5 coaches Michigan should have hired instead of Jim Harbaugh

Besides the whole Michigan man thing, the biggest thing the university wanted to achieve during the 2014-15 offseason cycle was to hire someone who did not remind them of Brady Hoke. Michigan wanted a big splash hire and certainly got that by prying Harbaugh away from the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. However, the Wolverines would be in a better spot with Mario Cristobal.

Cristobal was halfway through his four-year stint serving as Nick Saban’s assistant head coach, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. The former all-conference offensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes was relatively fresh off a mediocre stint as the Florida International Panthers head coach. He went 27-47 in six years leading the Panthers from 2007 to 2012.

In truth, the Miami native was perhaps a tad too green to be an FCS head coach in his late 30s. Still, it was ample experience leading what would be now a Group of 5 team in FIU. In 2017, Cristobal left Tuscaloosa, Alabama for Eugene, Oregon to be Willie Taggart’s co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. By the end of the season, he was the Oregon Ducks full-time head coach.

Under Cristobal, the Ducks have become the undisputed best team in the Pac-12. They recruit a level that can hold its own vs. SEC competition. He has the Ducks program in a better position than when Chip Kelly was their coach with certainly the stability of when Mike Bellotti was in charge. In short, Cristobal would have beaten Ohio State twice now and would have gotten to Indianapolis.