5 coaches Michigan should have hired over Sherrone Moore to replace Jim Harbaugh

4. Mark Stoops could work wonders with Michigan's rich recruiting base

I have always wondered what could happen if Mark Stoops were to ever leave for a bigger and better job. He does have it made in Lexington by keeping the Kentucky Wildcats just good enough to be interesting, but never quite good enough to be a serious threat for any championship contention whatsoever. He may be a candidate to replace Kirk Ferentz at his alma mater of Iowa at some point.

However, I think what Stoops did to transform Kentucky from a sad bag of crap in the SEC into a respectable, up-and-coming football brand would translate quite well at a place like Michigan. No, this is not about reshaping a brand, but rather the manner in which he goes about recruitment. Kentucky gets the guys Michigan and Ohio State do not want by competing with Cincinnati and Michigan State.

Because he has a background in defense, as well as deep football roots hailing from Youngstown, Ohio, his blue-collar ethos would align with how Michigan likes to play quite nicely. Kentucky occasionally gets good quarterback play under him, but the Wildcats can always run the ball behind his big and beefy offensive line. Basically, you would be getting a more experienced version of Moore.

If Stoops were to leave UK for Iowa and the Hawkeyes take flight, Michigan might be kicking itself.