Brady Hoke's Hot Seat

Ted's great constant parody of Brady Hoke (HOKEMANIA WOO BROTHER NO HEADSETS WOO BROTHER) was a reminder that the little things make a big deal in college football coaching. You're more than a coach, you're a personality. And yet Hoke's tenure has reached a point where fans don't care too much about Hoke's personality anymore, they want a stable result, they want that consistent ten win season and wins over Ohio State / Michigan State. Fans don't care if Brady Hoke spends the entire game crushing a buffet spread wearing only a headset, making no calls except to Domino's for more sticks...if it means Michigan returns to the stability of 9-3, 10-2.

Hoke's recruiting would suggest that he could preside over a turnaround at Michigan. He's getting big shot recruits, including two monster classes in 2012 and 2013. Faced with a bare defensive cupboard, he walked in and recruited a ton of defensive players (this being a logical step, but one not always taken by coaches at Michigan).

But how surprising must it have been for some of these recruits to come to Michigan and find out the offensive blocking gameplan was more complicated than Crime And Punishment and obviously not cohesive? The Michigan fan prays that Nussmeier cleans up much of that. Brady Hoke is going to give the playcalling reigns to Nussmeier, just as he did to Al Borges, because Hoke doesn't meddle much in-game. Oh you want an ultimate hands-on coach during the game? Not going to be Brady. He's calling the occasional play, but he wants to be with his players and...wear no headset. I'll bet he wears a headset this year, might give him an added arrow in his quiver for when Dave Brandon decides whether to fire him or not. (Of course a whole other discussion is whether Brandon will actually go out the door WITH Hoke if good results don't materialize.)

Let us speak to the question at hand, one that's being asked all over the great state of Michigan: How long does Hoke have at Michigan? How hot is his coaching seat? What's it going to take for Hoke to hang onto his job?

My take: Hoke must have some combination of the following accomplishments during the next two years: B1G Championship Game appearance, 10 win season, wins over OSU/MSU.

Otherwise he's gone. So that seat is pretty warm.

Monday: Cocktail Party Preview

Tuesday: Smartest Guy in the Room

Wednesday: Potluck Part One

Thursday: Potluck Part Two/Smoking Room

Friday: Keeping the Enemy Close