ESPN's Paul Finebaum questions why anyone would want Michigan football job

Michigan football is still in search of a new head coach after firing former coach Sherrone Moore for cause in the middle of this month.

Although the Wolverines have seemingly struck out on two of their top candidates, with Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham signing a contract extension with the Sun Devils and Alabama's Kalen DeBoer still coaching his team in the playoffs, there are other candidates out there the Wolverines could pursue, with Louisville's Jeff Brohm coming up as a name to watch early this week.

Nov 29, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm talks with Louisville Cardinals quarterback Miller Moss (7) during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Louisville defeated Kentucky 41-0. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Even as Michigan deals with challenging times following the abrupt firing and the aftermath of the Moore situation, many still see Ann Arbor as a top destination for coaches to win at the highest levels of college football considering the university's resources and tradition.

However, ESPN's Paul Finebaum doesn't think that's the case, as he asked the question of why anyone would want the Michigan job on a recent podcast with Matt Barrie on Barrie's show.

What Finebaum said

When discussing the topic of the Michigan job, Finebaum criticized the Harbaugh era and claim the leadership at the university isn't aligned, making Ann Arbor, in his view, an unattractive place for the time being.

"Why would anybody want that job?" Finebaum asked. "That's the reality—we all know what Michigan is. If you don't know, Michigan fans will tell you. But there's simply no leadership there, no alignment. The stench of the Harbaugh regime permeates the air in Ann Arbor. It's made it more difficult because the go to is 'let's get (Jesse) Minter, let's get Jedd Fisch—let's get somebody—they needed a Kalen DeBoer or Kenny Dillingham, but they're not going to get either one, so good for them."

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Nation analyst Paul Finebaum looks on prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is also a name that has been thrown around, as Barrie suggested the Wolverines need him to get the program headed back in the right direction.

"What they need is Kyle Whittingham," said Barrie. "They need Whittingham, who ran a good, clean program at Utah. I get it, he's older and he's not the sexiest hire in terms of name recognition and youth, but you need a guy that's going to steady that ship."

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