Brady Hoke and the Sad State of Michigan Football

Brady Hoke—next up on the Michigan list of "Who Wants To Coach Our Football Team?"

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon once again swung and missed. The latest bad news in Ann Arbor is the fact that LSU is crowing that Les Miles will stay in Baton Rouge, another "thanks, but no thanks" to Big Blue.

Brother Brandon's Traveling Salvation Show for Michigan football flew into Baton Rouge on Monday, thanks to the loaner jet from his former boss, Michigan alum Tom Monaghan, the Domino's Pizza gazillionaire. Brandon met with Miles at the Casa de Les, and, unfortunately, Les is staying put.

"I am pleased to announce that Les Miles will remain head coach at LSU," is what the Bayou Bengals AD, Joe Alleva, told everyone on Tuesday. No truth to the rumor that he went on to tell Brandon to get the heck out of town and don't come back.

Add this to the "no thanks" from Jim Harbaugh, and Michigan is still coachless with three weeks or so until National Signing Day.

Next up? Most likely Brady Hoke of San Diego State.

So what's up with all of this? Is Michigan simply not the big plum of a coaching job that it used to be?

It took Florida all of three days to replace Urban Meyer. Now Michigan is spinning its wheels, stuck in the snow like an unsuspecting motorist in an Ann Arbor blizzard.

If Brady Hoke is indeed next on Michigan's hit list, then Brandon won't have to worry about him giving the Wolverines the bum's rush. Hoke wants this job and has indeed declared that it is his "dream job."

Isn't that what Michigan really needs about now?

Sure Brandon wanted to make that splashy, sexy, giant cannonball of a hire. But it just didn't happen. So shouldn't Michigan turn its attention to someone who really and truly WANTS to coach at Michigan?

What a novel idea—hire a guy who really wants to be there and will put his heart and soul into it. And oh by the way, he IS a Michigan man.

Now some folks who bleed Blue and Maize might not be real excited at the prospect of hiring Hoke. But they'll have to get past that. That was one of the downfalls of Rich Rodriguez. Rich Rod never had the full support of the Michigan base, and he was basically swimming upstream from the day he was hired.

Michigan fans should not complain if Hoke is their new guy. He has an excellent reputation. He turned the San Diego State program from a two-win team into a bowl team in two seasons. And get this, Michigan fans, he knows his defense. And isn't that something Michigan could use a whole lot of?

So don't go with the "woe is us" blabber if Big Blue Brady becomes the new sheriff in town. He's one of your own, and he's a darn good football coach.

So what if he isn't the Golden Boy that Harbaugh was perceived to be?

And was anyone really convinced that Miles would bolt from his cushy office down there in Baton Rouge?

If Hoke is the next guy on Brandon's list, don't fret. The guy can coach, and what's more important, he really and truly WANTS to coach at Michigan.

And that's the way it should be, shouldn't it?