of resources Michigan has, and he could be intrigued to find out what he could do with that kind of investment. At the same time, there is the risk that he’s a program builder but not the kind of coach that maximizes elite talent to the level Michigan hopes. 

That’s the question the Wolverines would have to ask, but if they strike out on the biggest names on their list, they could certainly do much worse than bringing Fleck back to the state of Michigan. 

Brian Kelly, former LSU coach

Kelly got his start at Grand Valley State before going to Central Michigan, and perhaps the Wolverines will look to bring him back to the Great Lakes State after his dramatic ouster from LSU.

Kelly’s track record of success speaks for itself with a 297-109-2 career record, but Michigan would have to decide whether he’s the kind of culture fit they’re looking for. It became quickly evident that Kelly did not mesh well with the folks down at LSU, which is why he found himself out of a job as soon as things turned south. 

They also would have to decide how much of LSU’s struggles this year fell at the feet of Kelly and how much were a larger symptom of a program in a bit of disarray. The Tigers were supposed to be Kelly’s next great offense but fell flat, and given Michigan is hoping to find a spark on that side of the ball, that would be a bit of a concern. 

It would be a fascinating reunion between Kelly and Underwood, who was originally committed to play for Kelly at LSU before getting poached late in the process by the Wolverines.

Where to get more on the Michigan coaching search 

If you want all of the latest Michigan news and scoop, there’s no better place than TheMichiganInsider. It’s the most trusted source for intel on the Wolverines and has the largest and most dedicated community of Michigan fans. The staff – led by longtime insider Sam Webb – will tell you what’s happening before it happens. Sign up for a VIP membership now and uncover all of the insider info, analysis and more.

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