MGoPodcast 17.16: Pending A Background Check

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Dec 15, 2025

Chaos erupts in Michigan football with the controversial firing of Sherrone Moore, igniting discussions about hiring oversight within the athletic department. Potential coaching candidates like Kalen DeBoer and Kenny Dillingham are thoroughly analyzed for their fit. The importance of thorough background checks comes to the forefront as the hosts joke about the vetting process. On the basketball side, a thrilling recap of a 101-83 victory highlights standout performances, including Yaxel Lundenborg's impressive breakout game.

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INSIGHT

Repeated Hiring Failures Signal Systemic Issues

Michigan's athletic department shows repeated hiring and oversight failures that produced public scandals.
Brian Cook argues these patterns indicate systemic lack of vetting and accountability under Ward Manuel.

ADVICE

Vet Candidates Thoroughly Before Hiring

Do thorough pre-hire vetting and investigate rumors before offering major roles.
Seth Fisher insists athletic directors must explore credible rumors and prevent hires that risk institutional harm.

ANECDOTE

Concert Pushed Stadium Wi‑Fi Upgrades

Brian Cook recounts how stadium Wi-Fi only improved after a Zach Bryan concert pushed third parties to act.
He uses this to illustrate the athletic department's indifference to fan experience until pressured externally.

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1 hour and 54 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers.

1. What Happened

Starts at :51

Sometimes in December we don't have enough content for a podcast... this week there is enough for a podcast. Michigan football has been thrown into chaos following the Sherrone Moore firing. This is the third out of five Warde Manuel hires in the three most important sports to have left in disgrace (also Jim Harbaugh depending on who you ask). There have been too many red flags on too many hires. There is no oversight within the athletic department and then you have to do an investigation instead of preventing one. The only reason the WiFi is better at Michigan Stadium is because of the Zach Bryan concert, not because they cared about the fan experience. Fans are just a piggy bank. Michigan is way too much in the news right now. If "a lot of people knew about this" then why didn't someone say something sooner? Warde lost credibility after his handling of Mel Pearson and he doesn't get credit for Brandon Naurato. Grandmas in Peoria know too much about the Michigan athletic department.

2. Coaching Search Bits

Starts at 27:41

Michigan needs a new head football coach. How good do we feel going into it? Probably about a B-. There's not an obvious slam dunk candidate. The three big names are Kalen DeBoer, Kenny Dillingham, and Jedd Fisch. If Alabama wins their first playoff game then DeBoer is almost entirely off the table, if they lose to Oklahoma then there's enough smoke to believe he might think about it. Would DeBoer really leave Alabama though? It's not a place that coaches leave and he's a long shot even if they lose to Oklahoma. Kenny Dillingham played for Arizona State and has a lot of family and connections in Phoenix, he might just be a long shot to convince to move from home. Kenny Dillingham is young, he watches Stranger Things and doesn't understand all the references. What about Jeff Brohm? Jedd Fisch is good at roster construction and handling QBs, something that would be nice for Michigan right now. Jake Butt had a strong endorsement for Jedd. Some coaches wouldn't have former players stomping for them. Jason Eck is a fun name but he's never proven himself at a major program. Based on everything so far, it feels like it's probably Jedd Fisch (PENDING A BACKGROUND CHECK). Which assistant coaches/coordinators would you keep?

3. Hot Takes, Men's Basketball vs Maryland

Starts at 54:31

Takes hotter than... actually we need takes about half of where they could go. We need to dial it back this week. Thankfully we can now turn our attention to basketball! Michigan 101, Maryland 83, a strange game. David Coit was hitting threes from every heavenly covered shot. When Michigan was down by 9 Kenpom still had them 76% to win. Maryland went 14-27 from three and Michigan still covered the Kenpom spread. This game was the script for Michigan to lose a game and won by 18. Brian reads Yaxel's boxscore poetically because it deserves it. Solomon Washington got ejected for two technicals. Michigan navigated foul trouble and you probably didn't even notice. Michigan is actually top 50 in three point shooting.

4. Men's Basketball vs Villanova

Starts at 1:38:12

They went up by 30 at halftime and only won by 30?? What are we even doing here. You look at some of these top 50, top 25 teams on the schedule, could they beat Michigan in Ann Arbor? No way. Being #1 in two point defense with this schedule is insane. Michigan is identifying their weaknesses and working on them, that's terrifying for opposing teams. What is this team's weakness now? Hey, shout out to undefeated Nebrasketball!

MUSIC:

"PH Suite"—Curtis Dro and Lamar Woods
"Man I Need"—Olivia Dean
"I Got Flavor"—LaRussell and Lil John
“Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra