After firing head coach Sherrone Moore yesterday, Michigan will now begin an unexpected search for a new leader. While dozens of names have been floated as options, Missouri's own Eli Drinkwitz continues to land near the top of potential candidates.
Moore, who was fired with cause after entering into an inappropriate relationship, has put the Wolverines in a tough spot. Most of the top available coaches haven landed with other programs already, leaving Michigan to either pick through the remaining options, or poach a coach from somewhere else.
That's where names like Alabama's Kalen DeBoer and Drinkwitz have been brought up. So, could Michigan really pry them away from their current teams.
Could Drinkwitz really leave Mizzou for Michigan?
After a brief period of time where Drinkwitz's future with the Tigers looked uncertain, he quickly signed a monster extension with Mizzou, locking him up for six additional years. He'll be paid $64.5 million with plenty of escalators and incentives.
So while Michigan could add even more money to try and lure him away, it still seems extremely unlikely that Drinkwitz leaves immediately after signing his extension. His recent success with the Tigers makes him a quality candidate, and with Michigan's resources he would almost certainly achieve success in Ann Arbor as well. But it's hard to see Michigan shelling out the type of cash it would take to get Drinkwitz to leave a great situation.
For now, the Tigers' focus is on Virginia for the Gator Bowl on Dec. 27, but Moore's firing has certainly introduced an unexpected wrinkle.