While all the college football insiders and analysts circle different established names as the potential next head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Dan Patrick has floated a fascinating idea for the job.
Discussing Michigan’s ongoing search for a replacement to Sherrone Moore — who was fired and later arrested earlier this month — on the same day that reports suggested the university was targeting Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, Patrick suggested a candidate who is an alum of the program with significant broadcasting and NFL coaching experience.
“One of my college sources said to me yesterday … ‘I’ve got a name for you.’ And he said, ‘I’ve spoken to somebody at Michigan about this name,'” Patrick teased. “This person has not been interviewed, but this person does have ties to Michigan. The name is Brian Griese, former quarterback at Michigan.”
As Patrick noted, Griese won the Rose Bowl and a national championship in his junior season in Ann Arbor. From there, Griese bounced around the pros for over a decade before transitioning to the broadcast booth. Griese was one of the top college football analysts at the Worldwide Leader before calling Monday Night Football for three seasons.
The son of the legendary Bob Griese parlayed that run into a job as the quarterbacks coach in San Francisco, where he helped develop young seventh-round pick Brock Purdy into a strong starter.
Altogether, Patrick believes Griese’s candidacy should not be overlooked.
“Would Brian Griese be somebody that you could bring in? He’s one of your own, former quarterback there, and maybe he could help ease in, transition in,” Patrick said.
“Now, that’s all the information I have. But the more I thought about it with Brian Griese, former analyst at the Mothership, Monday Night Football, and then helping Kyle Shanahan with the Niners and Brock Purdy. He doesn’t have head-coaching experience, I don’t even know if he’d be interested. Maybe you interview him.”
Griese stepped down from the 49ers earlier this year, a situation Patrick acknowledged could get in the way of his return to Ann Arbor. But given that the Wolverines and their legion of alumni are desperate for stability and tend to stay loyal to “Michigan Men” with a connection to the school, Griese checks a lot of boxes — even more so than current interim Biff Poggi.
He may not be the most experienced or established leader Michigan could get (recently retired Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has also been rumored), but Griese may be just what the program needs right now.
The decision, ultimately, may be more about whether Griese would even want the job. Before he left San Francisco, Griese reportedly declined an opportunity to interview for the New York Jets job.
“I would not hire anybody. There’s a mess going on inside that athletic department right now,” Patrick said, echoing recent comments by Paul Finebaum. “If I’m a coach, I don’t want to walk into that.”
Perhaps the chance to return to Ann Arbor and help get his former program back on track would lure Griese back into coaching.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.