Michigan's next coach won't just have to win, he must rehab a blue blood's tarnished reputation

For more than a century, Michigan football has held itself up as a paragon of morality in a chaotic college athletics world. The Wolverines pride themselves on producing "Michigan Men," people of character who go on and have lifelong success off the field. 

Through that way, Michigan became the winningest program in the history of the sport and the first to clear 1,000 victories. And through its proud history, the Wolverines have largely avoided major scandal -- a historic contrast to the perceived win-at-all-costs attitudes of the Southeastern Conference. 

If the past few years have been any indication, that image has been dramatically tarnished. And the next hire at Michigan will be tasked with fixing it. 

On Wednesday, Michigan coach Sherrone Moore was fired in his second season after an internal investigation found he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. He went just 15-8 in two years after taking the reins of a national championship team from Jim Harbaugh. 

If Moore sought employment elsewhere, he would have both an active show-cause and a one-game suspension because of his involvement in another scandal, the Connor Stalions sign-stealing investigation. The former head coach Harbaugh was also implicated in the probe. 

In a separate case, former co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was dismissed and remains under federal indictment after illegally accessing thousands of student files. 

And then, there was also the other NCAA investigation into Harbaugh for alleged dead-period recruiting violations during the pandemic. The contacts would have likely received a slap on the wrist, but Harbaugh was defiant with investigators, which landed him in more hot water. 

Ultimately, Michigan fought through all this chaos to win the 2023 national championship -- the program's first since 1997 and first outright since 1948. Maybe, shrugging off the reputation of choir boys for scandal was worth it. But for one of the legitimately outstanding public institutions in the country, this malfeasance is beneath them. 

Now let's be clear, the definition of wrongdoing has changed dramatically in modern history. Paying players is no longer against the rules, so Michigan should have no shame enticing elite players like quarterback Bryce Underwood to Ann Arbor with hefty paychecks. In fact, the sport is leaning far more in the direction of well-monied, metropolitan programs like Michigan. Embrace it. 

But in the case of Stalions, Michigan called into question the integrity of actual on-field play -- and they didn't even need to. The Wolverines went undefeated after firing him, adding an unnecessary asterisk to their run. Moore now adds personal shortcomings to the list. That has to be a bright red line that Michigan will not tolerate. 

And while Michigan's win-at-all-costs approach obviously bore fruit, there's no reason to believe it's necessary for a major blue blood. Ironically, heavy rivals Ohio State and Notre Dame each reached the national championship game last year largely free of off-field controversy. It can be done at Michigan, and will be done, at least with the right hire. 

There's a lot to like at Michigan. Quarterback Bryce Underwood showed flashes of greatness during an encouraging freshman season. The Wolverines signed the No. 11 high school class, if the next coach can keep them together. The talent level on the roster is trending upwards as recruiting nationalizes. 

In fact, despite the timing of the move, Michigan could rival LSU as the top opening of the college football cycle. As the only Power Four job still open, the Wolverines have time to catch their breath and identify the new face of the program. And that person must understand how Michigan should do business. 

From 1900-1989, Michigan was coached by a College Football Hall of Fame coach every year. Gary Moeller broke the streak after he was forced to resign in 1995 after an arrest for disorderly conduct, but Lloyd Carr made it 10 out of 11 coaches to reach the Hall of Fame. It's an unbelievable run of success, unmatched in the history of the sport. 

College Football Hall of Famers are one of Ann Arbor's greatest exports. It won't take compromising to find the next one.