Closing in on Week 2 of the Michigan Wolverines being without a permanent head coach after recently firing Sherrone Moore for his inappropriate relationship with a staffer, the school may be narrowing down its final choices.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel on “College GameDay” before Friday’s College Football Playoff matchup between No. 9 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma, Michigan’s top priority seems to be Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer.
“Sources tell me that Michigan officials remain convicted that they want to attempt to hire Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer,” Thamel reported, via On3. “The result of tonight’s game is going to factor heavily into that pursuit, as an Alabama loss would make the logistics of attempting to hire DeBoer much more tenable.”
DeBoer’s future remains uncertain, and many analysts believes there’s a better chance than not that he stays put.
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Should DeBoer pass on the Wolverines’ job, Thamel revealed the three candidates who appear to be UM’s Plan B. In fact, Michigan has reportedly had conversations with all three as of Friday night.
“Michigan officials aren’t solely focused on DeBoer,” Thamel continued. “I’ve been told by sources that they’ve had a handful of exploratory conversations with different candidates this week.
“The hiring pool, if it’s not DeBoer, sources have told me, would involve Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State, Eli Drinkwitz of Missouri and Washington’s Jedd Fisch. The timing could be tricky. Two of those coaches – Dillingham and Drinkwitz – have post-Christmas bowls.”
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Per betting market Kalshi, DeBoer was the favorite to land the Michigan job heading into Friday’s CFP matchup, but the with Crimson Tide holding a 27-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter, he’s fallen down to the third-best odds (12%).
Dillingham is the new favorite with a 35% chance of getting the gig — a 13% surge over the last two hours — followed by former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham at 16%. Fisch’s odds sit at 8%, while Drinkwitz’s odds are at 5%.
