A New Hoke

Now that Dave Brandon has concluded with his “process” that he coined a “national search”, Michigan has hired their 19^th Head Football Coach in school history.  Brady Hoke, who had an eight-year run as the defensive line coach under Lloyd Carr (1995-2002), is the new headman in Ann Arbor and will be introduced at 1 PM tomorrow. 

I could sit here and whine and moan about how terrible Brandon made the University look and how he has hired a candidate whose name would not have surfaced for this job if he hadn’t been able to put Michigan on his resume.  I could tell you the world is coming to an end and that Michigan is never going to be good again as long as you and I are alive.  Well, I’m not going to do either of those things. 

This is obviously not a sexy hire and we all held out hope that a big-time name would be destined for Ann Arbor, but I know I’m going to support Brady Hoke the same way I supported Rich Rodriguez and I will root like hell for him to succeed and restore Michigan to national prominence.

Coach Hoke has a laundry list of things that he must accomplish prior to National Signing Day and I’ll walk you through what I hope to see from Coach Hoke in the coming weeks.

1.     Introductory Press Conference

This will be Hoke’s first opportunity to prove that he is the consummate “Michigan Man” that so many fans have been pining for.  Hoke needs to step to the podium tomorrow and declare that this program is about beating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten Title, and going to the Rose Bowl.  That is Michigan football and the failure of the program to get these things done is the reason that Hoke will be standing at the podium tomorrow.  Rodriguez failed to stress the importance of rivalry games and I’m hoping to see Hoke show that he is ready to do everything he has to do to win these  “red-letter games”.

I would not mind seeing Hoke acknowledge the trepidations that some have about him getting the job.  I would like to see him put it out there that he is going to work his tail off for Michigan and put a product on the field that all fans and alumni of the University can be proud of.

2.     Meet the Team

Hoke must go in and make his presence felt.  He must encourage an open door policy between himself and his new team.  He needs to gain the players trust as quickly as possible.  Hoke must meet individually with his core senior leaders like David Molk, Ryan Van Bergen, and Mike Martin as these are the guys that will be crucially important in holding the program together during a time of transition. 

Personally, if I am Brady Hoke and I’m in Ann Arbor tonight I think I would be camping outside of wherever Denard Robinson lives and trying to convince him that he will be properly utilized and remain a star at the quarterback position.

3.     Hire a Staff

After Brandon flat out lied when he declared that Michigan was ready to pay top-dollar salary to bring in a big-time coach, I’m hoping that Brandon will give Hoke a very large budget that he can use to recruit some high-profile assistants to join his staff in Ann Arbor. 

If Hoke is hoping to have early success in his tenure, he needs to hire an offensive coordinator that has some spread offense tendencies.  The offense doesn’t need to be as run-spread extreme as we saw under Rodriguez, but it can’t be a switch to straight Power-I football.  Hoke must make sure that he doesn’t return straight to Power-I football and reduce the existing talent to a non-factor.

Hoke is a defensive guy and he must find the right defensive coordinator to mold this young group that he will inherit at Michigan.  It is very very important on both the offensive and defensive sides of the football that Hoke brings in guys who are not only known for their coaching skills but also for their recruiting prowess.  A lack of talent got Michigan in this mess, and an influx of talent via recruiting is the only thing that will get them out.

4.     Retain the recruiting class

This is Hoke’s single biggest assignment in the next three weeks.  This is currently the worst Michigan class in decades and Hoke must do everything he can to retain the 12 players that are currently committed while beating down the doors of any other big-time prospects that might have an interest in playing for Michigan.

Hoke’s success or failure in this area will be all on him and his staff and it will be very interesting to see what he can do walking into living rooms as the head coach wearing the Block M.

I will make sure to stay on top of each of these things as they happen.  I will have a full breakdown of my thoughts on the introductory press conference tomorrow and I will also break down the strengths and weaknesses of all members of Hoke’s new coaching staff here at Michigan as they are announced.  Recruiting coverage will ramp up down the stretch here as we enter a crucial three-week stretch for the future of Michigan football.