There is a new heavy favorite to become the next Michigan Wolverines head coach after Kalen DeBoer insisted that he has “no interest” in leaving Alabama.
Washington’s Jedd Fisch, who was installed with the third-shortest odds last week by one sportsbook, is now the -175 favorite. The second-shortest odds belong to Kenny Dillingham at +205, although he has said he’s working on a new agreement with Arizona State.
MICHIGAN NEXT COACH ODDS
Jedd Fisch (-175)
Kenny Dillingham (+205)
Kalen DeBoer (+700)
Biff Poggi (+700)
Jesse Minter (+1400)
Jon Gruden (+2000)
Tommy Rees (+2500)
PJ Fleck (+3300)
Jeff Brohm (+3300)
Marcus Freeman (+3000)
*Odds by BetOnline.ag provided for entertainment purposes only.
Fisch opened at +450 last week, but has steadily climbed as DeBoer and Dillingham have proclaimed their happiness at their current programs. Dillingham, an Arizona State alum, said over the weekend that the school remains “home” and that another program couldn’t replace the family support he has locally.
Fisch also addressed his name being tied to the Michigan job, but wasn’t nearly as strong with his comments and did little to quiet the rumors.
“I’m fully focused on our team,” Fisch said after Washington’s win in the LA Bowl on Saturday. “Those lists are made by people that have no idea what’s going on, honestly. They don’t know what’s happening in our program. They have no idea how excited I am about the youth in our program.”
Fisch is 15-11 in two seasons since replacing DeBoer at Washington, and the 49-year-old spent time at Michigan as a position coach from 2015-16.
DeBoer remains with the third-shortest odds on the list along with interim coach Biff Poggi as several other potential candidates have slid down the list.
That includes Jesse Minter, who opened as the +250 favorite due to his ties to Michigan as the defensive coordinator for the 2023 national championship team. However, there is a growing belief that the embattled Wolverines athletic department may want to start fresh rather than go with another coach from the Jim Harbaugh tree.
For similar reasons, it may be difficult to envision Jon Gruden as the next Michigan coach despite his current +2000 odds. Gruden, 62, has a lengthy NFL resume, but has not held a head coaching position in college and has not been a head coach anywhere since resigning from the Raiders in 2021 due to an email scandal.
The next shortest odds belong to Tommy Rees, the 33-year-old offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns. Rees, who was a quarterback for Michigan rival Notre Dame, returned to the Fighting Irish as a quarterbacks coach from 2017-19 and added offensive coordinator to his job description from 2020-22. He then spent a year as Alabama’s offensive coordinator before jumping to the NFL with Cleveland last year.
Also on the list is current Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, who is considered a longshot to leave South Bend for Ann Arbor. He is being offered with longer odds than current Minnesota coach PJ Fleck and Louisville’s Jeff Brohm.
