It's been radio silence since before the weekend on the Michigan baseball front.
It all started when, following their elimination game loss to Louisville in the regional final, Michigan fired pitching coach Steve Merriman. Following that, volunteer assistant coach Brandon Inge stepped down and plans to sit out of coaching at the college level for the foreseeable future.
A few days before that regional final, Clemson fired head coach Monte Lee. If you don't know the story by now, U-M head coach Erik Bakich started his coaching career there as a volunteer assistant in 2002 under legendary head coach Jack Leggett. He then went on to be an assistant at Vanderbilt for seven seasons, head coach at Maryland for three, and enters his 10th year at Michigan next season.
Clemson went after Bakich in 2016, didn't land him, and ultimately went with Lee. Now, six years later, Bakich is the guy at the top of new athletic director Graham Neff's list. Neff, quoted in a presser following Lee's firing saying the university 'will invest' in its next head baseball coach, is prepared to offer Bakich $1 million-plus, according to multiple sources on both Michigan and Clemson's side.
Bakich's time under Leggett and his time at Clemson aren't the only factors. Of course, the Tigers are in the ACC, a premier and unequivocally better baseball conference compared to the Big Ten. Neff and his athletic department are willing to support the baseball team at a high level, considering the school brings in far more attention with its baseball team than any Midwest college team. The Carolinas are a recruiting hotbed and puts Bakich close to two of baseball's most talented states in Georgia & Florida. And lastly, Bakich played his college ball in the Carolinas at East Carolina.
As for Michigan's side of things, athletic director Warde Manuel has the ball in his court and is driving to the basket, I'm told.
"This isn't going to be as simple as Clemson backing up the Brinks truck, and Bakich is gone," a source told me this morning.
Manuel is actively figuring out a way to keep Bakich. Weighing out if the financials make logical sense is a part of that process. A source told me last week that "money isn't the issue for Michigan," and any money needed is available. However, whether or not Manuel wants to hit the million-dollar mark for a head coach of a non-revenue program remains unanswered and maybe the ultimate answer.
Though, a source on Michigan's side of things let me know that if Bakich were to leave, it wouldn't be about the money. But if he chooses to stay, he'd be silly to not get a raise out of it, and that same source insinuated that Manuel is "prudent" and "knows the talent he has," so Bakich will be getting more money this year -- whether it's in Ann Arbor or Clemson.
My baseball source added this morning that Warde is active in this process. That information has made its way south, and Clemson knows it will have to push for the former volunteer assistant to become the next head coach.
"I don't know if he (Warde) will be able to keep him (Bakich) around, but he's actively trying to."
I wouldn't be shocked to see this go on through the College World Series. If I'm Clemson, I want to wrap this up, and if I'm Michigan, I don't want to let it get any further. We'll see how long this takes.
Stay tuned for more.
It all started when, following their elimination game loss to Louisville in the regional final, Michigan fired pitching coach Steve Merriman. Following that, volunteer assistant coach Brandon Inge stepped down and plans to sit out of coaching at the college level for the foreseeable future.
A few days before that regional final, Clemson fired head coach Monte Lee. If you don't know the story by now, U-M head coach Erik Bakich started his coaching career there as a volunteer assistant in 2002 under legendary head coach Jack Leggett. He then went on to be an assistant at Vanderbilt for seven seasons, head coach at Maryland for three, and enters his 10th year at Michigan next season.
Clemson went after Bakich in 2016, didn't land him, and ultimately went with Lee. Now, six years later, Bakich is the guy at the top of new athletic director Graham Neff's list. Neff, quoted in a presser following Lee's firing saying the university 'will invest' in its next head baseball coach, is prepared to offer Bakich $1 million-plus, according to multiple sources on both Michigan and Clemson's side.
Bakich's time under Leggett and his time at Clemson aren't the only factors. Of course, the Tigers are in the ACC, a premier and unequivocally better baseball conference compared to the Big Ten. Neff and his athletic department are willing to support the baseball team at a high level, considering the school brings in far more attention with its baseball team than any Midwest college team. The Carolinas are a recruiting hotbed and puts Bakich close to two of baseball's most talented states in Georgia & Florida. And lastly, Bakich played his college ball in the Carolinas at East Carolina.
As for Michigan's side of things, athletic director Warde Manuel has the ball in his court and is driving to the basket, I'm told.
"This isn't going to be as simple as Clemson backing up the Brinks truck, and Bakich is gone," a source told me this morning.
Manuel is actively figuring out a way to keep Bakich. Weighing out if the financials make logical sense is a part of that process. A source told me last week that "money isn't the issue for Michigan," and any money needed is available. However, whether or not Manuel wants to hit the million-dollar mark for a head coach of a non-revenue program remains unanswered and maybe the ultimate answer.
Though, a source on Michigan's side of things let me know that if Bakich were to leave, it wouldn't be about the money. But if he chooses to stay, he'd be silly to not get a raise out of it, and that same source insinuated that Manuel is "prudent" and "knows the talent he has," so Bakich will be getting more money this year -- whether it's in Ann Arbor or Clemson.
My baseball source added this morning that Warde is active in this process. That information has made its way south, and Clemson knows it will have to push for the former volunteer assistant to become the next head coach.
"I don't know if he (Warde) will be able to keep him (Bakich) around, but he's actively trying to."
I wouldn't be shocked to see this go on through the College World Series. If I'm Clemson, I want to wrap this up, and if I'm Michigan, I don't want to let it get any further. We'll see how long this takes.
Stay tuned for more.
