Last night, Andy Drukarev of the Stanford Rivals site (a man we trust as someone that does a good job), tweeted this:
The immediate reaction is that Michigan missed its man, and is now batting 0 for 2 in the defensive coordinator search, first rebuffed by Chicago Bears coordinator Vic Fangio and now by Lance Anderson.
We said last night we didn't want to jump to any conclusions until the situation had settled down some, and this is what we know after a night and morning of talking to our sources.
The BYU job remains unsettled and that has muddied the waters. Our source is confident Anderson told U-M coach Jim Harbaugh that if he didn't become the head coach for Brigham Young, he would sign on to become the Wolverines' defensive coordinator, jumping at the chance to work for Harbaugh after the two couldn't come to terms a year ago (though the desire and want for DJ Durkin to play a major role defensively played a big part in that).
BYU hasn't made up its mind on a new head coach and so Anderson has been left in limbo, originally having a Sunday deadline and then a Wednesday deadline, our sources believe, to let Harbaugh know his intentions. When yesterday came and went and no decision had been made, it is quite possible the scenario unfolded with Harbaugh telling Anderson to take it now or the offer is off the table, and Anderson saying he wasn't in a position to take it now and needed more time.
Thus, when Anderson told Drukarev yesterday he was not considering any other lateral moves, it's very likely the window had closed on coming to Michigan. However, one source on the Stanford side that has spoken to a few people in the Cardinal athletic department thinks Anderson was put in an awkward spot when asked by Drukarev what he was going to do.
"Even if he's agreed to coach Michigan or even if he's in negotiations, he can't come out publicly and say that if the agreement between both schools is that he will coach in the bowl game," our source out West shared. "I'm not saying that's what happened here, but I do think it's a possibility."
Back here at home, it has become eerily quiet, which usually means Harbaugh has something in the works and is shutting down communication with anyone that might spill the beans. It's quite likely he's made his decision, Anderson or one of the other candidates we've mentioned -- Chuck Pagano, Jim Leavitt or Dave Aranda -- and has retreated to the submarine.
Harbaugh doesn't want this search to drag into next week. He wants to be 100 percent focused on preparing for Florida, with the team set to leave for Orlando Dec. 26, knowing that coaching distractions may have had some impact on the Wolverines' preparation for the Nov. 28 Ohio State game and does not want to repeat the mistake.
Our sources are culling information on two fronts, here in Ann Arbor and at Stanford, looking for clarity on the situation, but very likely Harbaugh will know by the end of the week who his guy is and, as we've stated on numerous occasions, will wait until after the bowl game to announce. That of course won't stop our guys from trying to get the name but we'd rather be right than the first to report and ultimately wrong.
The immediate reaction is that Michigan missed its man, and is now batting 0 for 2 in the defensive coordinator search, first rebuffed by Chicago Bears coordinator Vic Fangio and now by Lance Anderson.
We said last night we didn't want to jump to any conclusions until the situation had settled down some, and this is what we know after a night and morning of talking to our sources.
The BYU job remains unsettled and that has muddied the waters. Our source is confident Anderson told U-M coach Jim Harbaugh that if he didn't become the head coach for Brigham Young, he would sign on to become the Wolverines' defensive coordinator, jumping at the chance to work for Harbaugh after the two couldn't come to terms a year ago (though the desire and want for DJ Durkin to play a major role defensively played a big part in that).
BYU hasn't made up its mind on a new head coach and so Anderson has been left in limbo, originally having a Sunday deadline and then a Wednesday deadline, our sources believe, to let Harbaugh know his intentions. When yesterday came and went and no decision had been made, it is quite possible the scenario unfolded with Harbaugh telling Anderson to take it now or the offer is off the table, and Anderson saying he wasn't in a position to take it now and needed more time.
Thus, when Anderson told Drukarev yesterday he was not considering any other lateral moves, it's very likely the window had closed on coming to Michigan. However, one source on the Stanford side that has spoken to a few people in the Cardinal athletic department thinks Anderson was put in an awkward spot when asked by Drukarev what he was going to do.
"Even if he's agreed to coach Michigan or even if he's in negotiations, he can't come out publicly and say that if the agreement between both schools is that he will coach in the bowl game," our source out West shared. "I'm not saying that's what happened here, but I do think it's a possibility."
Back here at home, it has become eerily quiet, which usually means Harbaugh has something in the works and is shutting down communication with anyone that might spill the beans. It's quite likely he's made his decision, Anderson or one of the other candidates we've mentioned -- Chuck Pagano, Jim Leavitt or Dave Aranda -- and has retreated to the submarine.
Harbaugh doesn't want this search to drag into next week. He wants to be 100 percent focused on preparing for Florida, with the team set to leave for Orlando Dec. 26, knowing that coaching distractions may have had some impact on the Wolverines' preparation for the Nov. 28 Ohio State game and does not want to repeat the mistake.
Our sources are culling information on two fronts, here in Ann Arbor and at Stanford, looking for clarity on the situation, but very likely Harbaugh will know by the end of the week who his guy is and, as we've stated on numerous occasions, will wait until after the bowl game to announce. That of course won't stop our guys from trying to get the name but we'd rather be right than the first to report and ultimately wrong.
