The search is on for the next head coach of the Michigan Wolverines as the program looks to quickly pivot away from the recently-fired Sherrone Moore. Michigan is one of the most coveted jobs in college football, and should be able to lure in quite a prestigious pool of candidates to lead their program for the future.

Despite this search only being in its beginning stages, there has already been several encouraging signs about the job, and the search has already turned over several promising leads. It’s safe to say that despite the sudden controversy that has emerged surrounding their previous head coach, the Wolverines will be able to pull in a successful coach to replace him.

Where the Michigan head coaching search stands right now

Obviously, this search is still in its infancy, but the Wolverines are gunning hard to pull in their new head coach as soon as possible. The administration has relayed their desire to have a coach in place by January 2nd, when the transfer portal window opens. Additionally, the staff wants to close down any possibility of a departure from quarterback Bryce Underwood and the subsequent exodus that would follow him, and have additional pressure to have the right coach in place as quickly as possible.

As it stands right now, there are two head coaches popping up at the forefront of Michigan’s search: Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham.

Kalen DeBoer

DeBoer’s name immediately popped up as soon as the job opened up, and for good reason. DeBoer openly coveted the Michigan job when Jim Harbaugh left before the Wolverines promoted Sherrone Moore to replace him. DeBoer then took the Alabama job shortly after. DeBoer is viewed as the favorite for the job.

Several sources have already relayed that the Wolverines would be a job of “strong interest” for DeBoer once again. He has spent much of his career around the area, including years at Eastern Michigan, and has already proven to be a winning head coach everywhere he’s been. Looking at his contract terms, DeBoer can exit Alabama after this season for relatively cheap in the ever-increasingly expensive world of college coaches for somewhere around $4-5 million. His situation in Tuscaloosa feels like a pressure cooker waiting to pop, and the Wolverines would be an opportunity for him to have an off-ramp before the situation becomes even more tenuous.

However, DeBoer is leading the Tide on a playoff run. Depending on how long that goes, his timeline might not match up with Michigan’s. Fortunately, the Wolverines have already found their alternate if DeBoer doesn’t work out.

Kenny Dillingham

Dillingham has rebuilt the Sun Devils program to prominence, building a College Football Playoff contender right away in his second year at Arizona State and a competitive 8-4 season in 2025 despite numerous injuries.

Dillingham has evaluated well, building a strong NFL pipeline with the Sun Devils, and has developed Sam Leavitt into an NFL Draft prospect. He is an excellent recruiter, and is well-respected and beloved by his players. For Bryce Underwood, Dillingham has produced a productive quarterback at every stop along the way, whether it was Riley Ferguson at Memphis, Bo Nix at Auburn, or the aforementioned Sam Leavitt (and a career revival of Jeff Sims this season) at Arizona State. His offense meshes well with Michigan’s identity as a program, but adds in a splash of modernity that fans have been craving for years.

It might be a tall task to pull him away from his alma mater, but Dillingham is as bright of a rising star as there is in the industry right now, and Michigan might want to get in early instead of too late. He is also available to take the job right away, unlike DeBoer.

Jesse Minter (Los Angeles Chargers DC)

With Minter’s background as a defensive coordinator for the Michigan program from 2022-23, there was a lot of initial buzz about interest in a potential return. While the Wolverine fanbase would welcome Minter back with open arms, the initial feedback is that it would be a pretty unlikely reunion. A critical member of the Michigan National Championship team in 2023, that also means that Minter was right in the middle of the cheating scandal. That, on top of the issues they’re currently dealing with the Moore saga, it’s very unlikely that this is move that the program pushes for.

On the NFL side, Minter is already considered one of the rising stars in the coaching world. It is believed that Minter will demand high interest for head coaching openings in the league this offseason. From both sides, this move doesn’t make much sense. This is a past relationship that will most likely be avoided.

Michigan Wolverines News

Sherrone Moore is under police investigation following news that he’s been fired by the Michigan Wolverines

Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore has been arrested following his termination for cause on Wednesday.

AJ Schulte