What Trojan fans must watch as Michigan looks for new head coach

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The situation surrounding Sherrone Moore is tragic. I am not going to pretend I have all the details, and to be clear, this is not a story about what happened off the field in that situation. There are plenty of other amazing reportersdoing great work to keep the public informed about further off the field developments, and if you are looking for that part of the Michigan story, please check out their work.

I wanted to make sure I acknowledged at the very beginning of this article that my heart is with everyone hurt by this horrible situation. I am praying for healing for everybody. It wouldn’t be right to write about this situation without making that clear.

New search — and a big one

With that said, Michigan does need to replace its head football coach and that will massively affect the college football landscape for years to come. USC football could be very directly affected by Michigan’s next move, maybe more than any other head coaching change thus far.

So here are the football related developments that USC needs to pay attention to as this situation continues to develop, and Michigan hires a new head coach.

Could a current USC coach take over at Michigan?

Let’s get this out of the way now. Despite the inflammatory, eye-catching rumors that always circulate about Lincoln Riley taking whatever big head coaching vacancy, which have surfaced again about Michigan, I think there’s almost no way he leaves for the Michigan job.

Riley just isn’t a fit. Michigan is known for focusing on playing tough football in the trenches, and that’s the identity that the current roster is built around. That’s not the strength of Riley-led teams; Riley usually needs very good assistants around him (cough cough Zach Hanson) to compete in the trenches. His specialty is high powered offense with great quarterbacks and elite skill players. I don’t think Riley is dying to coach Bryce Underwood either.

USC assistant coaches

There’s no assistant on USC’s staff that sticks out as a potential head coach either. D’Anton Lynn had a so-so year with the USC defense, and none of the other USC coaches have enough experience coaching in a position with enough responsibility to be trusted to take over at Michigan.

Unless Michigan wants to hire this guy named Rob Ryan? He’s a former NFL defensive coordinator and Super Bowl winner! That’s a move I think could work out best for everyone.

Could a former Trojan — or Trojan nemesis — come off the couch to coach Michigan?

Michigan is going to be desperate. We are at a point in the head coaching cycle where most of the coaches who are talented and in demand have already found new homes or decided to stay put. If the Wolverines want to make a splashy hire, they will likely have to think outside of the box.

Could they call former USC head coach Ed Orgeron? He’s been vocal about his desire to return to coaching lately. What about former USC nemesis Brian Kelly?

What about Clay Helton? He’s a former Pac-12 champion and Rose Bowl winner! All of his USC players loved him as a person, too. This is not meant as a shot at Michigan or anyone who has been involved with Michigan at all, but I’m sure they feel they could use a coach that represents a surefire PR win to help the program’s brand after all the recent drama.

Who wouldn’t want Helton’s pedigree on and off the field in their locker room?

I’m mostly kidding about Helton, given that he’s struggling at Georgia Southern. But there is a real chance that someone with real USC history becomes involved in this Michigan head coaching search. Keep an eye on Coach O, especially.

Could another prominent Big Ten coach move to Michigan?

This is the most likely way that USC will be directly affected. Jedd Fisch, the current head coach at Washington, is one of the most heavily rumored candidates to replace Moore so far.

That would leave the Huskies also scrambling to find a new head coach. USC obviously plays Washington next year, and a head coaching change would dramatically affect how good of a football team they are next season.

Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines is also someone I will be paying attention to. It would be fascinating to see if Haines made Michigan great quickly while Indiana regressed defensively, or if the reverse happened and Haines struggled at Michigan while the Indiana defense didn’t miss a beat under Curt Cignetti and whomever Indiana hired as defensive coordinator. USC also plays Indiana next season.

If anyone from this list of schools that USC plays next season: Fresno State, Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA is hired away to Michigan (Penn State and UCLA are unlikely because they’re both also undergoing head coaching changes and building new staffs) then USC could see its 2026 season very directly affected.

The Trojans will also hopefully extend their rivalry with Notre Dame and have to add one more non conference opponent for 2026, which will reportedly be Louisiana, so keep an eye on the Irish, the Ragin’ Cajuns and further USC scheduling news as well.

Future head to head matchups with Michigan

USC and Michigan are obviously Big Ten rivals, so the Trojans will presumably have to face off against whomever the Wolverines hire in the near future.

The Trojans aren’t scheduled to play Michigan next regular season, or in 2027. The next USC-Michigan matchup is scheduled for 2028, at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

But that doesn’t mean the Wolverines and Trojans won’t play each other. Remember, USC and Michigan both finished 9-3 this season. In hindsight, both of them clearly would be in the college football playoff if the result of just 1 game was different.

If Lincoln Riley can keep the momentum going at USC, and whomever takes over at Michigan does a good job, its not completely crazy to think that USC and Michigan could match up in the Big Ten Championship or the College Football Playoff in 2026 or 2027.

Then, the person in charge of the Wolverines obviously becomes very, very relevant.

Player transfers

Lastly, Michigan’s firing of Sherrone Moore and hiring of whatever new head coach comes to town is obviously going to affect their roster construction. Some players who were in town just to play for Moore are going to leave. Perhaps whatever new coach is hired will bring over some of the players at his current school with them, if they’re an active coach.

Could USC lure some of Michigan’s talented outgoing transfers to Los Angeles? Will a Michigan star player like quarterback Bryce Underwood leave Ann Arbor and go to another Big Ten School? Could Michigan’s new head coach try to lure current USC players away? Will a head coach’s departure, like Fisch from Washington, leave his former school’s roster in shambles? There’s plenty of ways that the rosters of the Wolverines, the Trojans, and USC’s 2026 rivals could all be immediately boosted or ravaged by this head coaching move.

Fighting on

There’s a lot of storylines to follow as a fan. But as for the USC football team itself and its strategy, not much will likely change on a grand scale. The Trojans just need to focus on scouting their opponents well whoever they are, not underestimating anybody, doing their due diligence in the transfer portal regardless of what talent is or is not available, and preparing a roster that they believe can beat anyone.

They have been, hopefully, doing that already.

Adjustments are the name of the game in college football. People who do not adjust at every turn do not win. So, whatever happens, let’s make sure we pay attention to how the Trojans adjust to the changes.

Because that, ultimately, is what affects the fate of your season. Not what everyone else is doing, but how your own team reacts to what everyone else is doing.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Michigan football fires Sherrone Moore, begins new coaching search

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