Odds released for who will be the next Michigan football head coach

Jim Harbaugh did what many expected him to do on Wednesday, taking a job to be an NFL head coach after leading Michigan to a national championship. And already there are odds for who will be in line to replace Harbaugh at his alma mater.

The list includes a trio of current Michigan assistants and a number of sitting head coaches, but no outside assistant coaches. The odds-on favorite is also not a surprise to those familiar with the situation.

Check out the odds for each of these 10 coaches to land one of the coveted seats in college football, via BetOnline.ag.

Michigan OC Sherrone Moore (-700)

Moore has been positioned as the natural successor for Harbaugh for most of 2023, and especially after he served as the acting head coach on game days for the final three games of the regular season. And in those games, Moore led Michigan to a pair of Top 10 wins.

Moore has never been a head coach, but his role in shaping Michigan into a destination for offensive line play and engineering the current success helped vault him to the top of the list. Plus, the continuity of hiring a known quantity from within the program could stave off a mass exodus.

Kansas HC Lance Leipold (+600)

Leipold saw his name come up in relation to a number of big openings during this hiring cycle, but the Kansas head man opted to stay put. But a chance at Michigan could be what finally gets him going back to the Midwest.

A Wisconsin native, Leipold dominated at lower levels before guiding both Buffalo and then the Jayhawks to notable turnarounds. He got Kansas into back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2007-08.

LSU HC Brian Kelly (+775)

While it’s highly unlikely Kelly bails from LSU just two seasons after arriving, Michigan is one of the few jobs that might make it happen. Kelly had immense success coaching at lower levels in the state and around the Midwest.

Things haven’t been perfect in Baton Rouge, but Kelly has retooled his staff and seems intent on pushing ahead in a new-look SEC. Circumstances are likely to make this move a non-starter, but few coaches would bring the type of winning track record that Kelly has.

Minnesota HC P.J. Fleck (+1000)

Another coach who has had immense success coaching in the state of Michigan, Fleck took Western Michigan to a New Years Six bowl before leaving to take the Minnesota job. And after more than half a decade coaching the Gophers, Fleck might be looking for a bigger opportunity.

Fleck has been fairly successful in the Twin Cities, going 50-34 during seven seasons and posting a pair of nine-win campaigns and an 11-win season in 2019. There’s not much on paper to suggest Fleck couldn’t also find success in Ann Arbor, even if the opportunity is unlikely to come to fruition.

Michigan DC Jesse Minter (+1100)

Minter quietly may have had a more impressive year than Moore, marshaling the top total defense in college football that shoved Heisman runner-up Michael Penix Jr. in a locker during the national championship game. The biggest reason he’s unlikely to be the next Michigan head coach is that his future likely lies in the NFL.

Minter has been reported to be a prime contender to go with Harbaugh to the Chargers, where he’d take on the defensive coordinator role. And if he doesn’t go there, Minter reportedly has other NFL interest, making him likely the second-straight Michigan DC to head to the NFL.

Iowa State HC Matt Campbell (+1200)

Viewed as potentially a successor to Harbaugh through the later half of the 2010s, some of the shine came off Campbell as Iowa State struggled for a number of years. After winning the Big 12 in 2020, the Cyclones have gone 7-6, 4-8 and then 7-6.

An Ohio native who had a strong run of success at Toledo prior to being hired at Iowa State, Campbell’s best chance at getting the head coaching job at Michigan is likely in the past. But he’s still a name worth monitoring — and with just a $4 million buyout.

Kansas State HC Chris Klieman (+1600)

While Campbell’s stock may have dipped, Klieman has ascended. He guided Kansas State to a Big 12 Championship in 2022 and has shown a knack for roster building.

And while Michigan could likely raise his salary, Klieman’s 2024 Kansas State team should have a real chance to win the new-look Big 12, especially with highly-touted quarterback Avery Johnson set to take the reins. The odds that Klieman leaves are long for a reason, but he’s proven to be a good coach worth taking a hard look at.

Michigan RBC Mike Hart (+1600)

Those around the Michigan football program have made it fairly clear that being a head coach is in the cards at some point for Hart, and some suspected he could be the successor to Harbaugh. He served as the acting head coach for one the games Harbaugh was suspended by the school at the beginning of the 2023 season.

Hart is also a legend at Michigan for his role as a star running back in the 2000s. He’s been on staff for a number of years at the running backs coach and could be in line for a promotion if he’s not set to get the head job.

Nebraska HC Matt Rhule (+2000)

Welcome to the longshot range for potential Harbaugh successors. Rhule is a sensible fit for Michigan, a Midwesterner with a track record of building successful college programs, all with a clean public facing operation.

But Rhule is entering just his second year as the Nebraska head coach and seems fairly content to be building something in Lincoln. Making the potential decision even easier: His buyout is currently well north of $50 million.

Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin (+2000)

While it might provide a non-stop stream of college football memes and related content, Kiffin in Ann Arbor is a longshot for a reason. But the chance to lead a program that was just winning league titles after spending years leading one that has struggled to break that glass ceiling could attract Kiffin.

However, with a loaded transfer class coming to Ole Miss and his starting quarterback returning, now does not seem like the moment for Kiffin to jump ship. And while cultural fit might be overrated in coaching searches, Kiffin has never coached in the Big Ten or Midwest.

So be it a long shot from the SEC or the man most expect to slot in as the new head coach, Michigan will likely be landing an attractive candidate — whether or not the odds were right, though, remains to be seen.