Michigan football HC hot board 4.0 as of Christmas Day

Here is where the Wolverines' coaching search stands as of Christmas

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It's been over two weeks since Michigan fired head coach Sherrone Moore for cause. Following the shocking dismissal of the second-year head coach, the Wolverines are searching for their 22nd head coach.

Here is a look at names who have been floating around that Michigan is targeting.

Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

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Jeff Brohm might be one of the more realistic hires on this list. Ahead of Louisville's bowl game on Tuesday, reports came out stating that Michigan was interested in Brohm, and Brohm was interested in the Wolverines, but wanted more contact.

As of now, it's not clear how much contact Michigan has made with Brohm -- if any -- but he has been reportedly on Michigan's radar.

Brohm went 36-34 in his six years at Purdue, with a nine and eight-win season to finish his career there. In three years at Louisville, Brohm has gone 27-12 and has taken the Cardinals to three bowl games.

Brohm is an elite offensive mind, usually has one of the top passing attacks in the country, but has yet to be with an elite program -- no offense to either Purdue or Louisville. But neither place is Michigan. It would be interesting to see what Brohm could do with the resources the Wolverines would have at his disposal.

Todd Monken (Ravens)

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The former Georgia coordinator and current Ravens OC was a new name that came to light on Wednesday, and the Wolverines have reportedly vetted the 59-year-old coach.

Monken could look to go back to the collegiate level, especially with some doubt surrounding John Harbaugh in Baltimore. Monken was a long-time offensive coordinator who specialized in both quarterback and wide receiver development.

He was the head coach of Southern Miss for three seasons and won Conference USA Coach of the Year in his final season there. He helped lead the Bulldogs to two national titles while coordinating the offense.

Kyle Whittingham (Utah)

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The 66-year-old coach is out at Utah, where he spent the last 20 years as the Utes' head coach -- even longer as a position coach. But Whittingham recently joked that he was in the transfer portal and wanted to keep coaching. There has been smoke that he is interested in Michigan, and some similar smoke that the Wolverines had Whittingham on their list.

Whittingham has done a great job at Utah and made the Utes a yearly contender in the Big 12. He might not be the splash hire Michigan fans wanted, but Whittingham should be a stable coach for another five or more years.

The two-time Coach of the Year would likely retain some key assistants, and clearly, the culture would be in a good place with Whittingham at the helm. There wouldn't be any off-the-field scandals with Whittingham running the show in Ann Arbor.

Biff Poggi (Michigan)

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If Michigan wants to wait another cycle to find its next head coach, the Wolverines could opt to give Biff Poggi a year -- maybe longer, depending on how 2026 goes -- to lead the program. The players and parents love Poggi and he's done an incredible job of lifting spirits following the firing of Sherrone Moore.

Poggi didn't do well at Charlotte, where he was fired. But Poggi led Michigan to wins as the interim head coach while Moore served a suspension. If the Wolverines feel like they can't hire their top choices, want to retain their assistants and roster, Poggi could realistically be a choice

However, his recent comments on a Texas-based podcast left a bad taste with some Michigan fans.

Kalen DeBoer (Alabama)

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Kalen DeBoer was seemingly Michigan's top target and if Alabama had lost to Oklahoma, things might have started heating up. But once the Crimson Tide made a big comeback and beat the Sooners, DeBoer was seemingly out of contention.

However, if Michigan continues to wait around and monitor the landscape, that could put DeBoer back into contention. There is a world where Michigan thinks DeBoer is hands down the best option and won't take no for an answer. If that's the case, the Wolverines will wait for the Tide to lose in the College Football Playoff and offer a big contract to DeBoer.

Others to monitor

There have been other names floated around like Washington's Jedd Fisch, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, Packers OC Adam Stenaivch, and Browns OC Tommy Rees. But as of now, all four of those don't appear to be much into the picture -- maybe Drinkwitz.

But after Drinkwitz hired Chip Lindsey from Michigan, that might show that Drinkwitz is happy in Missouri and isn't going anywhere.

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