On the Clock: Mr. Dave Brandon

I almost could not believe it when Dave Brandon repeatedly stated last week that he would wait until after the bowl game to let the rest of us know what his decision is with regards to the future of the Michigan football program.

To me, at this point in time, it seems that Brandon has only two viable options with regards to the program:

1.     Retain Rich Rodriguez and hire a new defensive staff

2.     Jim Harbaugh

I’m sure over the next few weeks as speculation continues to run rampant I will touch on which option I think is the best option for the program moving forward, but I think Brandon is making a colossal mistake by not stepping to the podium tomorrow and telling us whether he is going with door number one or door number two.  With his self-admitted hands on approach to the football program, Brandon ought to have seen everything he has needed to see by this point to determine whether or not he thinks Rich Rodriguez is his man moving forward.  The next month should not really have any impact on Brandon’s decision with all of the evidence that he has already had a chance to collect.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program and any fan can see that Michigan just clearly is not as talented as they once were when NFL prospects were part of every starting lineup.  The only way out of this mess is to recruit like hell and the situation Brandon is about to create is going to put a massive handicap on any Michigan recruiting efforts moving forward.

If Brandon steps to the podium following the bowl game and declares that Rich Rodriguez is his coach in 2011 then he will have wasted Rich’s ability to recruit in one of the most important months of the recruiting season where schools are making last-ditch efforts to land the all-important prospect or two who just might have the ability to take things to the next level.  How can Rich be expected to pull in four and five star prospects if he can’t even tell a kid for sure he knows he will be the man in charge at Michigan come signing day?

If Brandon steps to the podium following the bowl game to announce a new head coach at the University of Michigan he has handicapped his new head man by giving him about 30 days to put together a recruiting class rather than two whole months.  It is tough enough to recruit during a transition between coaching staffs but needlessly taking a month away from a potential replacement just seems absolutely ludicrous to me at this point.

Whatever decision Brandon ultimately makes, he is ultimately hurting the program in the next month by choosing to follow this route.  I am simply stunned that someone who fully understands how college football works can honestly think that this is his best move.  Here’s to hoping Brandon is just being savvy while he works behind the scenes to finalize his next move….