Michigan’s coaching search just went from zero to desperate in about 48 hours. Sherrone Moore is out, and the NCAA transfer portal opens on January 2. This gives Michigan roughly three weeks to lock down a head coach before players can officially bolt for other programs. But Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt has come in with perhaps the boldest, most unconventional suggestion anyone’s thrown out there for Michigan’s next coach.

Klatt didn’t mince words when laying out his strategy for Michigan’s coaching search. “You’ve gotta force people to say no,” he said on his show. “There’s a few names that I would force them to say no. And they likely will, and that’s okay. But you’ve gotta force them to say no because you’re Michigan. And Michigan is a premier job in college football. Who is my first call? I’d probably call Marcus Freeman and force him to tell me no because he is a great fit at Michigan.”

Klatt doubled down on the unconventional pick, adding, “Now he’s also a great fit at Notre Dame… So all the coaches that signed extensions, I would at least have them in the pool because why limit your own pool?” It’s a bold take, especially considering Freeman just signed a contract extension through 2030 worth approximately $9 million annually. This puts his total deal around $54 million.​

On paper, Freeman checks every box Michigan could want. The 39-year-old has turned Notre Dame into a legitimate national championship contender. He has posted a 34-9 record since taking over in December 2021 and led the Fighting Irish to a 14-1 record in 2024 with a College Football Playoff berth. He’s a defensive mastermind who cut his teeth as a linebacker and knows the Big Ten inside and out. Freeman’s got that blue-blood program experience. He’s young enough to build a dynasty, and he’s proven he can recruit at an elite level. 

But Klatt’s dream scenario also has some serious roadblocks. First, Freeman played linebacker at Ohio State from 2004 to 2008. That’s not just any rivalry. That’s ‘The rivalry.’ Asking an OSU alum to coach Michigan is borderline impossible. But even if it is not impossible, it would take a whole lot of money and convincing to get him to betray those scarlet and gray roots. Second, Freeman just extended his Notre Dame contract and has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to South Bend. He’s comfortable, he’s winning, and Notre Dame is giving him everything he needs to compete for titles.

Third, and this might be the nail in the coffin, Freeman’s name is already circulating in NFL coaching rumors. So, if Freeman’s going to leave the Fighting Irish, he’s probably taking the jump to the pros rather than making a lateral move to Ann Arbor.​

Still, in this wild era of college football, never say never. Who would’ve thought Lane Kiffin would ditch a playoff-bound Ole Miss team to take the LSU job? Who saw Sherrone Moore’s tenure ending in scandal after just two seasons? The coaching carousel is more unpredictable than ever before. And Michigan’s brand still carries weight. If the Wolverines come at Freeman with a historic offer, maybe, just maybe, he picks up the phone. 

Michigan’s pool beyond Freeman

The harsh reality for Michigan is that they’re shopping late in the cycle. Most of the big names are already locked down or extended. ESPN’s Pete Thamel laid out the landscape pretty bluntly: “So many extensions have been given around the country, too, for the coaches who didn’t go to the top jobs.”

He’s not wrong. Coaches like Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz just inked new deals after being courted by other programs. Still, Thamel insists. “Michigan is still a premier job in college football, and they are going to have a good pool.” The catch? They need to move at warp speed. “You need to not only have a coach in place by then, but some semblance of a staff, as well,” Thamel emphasized. He was referring to the January 2 transfer portal deadline. Michigan can’t afford to chase playoff coaches either. The risk-reward just doesn’t make sense if a coach wins or loses in the postseason.​

So who’s actually in play? Thamel threw out several names worth watching. Jeff Brohm at Louisville, who’s 27-12 and runs one of the most creative offenses in college football. Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri is another name floating around, though he’s already signed an extension. Then there are the Michigan connections. Former coordinators Jedd Fisch, now at Washington, and Jesse Minter, currently crushing it as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator after leading the nation’s top defense at Michigan in 2023.

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