SportProjections.com

Dec

17

Michigan Got it Right

Filed Under College Football | 

Two weeks ago, buzz was Les Miles was leaving LSU to become the new head coach at his alma mater, Michigan. The fans were excited to have him, and it seemed Miles was ready to leave a great situation to become the next “Bo Schembechler.” Something happened on the way to Ann Arbor; Les Miles signed an extension at LSU rather than leave for his “dream job.” This decision has been scrutinized, and everyone wants to place blame on one side or the other. We wonder if Michigan ever really wanted Miles. The fans and alum did, but did Michigan AD Bill Martin really want him? Based on reports that Martin neglected to return Miles’ phone calls, it seems the interest in Miles was just for show. So, who did Martin want?

Apparently, Martin’s real target was a young, successful head coach from a smaller, less-prestigious school. The first candidate to receive serious consideration was Rutgers Head Coach, Greg Schiano. He quickly decided to stay at Rutgers to build the program there.

Finally, Martin turned to West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a West Virginia alum, has turned the Mountaineers into a legitimate national power. West Virginia has been in a BCS game two out of the last three years and was one win away from this year’s BCS Title Game. Rodriguez has a 60-26 record at West Virginia and has become well known for his spread offense. After a quiet courtship, Rodriguez accepted the position at Michigan.

Michigan has traditionally been a “hard nosed” program that runs the ball and plays great defense. Rodriguez will still run the ball, but it will be out of a spread offense featuring an athletic QB that runs as much as he passes. It may take some getting used to for Wolverine fans, but in the end Rodriguez will be a winner at the University of Michigan for a long time. Rodriguez is only 44 years old and could be a fixture at Michigan for 30 years if he chooses to stay. Michigan may not have gotten a Michigan man, but they did get the next “Bo.”

Comments

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.