Michigan football HC hot board 3.0 with Kalen DeBoer, Kenny Dillingham off the table

Michigan appears to be out for both of its 1A, 1B options. Kalen DeBoer and Alabama beat Oklahoma on Friday night, after being down 17-0. Then on Saturday morning, Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State locked up a long-term extension and the Sun Devils gave Dillingham what he wanted in terms of more money for resources and staff money.

So where does that leave Michigan? Presumably back to square one, unless the Wolverines have been silently moving in the dark and making moves. With both DeBoer and Dillingham presumably off the table, here is a look at Michigan's potential candidates.

Kyle Whittingham (Utah)

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, but it wasn't known if the Wolverines had the same interest.

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.

Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

Jeff Brohm is back with his alma mater after having a solid career at Purdue. Brohm took the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Championship Game in 2022, where Purdue fell to Michigan.

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.

Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri)

Drinkwitz was mentioned in a report earlier by the Associated Press as a named Michigan has made contact with in its search.

Drinkwitz, age 42, has been the head coach of Missouri since 2020. He came to the Tigers after a solid year with App. State back in 2019. Drinkwitz won the SEC Coach of the Year Award back in 2023.

The Tigers had a rough start after Drinkwitz came to Missouri. Drinkwitz coached Missouri to a combined 17-19 record in his first three seasons. But since, Missouri has gone 11-2, 10-3, and 8-4 since.

Drinkwitz signed a six-year extension with the Tigers just weeks ago, worth $64.5 million. If Michigan feels like he is their man, the Wolverines would have to buy Drinkwitz out.

Drinkwitz has poked fun at Michigan -- stemming from the Connor Stalions' sign-stealing saga -- and there could be some rift there between the Wolverines and Drinkwitz. But with success at Missouri, he would likely be able to do more at Michigan.

Biff Poggi (Michigan)

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.

Poggi was named the interim head coach and will lead the charge against Texas in the Citrus Bowl. Do the Wolverines wait and see how Michigan looks under Poggi's guidance?

Michigan waits and out on other candidates

The above-mentioned are targets Michigan could offer and they could accept now. But if the Wolverines are still convinced that Kalen DeBoer is their man and want to formally offer him once Bama is out of the College Football Playoff, this could play out longer than some may want.

What about Jesse Minter? The former Michigan DC is coaching the Chargers and Los Angeles is likely playoff-bound. Minter wouldn't entertain an offer until the Chargers are eliminated. Things would get dicey there as the transfer portal opens on Jan 2. If Michigan doesn't have a coach, players are going to be unsure of a lot of things in Ann Arbor.

With DeBoer and Dillingham likely out, there might be some more mystery candidates emerge.

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