The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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4 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JANUARY 2026 WE HAVE LOST OUR WAY ... … And need to find it back. This morning, I listened to Jon Jansen talk about the current situation. He's absolutely disgusted. Some people talk about Lloyd Carr, and think about bor- ing offense or 9-3 seasons. But Jansen talked about how he was truly a leader of men. And how important that really is. He based all of his decisions on what is the best choice for the University of Michi- gan. What can I do to make Michigan a better place? That's how Lloyd operated. I'm not saying that we need to find another Lloyd Carr. What I'm saying is we have lost our identity. It's not just this, it's everything that's happened in the past 10 years. There have been a lot of coverups and embarrassing PR blunders. It's time to put that in the past. I hope that whoever we hire next is someone that we can truly feel proud about, and not make excuses and cover up for their faults. This is Michigan. It's time for that to mean something again. BlueTK ADULT IN THE ROOM? So … who is the "adult in the room" for Michigan right now? Who is there to preach calm and pa- tience, to talk to recruits, families and players, and to ensure things will be OK in the end? We haven't had that guy since Bo, really. Different sport, but a John Beilein type? Maybe some football alums like Charles Woodson, Tom Brady, Lloyd Carr, etc.? IMO … it would be seriously impor- tant and smart if Michigan got a team together NOW on this. Show the world who we are in the best of ways. A2Jim REGARDING ANYONE WE EVENTUALLY HIRE First, there are no guarantees. Right? Jim Harbaugh was as much of a sure thing as it gets, yet it took him six tries to beat Ohio State, and he started off his career 3-4 against Michigan State. Further, there is no perfect coach out there, even the ones with jobs who we couldn't get anyway. We would be doing cartwheels if we got Dan Lanning, but Oregon's defensive display against OSU in the Rose Bowl last year was as putrid as it gets. Every great coach out there has had some bad games. What I do know is that Sherrone Moore landed this job with no head coaching ex- perience whatsoever. He was supposed to be a "continuity hire," but all our top assistants followed Harbaugh to LA. And now we know Sherrone — a to- tally inexperienced head coach — was at best "distracted" from doing the best job he could. Whatever we end up doing, we're going to hire someone who has been a proven head coach and has done good things at worse programs than Michi- gan. Kalen DeBoer. Kenny Dillingham. Clark Lea. Jedd Fisch. Eli Drinkwitz. Kyle Whittingham. Every single one of those guys has had some real head coaching success at a program far worse than Michigan. Only Jesse Minter has no head coaching experience, but I feel a lot bet- ter about him than I did when we hired Sherrone. In basketball, we just went out and got a young guy who did some great things coaching a small program. That seems to have worked out well. Out of the names listed above, I re- ally think any one of them can achieve some great things here. When it came to Moore, we were basically banking on the word of Jim Harbaugh as a coaching talent evaluator, and not any objective track record (unless you consider win- ning a tight game against PSU and run- ning it 32 straight times a good metric, which I don't). We will be fine, and I'd predict way better than just "fine." LosAngelesWolverine ❱ Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters P.O. Box 2331 Durham, NC 27702 Or email: mark.panus@on3.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Letters/From Our Website: TheWolverine.com January 2026 • Vol. 37, No. 7 ISSN 1048-9940 TheWolverine.com Senior Editor Chris Balas Senior Writer John Borton Staff Writers Clayton Sayfie Anthony Broome EJ Holland Ethan McDowell Drew Hallett Contributing Editors Stu Coman Matt Herb Cathy Jones Chris Riffer Steve Downey Layout And Design Jeanette Blankenship, Chris Miller, Shelby Cragg Contributing Photographers Lon Horwedel Per Kjeldsen Cover Photos Lon Horwedel Editor & Publisher Mark Panus Business Analyst Sarah Boone Circulation Coordinator Beverly Taylor Advertising Sales Maria Taustine (502) 552-4390 Customer Service Lauren Gordon, Shelby Cragg, Cathy Jones (800) 421-7751 The Wolverine is published monthly. A one-year (12 issues) subscription is $74.99. The Wolverine is printed at The Papers in Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wolverine, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. Periodical postage paid at Durham, NC 27702 and additional offices. For advertising or subscription information, call 1-800-421-7751 or write The Wolverine, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. The Wolverine is a publication of Coman Publishing Co., a division of On3 Media, Inc., located at 922 Broad St., Suite D, Durham, NC 27705. E-Mail Address: thewolverine@comanpub.com Subscription questions: magazines@on3.com Website: www.thewolverineondemand.com