In case you’ve missed it, the Michigan football coaching search has gone nowhere as of late. After Sherrone Moore’s controversial fallout, they looked at big names to potentially replace him. Coaches like Kalen DeBoer of Alabama and Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State were both contenders.
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However, after DeBoer and the Crimson Tide scored 27 consecutive points to take down Oklahoma in the CFP, it doesn’t appear he’s going anywhere. Furthermore, Dillingham signed a five-year extension with the Sun Devils, all but confirming his future in Tempe.
In the wake of the news, Michigan alumnus Taylor Lewan was quite upset about the failure to land either coach, particularly Dillingham, whom he really wanted at his old stomping grounds.
“I wake up in the morning to Kenny Dillingham signing an extension… That sh*t pissed me off. Happy for Kenny. I said this on this bus, he probably would’ve been my 1A, and DeBoer being the 1B,” Lewan said on his podcast, Bussin’ With the Boys.
The former lineman wasn’t the only one disappointed with the outcome. His co-host, Will Compton, was on the same boat and believed that Dillingham played Michigan and everyone involved.
“He can say whatever he wants, Kenny Dillingham got you guys,” Compton stated. “He played us,” Lewan agreed.
The two went on to share that they both texted Dillingham during the recruiting process. To Lewan’s surprise, the ASU coach was seemingly interested and was asking a lot of questions about the school. Understandably, this got Lewan excited, thinking that Dillingham really wanted to join the Wolverines.
Even Compton began texting Dillingham after a while.
“It got to a point where I’d just shoot him a message. Like, ‘Hey, rooting for you for the Michigan job.’ … I just put ‘LFG’ because I’m thinking that fires me up, all the stuff that he talked about,” Compton shared.
Yet, Dillingham ended up snubbing Michigan. He even texted Lewan and Compton the same message after signing his extension. “He said, ‘Same thing I said three years ago; I ain’t leaving.’ I’m just like, I felt a little different over this last month… That man worked everybody,” Compton said.
It’s hard to disagree with the podcast crew. But can one really blame Dillingham? He leveraged his value to receive an even bigger and more secure contract with ASU. Now, he’ll be around through 2030 and will also be one of the highest-paid coaches in the BIG 12.
Despite the disappointment, as he mentioned at the beginning, Lewan was still happy for the Sun Devils head honcho.
“I shoot him a text, ‘Hey, I’m happy for you. You would have been an amazing, amazing blue.’”
All in all, it’s a good reminder to never get hopes up too much as a football fan. Amid turmoil in the program, Michigan and its fans are grasping at straws for head coaching candidates. With Dillingham and DeBoer off the list, their sights must now be set on new horizons.
Other coaches should be on the market. Jeff Brohm of Louisville is an interesting candidate. Kyle Whittingham of Utah is also reportedly interested in the job. So, despite the disappointment, Michigan should still end up with a solid coach at some point.
