5 coaches not named Sherrone Moore Michigan can hire to replace Jim Harbaugh

The odds are overwhelmingly in Sherrone Moore's favor to get promoted from within to head coach should Jim Harabugh leave Michigan for the NFL. Harbaugh has interviewed with a few teams, but it is increasingly likely that he could leave Ann Arbor for good to go coach the Los Angeles Chargers over in the AFC. Harbaugh just won the College Football Playoff, so next up for him may be a Super Bowl.

Moore served as the interim head coach for Michigan for four games during their 15-0 campaign this past year. He coached in one of the Wolverines' cakewalk non-conference games over a hefty burger suspension before strutting his stuff in Michigan's final three Big Ten games that Harbaugh was not allowed to coach in because of the sign-stealing scandal. Moore passed the test with flying colors.

Ideally, Michigan would just promote Moore from within to try and keep a good thing going. However, there is a chance athletic director Warde Manuel may want to go big-game hunting. He may have something good in Moore, but promoting from within rarely works out in the landscape of major college football. So it also would not shock me if Moore, or any Michigan man, got passed over here.

If Michigan were to go with a complete outside hire to restart the coaching carousel, here are five.

Jim Harbaugh to the NFL: 5 replacements who is not a Michigan man

5. Brian Kelly is only just getting started building his football family at LSU

While Brian Kelly's name has been tied to the Michigan job ever since Harbaugh decided to play flirt with the NFL again, I am not completely sold on this. The only reason I am including him is because he is a Jimmy Sexton client, and we all know what that means... Sexton has something close to a monopoly with all the best head coaches in college, using his clients as leverage to get more money.

Kelly is just getting started building his LSU football family, but I would be lying to you if I didn't think his fit leading the Bayou Bengals wasn't clunky. Admittedly, it has worked. LSU has been a 10-win team the last two years, seeing Jayden Daniels go from an Arizona State castoff to a Heisman Trophy winner before turning pro. Year three at any place is the Brian Kelly pop year, so let that sink in a bit.

Regionally, and perhaps philosophically, Kelly is a really good fit at Michigan, possibly a better one than at LSU. However, if he leaves the Bayou Bengals out to dry, the media will crucify him, and he will never be welcomed back in the southeastern United States again. The allure of coaching at Michigan may be enough to sway him, but I think Nick Saban retiring gives him even more reason to stay put.

With one more recruiting class and Garrett Nussmeier under center, LSU could win the SEC in 2024.