Does Michigan’s new offensive coordinator actually hold more power than Brady Hoke? (The Crimson White, Flickr)
Last week, the Michigan Wolverines abruptly fired offensive coordinator Al Borges and replaced him with Doug Nussmeier, formally of the Alabama Crimson Tide. The announcement came after it seemed certain that the Wolverines would keep their staff intact heading into the 2014 season.
Then, quickly and a bit strangely, the Wolverines had a press conference to introduce their new offensive coordinator. He was treated almost as if he was the head coach, being asked questions about the significance of coaching at Michigan, his coaching philosophy and even questions about the Michigan State Spartans. Many of those topics hardly seemed relevant to an incoming offensive coordinator. Later, it was announced that Nussmeier would be one of the top paid coordinators in college football.
Brady Hoke, Michigan’s actual head coach, meanwhile, sat nearby at the press conference, quietly refusing to answer questions about how Borges’ firing went down. Borges came in with Hoke, meaning Hoke was likely loyal to him until the end. Many have speculated the ultimatum to fire Borges actually came from Michigan’s athletic director Dave Brandon, meaning Hoke may have had no choice but to act.
The circumstances surrounding Nussmeier’s hailed Wolverine arrival are mysterious. Including coaching with Nick Saban and winning a national title, Nussmeier has accomplished as much in football as someone like Jim Bollman, who was hired last year to be Michigan State’s co-offensive coordinator. Bollman wasn’t given a celebratory press conference in East Lansing, nor was Lane Kiffin in Alabama, who quickly ended up taking over for Nussmeier. The arrival of those two at their next jobs was punctuated with a press release.
The stunt reeked of Michigan trying to steal headlines in an attempt to remind the national college football world that they’re still relevant after a week of major bowls concluded. It might have briefly worked nationally, but in its wake locally, several questions have been left to swirl about Wolverine football moving forward. Amongst them, who’s really in charge of things in Ann Arbor right now?
Is Hoke in charge, the coach many think is living on borrowed timed thanks to a mediocre 7-6 season? Is Brandon calling the shots, who seems to take great joy at wielding his power? Now, might it even be the newcomer Nussmeier, given his status as the hopeful savior, put on a major pedestal after his hiring?
The final option might be closest to the truth. On January 13, the pecking order might read: Brandon, Nussmeier, Hoke. Neutered by his superiors, Hoke wasn’t able to talk about the hiring and firing process during the press conference. Was he completely on board with the Nussmeier switch? That probably didn’t matter to Brandon one bit, and it was important for Hoke to tow the company line within the media that day. In the future, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, Hoke says about the process.
If Hoke has another bad season, might Nussmeier have an inside track to the job in Ann Arbor? If Brandon was the mastermind behind this switch and the subsequent media show over his arrival, that might not be able to be ruled out. Nussmeier did interview for the Washington Huskies’ vacancy before Chris Petersen got the job. For now, though, is Nussmeier more actually powerful at Michigan than Hoke, the current head coach? As 2014 rolls on, that story remains to be seen, but it certainly seems like Nussmeier, not Hoke, is the one holding all of the cards for next season.
Considering the circumstances behind Nussmeier’s arrival last week, it’s beginning to feel as if Brandon and his program’s new offensive coordinator might take precedence over the actual head coach.
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