In his post game press conference after Michigan’s most recent loss to Minnesota, head coach Brady Hoke remained positive, saying that he still believes his team can still win “the championship.” This writer is guessing he was referring to the Big 10 Championship and not the National Championship, but even that is a stretch.
The fact that Hoke could say that after losing to Minnesota, who is not exactly a powerhouse, is perfect evidence of Hoke’s tumultuous tenure and that maybe he is in a bit over his head.
When Hoke was hired at Michigan, it was because he was supposedly the right man for the job. He repeatedly called Michigan his “dream job,” and his hiring brought positive reviews from many people around the football world.
ESPN college football columnist Mark Schlabach was particularly fond of Michigan’s decision. “After what the Wolverines endured the past three seasons, Hoke is exactly what they need,” Schlabach wrote in an article shortly after the hiring was announced.
Hoke was supposed to change the culture in Ann Arbor after Rich Rodriguez’s highly regarded up tempo offense had failed. Hoke was a calm, avuncular presence on the sideline, and he brought a more traditional pro-style offense to a Michigan program that had struggled mightily since Lloyd Carr’s retirement in 2007.
At the time, nobody really knew a whole lot about Hoke. He made his mark on the coaching industry in his tenures at Ball State and San Diego State, where he successfully resurrected programs that were long dormant.
However, Hoke was Michigan’s third choice to replace Rodriguez. Jim Harbaugh and Les Miles, both Michigan graduates, could not be cajoled away from their posts. Either way, Hoke seemed to be a good fit for the Wolverines.
He had spent plenty of time climbing up the coaching ladder, making several stops at lower-level schools and also served as Michigan’s defensive line coach for eight seasons. He was a no-nonsense leader who had plenty of experience under his belt in Ann Arbor.
More than three and a half years later, Michigan is in a worse condition than what Hoke inherited. Every year, his Michigan teams have gotten worse. Sure, he guided the Wolverines to a Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech in his first year, which was the school’s first BCS victory since 2000. Michigan also defeated arch-rival Ohio State that year, as well as Notre Dame, en route to their first ten-win season since 2006.
Unfortunately for Hoke, he was coaching a roster assembled by Rodriguez, and Ohio State and Notre Dame both had rough seasons.
Since that inaugural 2011 season, things have gotten progressively worse for Hoke and company. The team’s win total has decreased in every year of his tenure, prompting a lot of speculation that his seat is hot despite athletic director Dave Brandon calling the rumors “nonsense.”
But that was before Hoke’s most recent shenanigans. In last week’s game against Minnesota, his handling of injuries came into question after his controversial decision regarding quarterback Shane Morris.
Morris, playing in place of an injured Devin Gardner, showed definite concussion symptoms after taking a big hit from a Minnesota defender.
Despite the obvious signs that he had sustained a concussion, Morris stayed in the game. Whether or not it was Hoke’s fault is irrelevant. The fact that it happened taints the Hoke era, his fault or otherwise.
In today’s football, where head injuries are scrutinized more than ever, that kind of decision is inexcusable and downright stupid.
How a coach can send a quarterback onto the field who is struggling to walk without assistance is beyond me, and it gives the university a black eye. What are potential recruits going to think when they see what transpired? Are the parents of those high school athletes going to feel safe sending their kids to Michigan?
It is these types of questions that put even more uncertainty in Hoke’s future. According to ESPN, several Michigan recruits are beginning to waver. If more of Hoke’s prized recruits decide to go elsewhere, the Wolverines are going to be even worse than they already are.
Meanwhile, Rich Rodriguez is building a contender on the west coast. His Arizona squad defeated Oregon for the second consecutive year on Thursday night and his up tempo offense is humming with impeccable efficiency. He was given three years at Michigan and after he had his best season in what proved to be his final season at UM, he was canned.
Hoke, on the other hand, is potentially going to have his worst season in his fourth on campus. There is no way around it; Brady Hoke must be fired after this year comes to an end.
His judgment has been poor recently and not just with Morris. In losing a 31-0 debacle to Notre Dame earlier in the season, the first time that they had been shut out in the ND-Michigan series, Hoke elected to keep quarterback Devin Gardner and star wideout Devin Funchess on the field for the whole game.
As it turned out, both of those players suffered injuries in the final minutes, and have not been the same since. Funchess was forced to miss the Wolverines’ next game against Miami-Ohio and Gardner has battled minor injuries as well.
Also, the fan base is turning on Hoke. Approximately 1,000 Michigan fans and students assembled themselves outside of school president Mark Schlissel’s home, demanding the firing of both Brandon and Hoke. The fans’ agreement with what happens is not exactly imperative to success, but it can have some affect.
At the end of the day, Michigan is no longer a perennial power. Their series with Notre Dame, which dates back 1887, came to an abrupt end at the beginning of the season. There are two reasons that this could have happened, and both are a testament to Michigan’s recent futility.
Either Michigan elected to end the series because they were tired of losing to a superior Irish squad on a yearly basis, or Notre Dame wanted to fill their schedule with teams with a little more national appeal.
Notre Dame has recently announced series with Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. Michigan used to be in the same category as those teams, but they are not anymore.
Michigan desperately needs to get back to the prestigious football program that they used to be. Brady Hoke is not the answer. There are plenty of other coaches who can bring more exposure to the university as well as more wins.
Jim Harbaugh, a former Michigan quarterback, has to be the front runner. He is a proven commodity at the college and professional level, and he may be out on the market soon. According to reports, he may be losing the 49ers locker room. Harbaugh led the 49ers to three consecutive NFL title games in three years in San Francisco, and his incredible success at Stanford is undeniable.
He turned around a Stanford program that was not competitive for many years, leading the Cardinal to an Orange Bowl victory in his last college season in 2010.
This Michigan program is not even close to as bad as Stanford was when Harbaugh took over there, so it would not take long for Harbaugh to return Michigan to greatness.
Les Miles is once again speculated to be a possible candidate, as well as Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen. Heck, if Rich Rodriguez were to take over the Wolverines at this juncture, he would likely have more success than Hoke is currently having.
With Michigan State and Ohio State continuing to churn out contending teams seemingly every year, the Wolverines are in jeopardy of losing respect in their area of the country.
Michigan can only live on its past successes for so long, meaning a change must be made. That change should be Hoke. He has been given plenty of time to bring the Wolverines to prominence, and he has done the exact opposite. He has driven them into the ground.
Hoke’s post game comments downgrading the team’s dilemma are comical. This current Michigan squad has some talent, but Hoke has not been able to maximize that potential over the course of his tenure.
It is time to change directions, meaning Hoke must go.