College Football HQ

NFL coordinator emerges as name to know in Michigan coaching search

With the Wolverines missing out on an initial group of contenders, the search net is apparently widening.
Joe Cox|
One NFL coordinator and former collegiate head coach is being touted as a candidate in Michigan's coaching search.
One NFL coordinator and former collegiate head coach is being touted as a candidate in Michigan's coaching search. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Michigan is in a difficult situation and the clock is ticking. After the firing of Sherrone Moore, the Wolverines are now barely a week out from the beginning of the January 2nd transfer portal window. After a series of early favorites have failed to materialize, the Wolverines are apparenlty reloading and reportedly considered a veteran college coach who is currently an NFL coordintor.

The Wolverines didn't nab Kenny Dillingham or Kalen DeBoer, and thus have potentially begun to consider NFL candidates. Of course, it's helpful when the candidate does have some background in college coaching, so as to avoid a Bill Belichik-like situation.

Reports are that Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken may be a major candidate in the Michigan head coaching search. FootballScoop cited multiple sources that Michigan had been vetting Monkey and indnteded to speak with him this week. Monken has an extensive coaching background in the NFL, but also did have a successful run in college coaching just over a decade ago at Southern Miss.

Monken had been the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State before he was hired to follow an 0-12 season for the Golden Eagles in 2012. His teams showed consistent improvement, jumping from one win in 2013 to three wins in 2014 all the way to nine wins and a bowl appearance in 2015. After that run, Monken returned to the NFL to work as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

More recently, Monken was the offensive coordinator at Georgia under Kirby Smart for the program's back-to-back national titles in 2020 and 2021. He left that job after the 2022 season to be the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, where he's coaching now. But after a difficult season there for Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and others, Monken might be on the move again.

Monken has zoomed up to second place in the prediction market Kalshi as a choice to nab the Michigan job. Former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham remains the current favorite, but Monken's rise (coupled with a massive drop from Louisville coach Jeff Brohm) makes Monken a viable candidate in the future prediction market as well. Other candidates like DeBoer and Fisch are still mentioned, but Monken is clearly the Michigan candidate seeing a spike in momentum for his chances to lead the Wolverines.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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