Obligatory Defensive Coordinator Candidates Post

Ranked out of five swag Mattisons, naturally. Also check out this board post that should be a diary from alum96.

Greg Jackson, DBs, Michigan

[Bryan Fuller]

If Michigan goes with an internal promotion it will be Jackson, not Greg Mattison. Mattison isn't going anywhere as he plans on retiring at Michigan; Jackson could make a move if he was offered a coordinator spot. After Michigan's defensive backs had a terrific year, that is at least a vague possibility.

In this scenario Michigan would bring in the best DL or LB coach they can find—Roy Manning?—since Mattison can coach either position group.

Likelihood: if Michigan does not end up with a slam-dunk outside candidate this is probably happening.

Verdict: Love what he did with the DBs this year, but track record still thin. Would at least ease necessity of finding a front seven coach.

Jeremy Pruitt, DC, Georgia

Probably out the door after Kirby Smart's hire at UGA. Has never left the south, possibly in his life. Had some sort of midseason blowup after which Mark Richt had to reassure everyone on twitter that Pruitt was still the DC, but afterwards it was assumed he was gone even before Richt got axed. That might be a problem for many coaches. It's probably an asset when you're working for Harbaugh.

Pruitt is regarded as a big-time recruiter as well. Mecole Hardman appears attached at his hip and he is at least at Durkin's level there. Georgia defensive players took to twitter en masse to plead for his job after Richt's firing, so whatever issues there were didn't seem to impact his players much.

Pruitt has taken on Auburn—the SEC's closest analogue to Ohio State's offense—three times in his career. Chronologically:

• As FSU's DC in the 2013 national title game: Auburn (the #7 FEI offense) put up 450 yards and 31 points, though two touchdowns were drives of 27 and 25 yards.
• At Georgia he held the #5 2014 Auburn offense to 7 points and under 300 yards, and then throttled a much much worse offense this year for similar numbers.

That's a pretty decent track record.

Likelihood: currently believed he will replace Smart at Alabama, where he was the DBs coach for a minute. Is believed to be interested in the Michigan opening. Would be an awkward fit since Michigan already has two DB coaches, but if he comes it might not be the end of the shuffling.

Longshot, but if he meets with Harbaugh they might get along, or get in a knife fight. Or both, because a knife fight seems like a good way to break the ice with these two.

Verdict: Pruitt is an angrier Durkin with good success against Auburn.

Barry Odom, DC, Mizzou

No Harbaugh connection, but probably available after Pinkel announced his retirement. Alum96 laid out the case for him, which largely built around the fact that he rescued an awful Memphis defense and then took over at Mizzou, where he maintained a very good D in trying circumstances:

He went to Memphis for 3 years and took an awful D and built it up year after year - by year 3 it had excellent metrics for a non P5.  Again let me emphasize with these spread offenses today you can go to a non P5 and make a top 20 offense.  You can do it at the bottom of the P5 too (seee Indiana or Washington State)  Schemes help offense a lot more than defense.  Building a top 20 defense or near it without elite athletes is damn hard as scheme can only take you so far - you need the horses.  So his annual progress at Memphis and his final product in 2014 both impress.  I also like that Memphis defense fell dramatically this year when he left - it shows me the defense suffered without him.

Then he took over a Missouri defense this year which had metrics similar to GMatt UM and kept is steady despite a steady outflow of NFL draft picks from the front 4 especially (and front 7 in general) in recent years.   This despite coaching a 3-4 at Memphis and converting to a 4-3 at Missouri.

Odom fits Harbaugh's profile: he is a young up-and-comer, and he's got a very solid 4-year track record. Recruiting is something of an unknown, but he's 38 and is after it. Also a linebackers coach.

Likelihood: would definitely come. Harbaugh has to find him on his radar though.

Verdict: aside from Pruitt the guy on the board with the best combo of results, age, and experience.

Todd Orlando, DC, Houston

Former Utah State DC snapped up by Tom Herman when he took the Houston job. Moved Houston's D from 73rd to 31st in one year, and before that had kick-ass Ds (15th and 9th!) at Utah State of all places. Wisconsin grad, so Midwest-y. Had seven prior years as a DC at FIU and UConn. LB coach and former LB himself.

Honestly, if Herman likes him that's good enough for me.

Likelihood: dollars would make the difference.

Verdict: relatively young, ton of experience, excellent results, good staff fit. Yes please.

Lance Anderson, DC, Stanford

Harbaugh protégé ascended to top spot at Stanford two years ago. Michigan made a run at him last year but with Durkin coming in that turned into some sort of co-DC situation that a sitting DC was unlikely to find appealing.

Very solid first year save getting bombed by Oregon 45-16; finished #7 in FEI. Rather less good this year as Stanford finished 61st.

Likelihood: Doubtful. Would be a lateral move from a school that doesn't lose many coaches. Shaw is an offensive guy, so he's probably working with little or no interference. Unknown if Michigan throwing a bucket of money of him would move him since Stanford is private and we don't know how much he makes. Stanford does have a million billion dollars in general, though.

Verdict: Young, knows Harbaugh, probably can get after it in recruiting, LB/DT coach so a good fit for the current staff. Track record a little eh.

Jim Leavitt, DC, Colorado

Former USF head coach fired after grabbing and slapping one of his players at halftime of a game in 2009. Did win a wrongful termination suit afterwards. Found a home under Harbaugh as a linebackers coach for the duration of his San Francisco tenure, then grabbed the Colorado DC job. Year was nothing to write home about but he did improve the Buffalo D from #104 to #73.

Tenure at South Florida was long enough ago that we don't have a ton of advance stat data, but by FEI his last three years were excellent considering the circumstances: USF was 4th, 37th, and 35th from 2007 to 2009.

Likelihood: If Harbaugh wants him he'll come. How likely that is after the incident that got him fired is unknown—but I have to think it's not particularly high.

Verdict: Guy knows his way around a college defense and the incident that got him fired is now six years in the past. Still a major drag. Is a LBs coach, so that's a fit.

Scott Shafer, former HC, Syracuse

2008 season whipping boy took the dignified way out after having the 3-3-5 imposed on him midseason with predictably disastrous results. Moved to Syracuse as DC and then got the head job when Doug Marrone got the Bills job. Got reasonable results with bad talent until this year (DFEI, 2009-2015: 70, 38, 39, 39, 65, 36, 104).

Excellent dude who was Harbaugh's DC in 2007 before leaving for Michigan, which… uh… I know that seemed like a good career move at the time.

Likelihood: currently unemployed, so a definite yes if Michigan is interested. Harbaugh might hold a grudge for a lateral move.

Verdict: Eh. I'm sure he'd be fine.

Vic Fangio, DC, Chicago Bears

Cumong man, this makes us look ridiculous.

But Rivals said…

No. Stop.

Likelihood: nope

Verdict: Do you even want an NFL coordinator? We just saw what happens when an NFL style defense goes up against a spread option. Fangio's only stop in college since 1982 was one year with Harbaugh in 2010. This was a good year in which Fangio's defense gave up 52 points to Oregon. Also, like, recruiting?