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In today’s newsletter, we’ll travel around the country for updates from a busy week in college football.
All Aboard the Carousel
How did Tide, Huskies do?
Let’s start on the coaching carousel and grade the recent hiring decisions.
In Tuscaloosa …
- Alabama AD Greg Byrne quickly did what he needed to do to find a replacement for Nick Saban after the legendary coach abruptly announced his retirement last week. Less than 72 hours after the news broke, Washington coach Kalen DeBoer was named Saban’s successor.
- And to put the chaos of last week in perspective, think about this: Last Monday, DeBoer was coaching in the national championship game. Five days later, he had a new job. ????
- I like this hire. We won’t know if other candidates were ahead of DeBoer in line (Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Florida State’s Mike Norvell confirmed they were staying put at their respective programs amid speculation), but this doesn’t feel like Byrne settled.
- DeBoer got his first Division I head coaching job in 2020. Now he’s taking over one of the biggest brands in the sport. He’s set to bring in South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack as the defensive coordinator. Wommack was a Broyles Award finalist in 2020 at Indiana, where DeBoer had been the OC.
- DeBoer will need to make adjustments — and he’ll be competing against sky-high expectations. But as The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel wrote after the hire, if anyone can step up to the plate, it’s DeBoer. Grade: A
In Seattle …
- DeBoer’s departure added to a frustrating week. The 49-year-old went 25-3 in two seasons with the Huskies. With a move to the Big Ten on deck, Washington’s next coach needed to be experienced enough to take over a program just days removed from a national championship game appearance and savvy enough to build that program in a new competitive climate.
- The Huskies landed on former Arizona coach Jedd fish. Fisch, 47, has spent three seasons in the Big Ten (Minnesota OC/QB coach in 2009, Michigan QB/WR coach from 2015-2016). And he coached quarterbacks for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010.
- Fisch is a proven program builder; he coached the Wildcats up from 1-11 in 2021 to 10-3 in 2023. That’s a plus because he’s walking into a tough role at Washington, which will need to replace 18 of 22 starters from 2023. Fisch is reportedly taking his entire offensive staff from Arizona with him to Seattle, bringing at least some continuity to a quickly changing environment in Washington. Grade: B –
In Tucson, Ariz. …
- The biggest loser of the recent coaching carousel movements is Arizona. The Wildcats finished No. 11 in the AP poll in 2023, their highest finish since 1998. Fisch completely revived Arizona’s program in three seasons. Now, the Wildcats are back to square one.
- Fisch’s decision puts Arizona in a tricky spot as it prepares for its first Big 12 season in 2024. The plus? This is a much more attractive job than it was the last time it was open. The con? There’s a lack of consistency in Arizona’s past hirings, which leaves the Wildcats’ identity in flux.
- Late Monday night, San Jose State HC Brent Brennan emerged as a leading candidate. Brennan, a former graduate assistant at Arizona, was a finalist for this job when it was last open three years ago. If finalized, this is a solid hire, and it will be interesting to see what Brennan can accomplish with more resources available to him. Grade: B (if hired, of course)
Michigan Jim Harbaugh interviewed with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers on Monday. (Junfu Han / USA Today)
Checking on the Champs
Who’s staying? Who’s leaving?
In Ann Arbor …
The Wolverines celebrated their national championship on Saturday. The next day, QB J.J. McCarthy and RB Blake Choir declared for the NFL Draft. Their decisions weren’t necessarily surprising, and both delivered in leading Michigan to its first national title since 1997.
Among those returning to Michigan is RB Donovan Edwardswhose two long TD runs kick-started the national championship win against Washington. Edge rusher Josaiah Stewart and DB Rod Moore announced plans to return. As for their coach …
In L.A. …
It wasn’t difficult to confirm reports of Jim Harbaugh’s meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday. The Chargers explicitly confirmed it in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that read, “we’ve completed an interview with Jim Harbaugh for head coach” … I want to know what they have against capital letters and punctuation over there!
At Michigan’s championship parade, AD Warde Manuel referred to Harbaugh and said he was “getting this man a new contract. I promise you.” Regardless, Harbaugh exploring his NFL options was most definitely expected. He had conversations with the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos in the past two hiring cycles.
Who would replace Harbaugh if he left? OC Sherrone Moore looks like the obvious choice unless the Wolverines opt for a clean slate. In that case, Kansas’ Lance Leipold and Kansas State’s Chris Klieman look like promising options.
Quick Snaps
From Marion Country, W.Va., to East Lansing, Mich., to Tuscaloosa, Ala., our staff compiled the most compelling scenes and storylines of Saban’s legendary coaching career.
Listen to the Until Saturday podcast crew break down the past week of news in college football.
Lincoln Riley’s defensive overhaul at USC is finally complete. Our Trojans writer Antonio Morales sizes up the new staff.
Ten offseason topics to follow for the Big Tenwhich is preparing for change in 2024.
In non-head coach hiring news, Ohio State appears to be getting closer to naming its next athletic director. Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork emerged as a top target yesterday.
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(Top photo of Kalen DeBoer: John David Mercer / USA Today)
2024-01-16 14:20:57
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