The Michigan Wolverines were plunged into the coaching carousel weeks after most of the top jobs in college football had been filled. The Wolverines fired coach Sherrone Moore with cause on Wednesday.
The candidate pool thinned as programs like the LSU Tigers, Florida Gators and Penn State Nittany Lions snapped up some of the top coaches in the market, forcing the Wolverines coaching search to expand significantly.
$29 M Coach Slips Away From Michigan’s Grasp
One of the names linked to the vacant Wolverines job has been Arizona State Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham. On Saturday, 247Sport reporter Chris Karpman revealed on X that Dillingham was finalizing a contract amendment agreement with the Sun Devils.
“BREAKING: Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State are ‘close’ to reaching an agreement on contract amendments that would increase his annual base compensation, two people familiar told @SunDevilSource. Discussions have been ongoing for two weeks,” Karpman tweeted.
MORE: Former Jim Harbaugh Assistant Named Top Michigan Candidate As Kalen DeBoer’s Fate Almost Sealed
According to the report by Karpman, Dillingham’s agent, Clint Dowdle, has been locked in negotiations with Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini for weeks. Dillingham was due to earn $6 million this season after the Sun Devils finished the regular season with an 8-4 record.
The Arizona State coach also received an automatic one-year contract extension after winning eight games this season, extending his existing contract through December 2030.
ESPN Analyst Pushes SEC Coach Towards Wolverines Job
During Friday’s segment of the ‘Get Up’ show, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum advised Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer to consider the Michigan job should the No. 9 Crimson Tide lose in Norman against the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the playoff on Dec. 19.
“Check back at midnight a week from now,” Finebaum said. “If Alabama wins that game, I think this goes entirely off the board, and he moves on to the Rose Bowl to take on Indiana. But, should Alabama lose, I don’t need to tell you what it’s like for Alabama to have consecutive four-loss seasons.
“I think he would take a deep breath and perhaps look at it assuming that job is still open and I would advise him to look at it, because the winter in Alabama after a four-loss season, two consecutive years for Kalen DeBoer, will be very cold.”
DeBoer was repeatedly linked to the Penn State Nittany Lions job before they hired Matt Campbell. According to PFSN’s College Football Playoff Meter, Bama has a 9.87% chance of making the national championship game.
