Michigan Coaching Search: Pete Thamel claims Wolverines having a coach by Christmas 'would be a surprising turn of events'

Almost two weeks have passed now since the firing and arrest of Sherrone Moore with no hire yet made by Michigan. Now, ESPN’s analysts expect that coaching search to continue past the holidays and into the new year up in Ann Arbor.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel discussed the latest surrounding the search for the Wolverines on the ‘College GameDay Podcast’ on Monday. They both don’t anticipate a hire being made this week, with nothing close right now and no one even certain to be considered at this point for the maize & blue.

“I would say that it would be a surprising turn of events, as we sit here on Monday morning, if Michigan has a coach before Christmas, like, the way this is going,” said Thamel.

“Yeah, nothing imminent…Yeah, they’re taking their time,” Wetzel had said. “It’s open, and I don’t think it’s real predictable where they end up at this moment.”

Coming into this week, Michigan’s coaching search has seemingly taken at least one or two twists, namely with the possible candidacy at least put off for the time being for Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and an extension signed by Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham. Beyond that, though, little else has been determined beyond other rumors or reported names, like by those at The Wolverine as well as by On3’s Pete Nakos.

To Thamel, the problem now for Michigan is that, if the search does continue on that extended timeline, their other candidates are going to have to make business decisions. They, at some point, will have to focus only on their own current programs and rosters, rather than the potential of still taking the job with the Wolverines.

“The timing of this is really fascinating. I think this is probably the best way to look at it. You know, all these coaches are established, accomplished coaches…but all these guys are, like, signing their players right now. So, every day you wait, there’s more pressure on them to sign their own players there. There’s pressure on coaches who could be going other places. Being a head coach, I’ve always said, is a thousand small decisions, and, as you move up to the January 2nd portal, there are thousands of small decisions to make – keep your players, like, start looking at others, decision-making on, especially, your ten key guys who are going to be half million-dollar plus guys. What do you do? How do you do it with them? And, if you did eye another job, can you slow all that down? Well, they might want to go somewhere else too. What are you going to do?” explained Thamel. “Like, so, every day puts more pressure on incumbent, sitting guys and how they’re going to operate for that. So, I just think it’s a fascinating game of chicken right now where Michigan is.”

That being the case, Wetzel and Thamel were more so looking at a timeline of past New Year’s Day and into 2026. And, with that, they each wondered if that would put a certain name back on the table, although taking another risk there that could then extend into the semifinals of the CFP with the Peach Bowl being on January 9th, for Michigan.

“You know, do we wait until after these games, some bowl games are going to end? Will some people be involved after that?” asked Wetzel. “Could this extend past January 1st, which would bring any team that potentially loses, a coach of any team that potentially loses on January 1st?…I don’t know.”

“At that point, do you wait for January 1st to see the result of the Alabama game, right?” thought Thamel. “I think that conversation is at least in play. It’s not as hot and heavy as it was last time, but I do think that’s one of the roads in this choose your own coaching search adventure that they could take.”

With the timeline of their job coming open, along with the calendar in the sport both as far as the College Football Playoff and as far as the NCAA Transfer Portal, this has become quite complicated, beyond whatever else may be going on within the athletic department, for Michigan. That’s why neither expert is thinking a hire will be had by even this week’s end, which could then push it into the start of ’26.

“So, yeah. One of the most fascinating coaching searches I’ve ever covered in all the years I’ve done this with what’s going on at Michigan right now,” Thamel said. “The stakes are high. The prize is high, right. It’s an excellent job…So, yeah, there’s a million variables and dynamics…So, you know, a ton of competing dynamics here that really are making this fascinating here.”