The college football coaching carousel is still spinning, and Michigan finds itself right in the middle of it.
With Jon Sumrall heading to Florida and Bob Chesney taking over at UCLA after their teams wrapped up College Football Playoff appearances, the spotlight now shifts to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are still without a head coach, and with reported top targets Kalen DeBoer and Kenny Dillingham seemingly off the board, the search has taken a new turn.
Enter Jeff Brohm.
According to multiple reports, the Louisville head coach has emerged as a serious contender for the Michigan job. Brohm, who has deep Big Ten ties from his time at Purdue, is now being viewed as a strong candidate after DeBoer’s Alabama squad beat Oklahoma-essentially removing him from consideration. Michigan was reportedly prepared to go all-in on DeBoer, but with the timeline tightening, patience may no longer be an option.
Brohm’s name makes a lot of sense. He’s proven he can win in the Big Ten, he’s a sharp offensive mind, and he’s shown he can elevate a program quickly.
After just three seasons back at his alma mater, he’s already turned Louisville into a formidable ACC contender. But the question now is whether he’s ready to leave home again-and whether Michigan is ready to make the move.
Meanwhile, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz had also been linked to the Wolverines, but that ship appears to have sailed. Drinkwitz just hired Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey to take over the same role in Columbia, a move that feels more like a long-term commitment to Missouri than a stepping stone to Ann Arbor.
Other names have floated around, too-interim head coach Biff Poggi, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, and even retiring Utah legend Kyle Whittingham. But with the transfer portal window closing in less than two weeks, Michigan doesn’t have the luxury of dragging this out. The Wolverines need to make a decision, and fast.
Louisville, meanwhile, is preparing for the Boca Raton Bowl against Toledo, but they’ll do it without their full-time head coach. Jason Candle left the Rockets for UConn, and Louisville will play under an interim leader on Tuesday afternoon. If Brohm does end up taking the Michigan job, the Cardinals could find themselves in the same situation as Toledo-scrambling to fill a sudden vacancy.
One way or another, we’re likely to get clarity this week. Whether Brohm stays put or bolts for a Big Ten return, Michigan’s next move will send ripples across the college football landscape.
Here’s a look at how the 2026 coaching carousel is shaping up so far:
2026 Coaching Carousel
| School | Hire | Former Job |
|---|
| Arkansas | Ryan Silverfield | Memphis head coach | | Auburn | Alex Golesh | South Florida head coach |
| California | Tosh Lupoi | Oregon defensive coordinator | | Coastal Carolina | Ryan Beard | Missouri State head coach |
| Colorado State | Jim L. Mora | UConn head coach |
| Florida | Jon Sumrall | Tulane head coach | | Iowa State | Jimmy Rogers | Washington State head coach |
| James Madison | Billy Napier | Florida head coach | | Kansas State | Collin Klein | Texas A&M offensive coordinator |
| Kentucky | Will Stein | Oregon offensive coordinator | | LSU | Lane Kiffin | Ole Miss head coach |
| Memphis | Charles Huff | Southern Miss head coach | | Missouri State | Casey Woods | SMU offensive coordinator |
| North Texas | Neal Brown | Texas special assistant to the head coach | | Oklahoma State | Eric Morris | North Texas head coach |
| Ole Miss | Pete Golding | Ole Miss defensive coordinator | | Oregon State | JaMarcus Shephard | Alabama assistant head coach/co-OC/WRs coach |
| Penn State | Matt Campbell | Iowa State head coach | | South Florida | Brian Hartline | Ohio State offensive coordinator |
| Southern Miss | Blake Anderson | Southern Miss offensive coordinator | | Stanford | Tavita Pritchard | Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach |
| Toledo | Mike Jacobs | Mercer head coach | | Tulane | Will Hall | Tulane passing game coordinator |
| UAB | Alex Mortensen | UAB offensive coordinator | | UCLA | Bob Chesney | James Madison head coach |
| UConn | Jason Candle | Toledo head coach | | Virginia Tech | James Franklin | Penn State head coach |
| Washington State | Kirby Moore | Missouri offensive coordinator |
The carousel keeps turning, and Michigan’s next move might be the biggest one left.