Michigan has seemingly struck out on Plans A and B for its next head coach, with Kenny Dillingham taking an extension at Arizona State and Kalen DeBoer leading Alabama to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
And ESPN’s Paul Finebaum wonders whether they will be able to find any sort of top-tier coach at all, given the school’s inability to get out from under the chaos Jim Harbaugh left in his wake.
“Why would anyone want that job?” Finebaum questioned on Sunday’s episode of The Matt Barrie Show podcast. “There’s simply no leadership there, there’s no alignment, and the stench of the Harbaugh regime permeates the air in Ann Arbor. And it’s made it more difficult.”
While Harbaugh (who has largely stayed quiet about the fallout from his departure) delivered a national championship, he also oversaw an alleged sign-stealing scandal that resulted in multiple suspensions and departures, as well as significant financial penalties and recruiting restrictions. Before that, Harbaugh and the recently fired Sherrone Moore were also found guilty of recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harbaugh left the school in 2023 amid threats of NCAA sanctions to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. Moore took over and, after landing five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, led Michigan to a solid showing in 2025. But Moore was fired and arrested this month following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.
Nevertheless, many of the program’s key figures remain in place, including athletic director Warde Manuel and interim head coach Biff Poggi.
Michigan seemingly targeted Dillingham and DeBoer in their search, but both top coaches turned them down.
Finebaum stated that DeBoer made a mistake by not being prepared to discuss the Wolverines’ pursuit, but that this version of the Michigan program is out of its league, targeting coaches of that caliber:
“They needed a Kalen DeBoer or a Dillingham, but they’re not going to get either one, so good for them.”
As for a backup option, Barrie suggested former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, which Finebaum agreed could be a good idea. For a program that is used to competing for Big Ten championships and national titles, Michigan will have to settle for merely getting back to normalcy before it looks to the mountaintop.