When Indiana took a shot at hiring 62-year-old Curt Cignetti, it felt like a well-thought-out threat. Sure, Cignetti is older for a coach simply breaking into the Energy-4 ranks, however since leaving his coordinator place at Alabama, success has adopted him to every of his stops.
Most significantly, whereas at James Madison, he led the Dukes to success on the FCS degree and guided them by means of a seamless transition to FBS soccer. His capability to navigate a course of that has been tough for many groups is what actually attracted Indiana to Cignetti. After all, all of us now know that Indiana crushed its rent of Cignetti and, in simply two years, has turned Indiana from a basketball to a soccer college.
Within the trendy school soccer panorama, if a program has the right sources, it doesn’t take lengthy to show a program round.
Michigan is hoping to return to its standing as a nationwide title contender rapidly, however the street forward isn’t so simple as it could appear. The Wolverines introduced they’re hiring former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham to proper their ship. It seems Michigan struck out on a lot of the coaches they had been truly focused on, so touchdown Whittingham isn’t a horrible consequence after a tenuous hiring course of.
Although Whittingham might need a strong flooring as a secure program builder, his ceiling feels very restricted at Michigan. Utah doesn’t have elite sources, nevertheless it by no means felt like he was capable of attain the highs at Utah that City Meyer had reached earlier than him. He’s a man who can maintain Michigan related and showing in top-25 rankings, however he doesn’t really feel like a man who will win you nationwide titles.
He’s additionally 4 years older than Cignetti when he was employed at Indiana, so he isn’t some younger gun; we all know what Whittingham is at this level. Additionally, he ran his course at Utah. It doesn’t seem to be his departure was a mutual parting of how. It feels extra like Utah pushed him out. I’m unsure a marquee program like Michigan must be bringing in a coach who was pushed out of a college like Utah.
Lastly, this would possibly seem to be nothing, however in a rivalry like Ohio State vs Michigan, the little issues matter. Whittingham went to BYU and coached at Utah. Once I see one thing like that, it doesn’t make me really feel {that a} man like that cares sufficient about his rivals as he ought to. One of many greatest knocks on Ryan Day is that he doesn’t care sufficient about The Sport. If a man went and coached for his greatest rival from his enjoying days, does that really feel like a man who’s going to be all in on The Sport?
Solely time will inform if Michigan discovered their man, but when he’s not, it may very well be the continued downward spiral of the post-Jim Harbaugh period at Michigan.
