The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542067
60 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JANUARY 2026 ❱ VOICES FROM THE PAST ably looked them in the eyes and shook their hand when he said it. "They believed him and the leadership and the role model that you're supposed to be, and he fell terribly short on it. I feel so bad for those kids because I remem- ber being in this position and thinking of looking for a new coach and just think- ing that chair is so prestigious. There's the pope, there's the president, and then there's the head coach of U-M football. "To have the privilege to wear the crown, to hold that seat, you have to have excellence above all else, in all cat- egories. And to have that shaken and rocked, I just feel bad for those guys and hopefully we can find someone that lives up to those standards." With the bluster of the search comes plenty of social media rumors, message board chaos and constant updates on the search and the cycle. Some may be following the rumored candidates and doing their homework, while others are sifting through the noise. "I'm sure a lot of people's families are really doing that," Butt said. "But it's so hard to trust what's real and what isn't these days. There are always count- less rumors that have been proven to be false. Not just for Michigan — that's just kind of the way reporting is. "I just know when we went from Brady to Harbaugh, Jim Hackett was the in- terim AD, and he came and met with us multiple times and interviewed us. He said, 'What are the traits you're looking for in a head coach? What would you value in a head coach?' I thought that was masterful. I don't know if he really listened to us or not, or if he gained any- thing from those meetings. But what it did was get us invested in the process, which kind of kept us involved and around and committed to Michigan." Butt's advice to current Michi- gan players as someone who has been through it would be to take a deep breath and evaluate priorities, then make your decision from there. "I would tell them to get very clear on what they want," Butt said. "What their goals are as an individual, what their goals are in terms of team goals, what their values are in life. The advantage Michigan has is that you're not commit- ting to only a coach. You're committing to an institution. You're committing to a network, an academic school. "I cared about my education. I knew Michigan would have value far beyond the football field. Even in an uncertain time, those things never change. For players, if those are your values, you have to remind yourself of that. Get very clear on what it is that you want for yourself, for your team, in the near term and in the long term. "From there, you can write out a list of pros and cons. And you don't need to make a decision — don't rush to make a decision — but educate yourself, con- tinue to learn, be curious. And when you think you have clarity, make the best de- cision for yourself, however that falls." There is something to be said about the connectivity in the saga, though, and Van Bergen credits former athletics director David Brandon for helping steer the team through the transition from Rodriguez to Hoke. " I do remember before he announced it to the public that he called the team meeting and he told us about Brady Hoke first," Van Bergen said. "He pulled up his résumé on the projector and talked about all the things that went into why this was the decision that was made and why they thought it'd be successful. "It's not like he said raise your hand if you're good with it. It was this is what I'm going to go announce. Is everybody good? And everybody just kind of gave him the all-good sign. "I just felt like the team was more in- volved that second time, and it felt like there was less of the lost puppy syndrome. Our senior group had a very team-driven approach. 'I'm staying late tomorrow. You want to stay late tomorrow?' We had some fun times in the weight room. We probably weren't doing good coordinated strength training that was balanced and developmental, but we had fun together. "I feel like that was part of why we had an overachieving team in Hoke's first year. You get corny and you get into the hokey stuff of Michigan football, but 'Those who stay will be champions.' We don't even have a coach and we're com- mitted. We're here. There's something to be said about that." ❑ Jake Butt, now a Big Ten Network analyst, experienced a coaching change firsthand when the Wolverines transitioned from Brady Hoke to Jim Harbaugh in 2014. PHOTO COURTESY JAKE BUTT