Mike Shanahan Is Not A Good Fit For Michigan Football
By Travis Newville
@travisto989
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY
The University of Michigan boasts one of the proudest college football programs. That is why it is so hard to fathom the mediocrity that their program has unfolded. Brady Hoke was a promising hire, but he has quickly become the scapegoat for a dwindling program. The winningest program in college football history is a shell of its former self, and you can only blame the coach.
There have been a lot of names mentioned as a possible replacements for Hoke. Mike Shanahan, in fact, threw his own name into the hat. Would Shanahan even be a good fit in college football?
The problem with hiring Shanahan as Hoke’s replacement is that the Wolverines are having a hard time keeping their recruiting class committed to the rebuild that is inevitable for the program. Shanahan has not coached a college football team in over 30 years. Chances are that recruiting college players is not the same process as it was in 1983. With the Wolverines’ future in doubt, it would be a better idea to hire a coach with more recent college recruiting experience.
Shanahan has a very good career win-loss record of 170-138, but that is only at the NFL level. In his last job, coaching the Washington Redskins from 2010-13, Shanahan was only able to win 24-of-40 games. He was fired from the Redskins in 2013 after falling to 3-13 on the season.
There is no doubt that Shanahan is one of the better coaches in NFL history. He did wonders for the Denver Broncos in the 1990s and early 2000s, but it remains unknown how he could turn around a struggling Michigan Football program. His last job as a head coach was to rebuild a team, and that did not go very well.
For these reasons alone, Michigan should pass on Shanahan as their next head coach. They need a coach who can recruit the future of Michigan Football and not just install an upgraded playbook.
Travis Newville is a Detroit Lions writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @travisto989, or Like his Facebook here. Add him to your Google network.
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