$36 million coach named as strong candidate for Michigan coaching job

Michigan's late entry into the coaching carousel has been a wild one. After Sherrone Moore's sudden firing, the Wolverines found themselves behind other schools in tabbing their new coach. That struggle has led to several false starts, but has multiple sources pondering a new strong candidate for the Michigan head coaching job.

Michigan's carousel struggles

Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State was an early favorite, but he instead inked an extension with Arizona State. Alabama's Kalen DeBoer has been discussed, but is reportedly close to an extension himself with Alabama. Washington coach Jedd Fisch has been another tabbed favorite.

A strong candidate

But Louisville coach Jeff Brohm is also emerging as a strong candidate. Brohm, who signed a $36 million deal with Louisville after the 2022 season and then got a one-year extension after the 2023 season, is rumored to be close to an extension with the school. He was noted as a candidate for the Penn State job, but a recent reports suggest Brohm could fit at Michigan.

On3 metioned Brohm in a recent report on frontrunners for the Michigan job, while Greg McElroy also suggested Brohm, as did USA Today. His offensive resume and ability to field competitive teams at a variety of jobs make Brohm an attractive candidate.

Brohm's resume

Brohm worked his way up the coaching ladder and went 30-10 in his first head coaching job at Western Kentucky. Brohm was 36-34 at Purdue, but that included 17 wins in his final two seasons before he returned to his alma mater, Louisville. Brohm is 27-12 in three seasons at Louisville.

Brohm coached under Bobby Petrino and has combined some of the more consistent pass-first aspects of Petrino's offense with none of the egocentric behavior. The biggest issue that Michigan would face in pursuing Brohm is that he is from Louisville, played for Louisville, and has plenty of family ties to the team and area. His brother, Brian, is his current offensive coordinator.

Michigan will doubtlessly put together a massive financial package to replace Moore, who was 16-8 with the Wolverines before his hasty departure. Moore followed Jim Harbaugh, who was 86-25 and won the 2023 CFP crown for the Wolverines. With options getting few, the Wolverines might be willing to take the chances at nabbing Brohm.