Kalen DeBoer might need to dust off that “not interested” transcript from just last week.
Shortly after Michigan’s shocking firing of coach Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Alabama’s DeBoer was installed as the early favorite to take over for the Wolverines by at least one sportsbook. Rumblings about potential interest from Penn State less than a week ago prompted DeBoer to issue a strong response.
“There’s never been any link, there’s never been any conversation, there’s never been any interest either way. So I’m glad we can put that to bed right now,” he said last Thursday.
The following day, the Nittany Lions announced Iowa State’s Matt Campbell as their next coach. But four days later, an arguably even more attractive Big Ten opening was created with Moore’s firing.
A South Dakota native who spent time as Eastern Michigan’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16 and served the same role at Indiana in 2019, DeBoer has strong Midwestern roots.
DeBoer was installed as the +400 favorite by SportsBetting.ag on Wednesday to be Michigan’s next head coach. A few hours later, those odds had shortened to +275. However, that was slightly behind Jesse Minter, who had emerged as the +250 favorite.
The two have an ironic tie to Michigan. As Washington’s head coach in 2023, DeBoer’s Huskies suffered their only loss of the season, 34-13, to the Wolverines in the CFP national championship game.
The defensive coordinator who orchestrated the gameplan that held DeBoer’s high-powered offense to 13 points?
That would be Minter, who spent the past two years with Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sticking with the irony, the third-shortest odds to take over the Michigan program belong to Jedd Fisch, who replaced DeBoer at Washington. The fourth shortest belong to Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham.
MICHIGAN NEXT COACH ODDS
Jesse Minter (+250)
Kalen DeBoer (+275)
Jedd Fisch (+450)
Kenny Dillingham (+500)
Joe Brady (+900)
Jeff Brohm (+1200)
Lincoln Riley (+1400)
Brian Daboll (+1400)
Dan Mullen (+1400)
Marcus Freeman (+1600)
Pete Kwiatkowski (+1600)
PJ Fleck (+1600)
Josh Heupel (+1800)
Manny Diaz (+1800)
Tommy Rees (+1800)
Dan Lanning (+2000)
Jason Eck (+2000)
Biff Poggi (+2500)
Ryan Grubb (+2500)
Brent Vigen (+2500)
Jon Gruden (+2500)
Brian Kelly (+2500)
*Betonline.ag odds provided for entertainment purposes only
Michigan’s firing of Moore comes at an awkward time, with numerous Power 4 programs having filled their vacancies, while others exhaled after having their coaches heavily courted. Now one of the most prestigious jobs in the country has suddenly become available, and just days after the early signing period for recruiting.
Not only will it be difficult for another coach to leave his current program after signing early commitments, but Michigan must also strike quickly. Quarterback Bryce Underwood is one of numerous Wolverines who will draw attention from other programs should they consider the transfer portal.
