The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542067
JANUARY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 21 Jedd Fisch Washington head coach Age: 49 Overall record: 31-33 (14-11 at Washington) Salary: $7.75 million Buyout: $10 million in 2025 Fisch has been a coach in high school, college and the NFL, and that's included a stint at Michigan. He served as quar- terbacks and wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator under head coach Jim Harbaugh from 2015-16. With a desire to run an entire offense, he left to become the coordinator at UCLA in 2017. Fisch has a hefty buyout, but he's not averse to moving up in the profession, and Michigan is a step up from Wash- ington. The Huskies finished their sea- son with a 38-10 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl Dec. 13. The Latest: Though Fisch would be interested and some of his former Michigan players appear to be stump- ing for him, right now we believe he's third or fourth on the Wolverines' wish list. That said — how many coach- ing searches have progressed to third, fourth, even fifth choices? This would be, at the very least, a pretty nice con- solation, and could be much more. He has an outstanding offensive mind and continues to be a program builder. Fisch said after the LA Bowl he was focusing on his team, but we think he'd be on a plane to Ann Arbor in a heartbeat. Eli Drinkwitz Missouri head coach Age: 42 Overall record: 58-29 (46-28 at Missouri) Salary: $10.25 million Buyout: $5 million Drinkwitz has turned Missouri around after a slow start, leading the Tigers to five straight bowl appearances. They've been ranked in the top 10 for multiple weeks, rising to as high as No. 6 in 2024. He was a candidate for openings at Florida and Louisiana State this season, but he re-upped with Missouri, signing an extension through 2031. A native of Norman, Okla., Drink- witz attended Arkansas Tech and hasn't coached in the Midwest during his ca- reer, though he has moved around, go- ing out west to Boise State and east to NC State and Appalachian State. The Latest: We know he's on the list and has been contacted, but we believe it would be tough for him to pass Fisch, for example, who seems like the "safety net," at least. Drinkwitz has spoken glowingly of his current job and his re- cently signed extension will pay him $10.75 million annually, making him one of the SEC's highest-paid coaches. LONGER SHOTS Jesse Minter Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Minter followed Jim Harbaugh to the NFL following the national title in 2023 after leading the Michigan defensive unit as the top-ranked defense in the country in 2023, allowing just 247.0 total net yards per game. It ranked No. 2 in the nation over his two-season span as defensive coordinator (268.8). A rising star, Minter was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2022, an honor annually presented to the top assistant coach in college football. Minter is thought to be a future NFL head coaching candidate, but some close to him said they believe he'd be interested and "$40 million talks." T h i s wo u l d l i ke ly re q u i re so m e changes within the athletic department, though, and some believe U-M will stay away from the Harbaugh tree. Jeff Brohm Louisville head coach Brohm went 30-10 at Western Ken- tucky before leading Purdue to very good seasons in 2021 and 2022, 9-4 and 8-5 records, respectively. That included a Big Ten West Division title (the Boil- ermakers lost to Michigan in the title game in 2022). An outstanding offensive mind, he's known for prolific passing offenses — top 20 in eight of his nine seasons as an FBS coach, averaging 13th over that span — and has led Louisville to a 27-12 record in his three seasons, including 8-4 this year. This one seems like a longer shot. Clark Lea Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea has turned around a Vander- bilt team that has been at the bottom of the SEC for most of its history. The for- mer Notre Dame defensive coordinator is 26-35 in his career in Nashville, but went 7-6 last season and his team is cur- rently 10-2 and headed to the ReliaQuest Bowl against Iowa Dec. 31. Many believe he is happy at Vandy, though — others question whether he'd recruit well enough. Still, he's a name to at least to keep an eye on. ❏ Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham at 35 years old is the second-youngest head coach in the FBS. PHOTO COURTESY ARIZONA STATE Washington head coach Jedd Fisch served as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh from 2015-16. PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON