The college football season is about to get underway for the rest of the country after the appetizer sampler that was Week 0. This includes the Michigan Wolverines hosting the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday in what is now a critical year for everyone in Ann Arbor.
Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis might have the most to gain if a recent ESPN article is on to something. Adam Rittenberg threw together a list of college football coaches ready to make the leap to the next tier for head coaching opportunities. Gattis was far down the list, but named a Power 5 coordinator to keep an eye on this season.
Josh Gattis, Michigan: Gattis’ inclusion will raise some eyebrows, given Michigan’s struggles on offense the past few years. While the issues at Michigan go beyond Gattis and ultimately start with Harbaugh, Gattis might have had a clearer path to becoming a head coach if he remained at Alabama. Still, Gattis is a dynamic personality who has worked at four Power 5 programs (two Big Ten, two SEC). He’s a North Carolina native who played at Wake Forest and could be a fit in multiple regions. Gattis, 37, is also one of a few Black offensive coordinators in the Power 5. But he needs Michigan to take a big step forward this fall to be a legit candidate.
Of course, given Jim Harbaugh’s standing on the national hot seat, there were candidates throughout mentioned as fits for Michigan. The most high-profile one came in the form of Matt Campbell at Iowa State, who has become a bit of a cult hero in some fan circles around here. Other guys mentioned for Michigan included Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Boston College’s Jeff Hafley, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell and Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
Michigan guys in the NFL update
The two most notable things to come out of roster cut day in the NFL for the Wolverines was the New England Patriots sticking with Quinn Nordin as their starting kicker ahead of this season. His is a pretty incredible story considering the roller coaster that was his Michigan career and the fact he was on LinkedIn looking for jobs not too long ago. Now, he gets to stay on the Wolverine pipeline that Bill Belichick has created in New England.
Second-year offensive lineman Ben Bredeson is leaving John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens, as it was reported that he had been traded to the New York Giants. Bredeson played in 10 games last year for Baltimore, but the former fourth-round pick ended the season on injured reserve. The Giants were desperate for interior line depth and have gotten it in Bredeson.