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Who will Michigan hire if Jim Harbaugh leaves for the NFL?

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Who will Michigan hire if Jim Harbaugh leaves for the NFL?

Jim Harbaugh did everything Michigan fans could’ve hoped the former Wolverines star quarterback would do when he returned to Ann Arbor to take over his alma mater’s football program. He ended hated arch-rival Ohio State’s dominance in their series and flipped it around; he turned Michigan into the bully of the Big Ten; and then he led Michigan to its first national title in almost 30 years.

And now, not surprisingly, after three years of flirting with returning to the NFL, Harbaugh is back meeting with NFL teams. He is beginning by meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, opening up the very real possibility that he will now leave behind a storied program and one of the best jobs in college sports. If he leaves, who could Michigan turn to next?

The obvious path

That would be promoting Wolverines offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore.

Moore has emerged as a strong candidate, especially after the last month of the regular season. The 37-year-old is still young, but he proved more than capable of the job when he stepped in and coached Michigan late in the 2023 season after the Big Ten suspended Harbaugh during the toughest stretch of the Wolverines’ schedule. Moore led the team to a win over top-10 Penn State in a very hostile environment, managed the road trap game against Maryland and then continued Michigan’s dominance over the Buckeyes. The team loves Moore; spend some time around the program and you see that his impact is significant.

“I was pretty close to leaving,” offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, one of the team leaders, told me about an hour after Michigan won the national title. “The recruiting process is a dangerous thing. Everybody tells you how good you are. That you’ll start as a freshman. As an 18-year-old kid, I wasn’t the most mature guy. I wasn’t playing. I kinda stopped loving football. Coming into Schembechler Hall was kind of a drag for me. Coach Moore came in and changed my whole outlook on life and football. He made me fall in love with football again. I can’t thank him enough. He’s just a guy who puts his head down and works as well. He started here as a tight ends coach and now he’s an OC getting head coaching offers.”

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Moore, a Kansas native who played at Oklahoma, is beloved by his players and his coaching peers. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get the job. There have been some relatively similar situations to point to — most notably Ryan Day taking over at Ohio State after Urban Meyer left for the NFL and Marcus Freeman taking over at Notre Dame after Brian Kelly left for LSU. Day is 56-8, although Buckeye fans are not happy about the losing streak with Michigan these days. Freeman is 19-8 and it’s still a little too soon to get a real sense of whether this was the right move for the Irish. Continuity and how the players felt about the move were big factors, but both have had to grow into the jobs.

The overall results of big jobs promoting from within after the head coach moves on are mostly positive, though.

Florida State promoted Jimbo Fisher after Bobby Bowden retired, and that worked out very well for the Seminoles — Fisher led them to a national title. Stanford promoted David Shaw after Harbaugh left for the NFL a decade ago. That also worked out well, although the program backslid later on under Shaw. Bret Bielema took over for Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin and that went well. Lincoln Riley took over for Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and the Sooners kept winning at a very high level.

Chip Kelly took Oregon to another level after Mike Bellotti stepped down, and then Mark Helfrich got the Ducks to the national title game, although the Ducks tailed off shortly thereafter. Conversely, Bob Davie taking over for Lou Holtz at Notre Dame a generation ago didn’t go so great (one top-20 season in five years). Neither did Jimmy Lake getting promoted after Chris Petersen retired at Washington a few years ago.

The only thing that may give Michigan brass some pause is if Moore is tied to the ongoing NCAA investigation into the sign-stealing scandal. If the investigation finds that Moore — who has not been tied to the scheme — was somehow involved, Michigan might want to start over with a clean slate.

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Lance Leipold led Kansas to its first Top 25 finish since 2007. (Joe Camporeale / USA Today)

External candidates

Kansas’ Lance Leipold has worked miracles in Lawrence. He won six Division III national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater, led Buffalo — one of the toughest FBS jobs — into the Top 25 and then resurrected Kansas, the worst Power 5 program. The Jayhawks went from 2-10 to 6-7 to 9-4 over three seasons. They ranked No. 23 in the final AP poll of the 2023 season and beat Oklahoma for the first time in a generation. The 59-year-old has Midwestern roots, having grown up in Wisconsin. He knows how to build a culture, play physical football and do much more with less. Kansas hadn’t won more than three games in a season in 11 years before Leipold arrived.

The fact that he’s still in Lawrence should make Kansas the biggest winner of the year’s coaching carousel thus far. The Athletic reported on Sunday that Leipold withdraw from the Washington head coach search before Jedd Fisch was hired.

Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, like Leipold, came from winning big in the lower divisions of football. He won four FCS titles at North Dakota State. The 56-year-old led the Wildcats to the Big 12 title in 2022, going 10-4. This past year, the Wildcats were 9-4 and had a second consecutive top-20 finish. Klieman has a good situation at K-State under athletic director Gene Taylor, with whom he worked previously, but the chance to jump to a better-resourced, blue-blood program in the Big Ten might be very tempting.

LSU’s Brian Kelly jumped from South Bend to Baton Rouge to try to better his chances at winning a national title. Kelly had an impressive debut season in Baton Rouge in 2022, going 10-4 and winning the SEC West. This past season, expectations were much higher and the Tigers went 10-3, but it felt disappointing given they had Heisman winner Jayden Daniels at quarterback and a ton of key players back. They were dreadful on defense, got blown out by Florida State in the opener, gave up 55 in a loss to Ole Miss and had only one win over a ranked opponent, Missouri.

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Kelly, 62, is a really good coach, but the bar in Baton Rouge is incredibly high. The last three coaches there all won national titles. Making it to a 12-team College Football Playoff but not winning a title won’t cut it. The fit with him in Louisiana has seemed odd, even bizarre, from the moment he arrived. He now has to overhaul his coaching staff. Top recruits still want to come to LSU, but I’ve heard lots of chatter that if he could get in on Michigan, he’d probably go for it. Kelly spent almost two decades in the state of Michigan while coaching at Grand Valley State. How attractive would he be relative to Michigan’s other options? I’m a little skeptical at this point.

Harbaugh may not have been for everybody, but all the people inside Michigan — especially his players — love him for his authenticity. With Kelly, it seems like you might be talking about the polar opposite.

(Top photo of Sherrone Moore: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

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Roman Reigns domesticates Jacob Fatu to retain World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Clash in Italy

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Roman Reigns domesticates Jacob Fatu to retain World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Clash in Italy

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Roman Reigns has been called the “Head of the Table” for a reason.

He was an undisputed WWE champion for years and leader of The Bloodline before he made his way back to the top of the company at WrestleMania 42, defeating CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Since the win, Jacob Fatu has been the biggest thorn in his side. Fatu made clear he wanted everything that Reigns had. Reigns’ win over Fatu at Backlash earlier this month wasn’t enough. He challenged Reigns to Tribal Combat at Clash in Italy – a match meant to put Reigns’ title of “Tribal Chief” on the line.

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Roman Reigns delivers a spear to Jacob Fatu during Clash in Italy at Inalpi Arena in Torino di Sangro, Italy, on May 31, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

Reigns had already dispatched challengers to his place in his family when it came to Tribal Combat. Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa both tried and failed over the years. Reigns was trying to make sure that Fatu would never challenge him again in an effort to “domesticate” him. One of the strategies was to eliminate Fatu’s use of the Tongan Death Grip – a move that Fatu has pulled out over and over again.

Reigns used a toolbox to crush Fatu’s hand and, for a moment, keep the use of the Tongan Death Grip at bay. It would take way more than that to keep Fatu down. Reigns knew he needed to dig deep. He speared Fatu through a barricade, trampling security members in the process.

Jacob Fatu prepares for his match during Clash in Italy at Inalpi Arena in Torino di Sangro, Italy, on May 31, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)

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He walked around the ring yelling that he didn’t need anyone’s help as he took off the turnbuckles. Fatu tried to hit another Tongan Death Grip but couldn’t synch it in. Reigns countered with a Superman Punch, but Fatu ate all of them. Reigns tried for a spear, but Fatu hit it on Reigns first.

Fatu hit a pop-up Samona Drop and then a moonsault. Still, he couldn’t pin Reigns. On the second pin attempt, Reigns hit a low blow on Fatu. The two men, leaving it all on the line, were gassed in the middle of the ring.

Reigns got up and smashed Fatu’s head on the exposed turnbuckle. Fatu was dazed and Reigns speared him through the table. Fatu got back up and Reigns hit one more spear. It was the last one he needed.

Reigns defeated Fatu, keeping the World Heavyweight Championship and remaining the Head of the Table.

Roman Reigns celebrates his win during Clash in Italy at Inalpi Arena in Torino di Sangro, Italy, on May 31, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Fatu must now fall in line behind Reigns and The Usos. However, Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga and Tama Tonga were also looking on to see Fatu’s loss.

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto helps Dodgers deliver a birthday win for Dave Roberts

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto helps Dodgers deliver a birthday win for Dave Roberts

Not a cake or a ribbon-wrapped present, but the Dodgers celebrated manager Dave Roberts’ 54th birthday with a 9-1 win over the Phillies on Sunday. The Dodgers ended their homestand with a 5-1 record despite their six-game winning streak ending the night before.

“I like the prospects of winning a baseball game,” Roberts said about what he wanted for his birthday. “It seems like we always play on my birthday. It’s just like any other day. Just kind of a little bit of gratitude, obviously.”

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4-5) held the Phillies hitless over the first three innings thanks, in part, to the defense.

Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh tried to steal second in the second inning, but he took off too early. Yamamoto swung around and tossed the ball to Alex Freeland, who nabbed Marsh’s hands.

Yamamoto, much like Roki Sasaki the night before, threw his pitches faster than normal. But the elevated velocity didn’t seem to affect his performance. Despite throwing his four-seam fastball 1 mph faster than usual, the pitch resulted in a strike 76% of the time.

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Philadelphia’s Trea Turner and Alex Bohm each snagged singles in the fourth inning, but little came to fruition. When Roberts pulled Yamamoto in the sixth, he had blanked his opponents with 10 strikeouts, four hits and two walks.

“Having a guy like Yoshinobu take the ball, it just gives you that extra confidence,” Roberts said. “You’re trying to win a series against a good team in the midst of 10 in a row. There’s just a lot of dependability with him.”

Yet no one — not the Phillies (30-29) nor the Dodgers (38-21) — had a harder game at the plate than home plate umpire Sean Barber, who had nine ABS challenges, three of which were upheld.

The Dodgers tallied 13 hits against the Phillies, and the runs followed close behind. In the second, Alex Freeland’s RBI double bounced off the center-field wall. As Philadelphia’s Justin Crawford rushed to track it down, Max Muncy sprinted around third and slid into home plate, avoiding the tag by catcher J.T. Realmuto.

Realmuto left in the bottom of the fourth inning with a left wrist contusion from a pitch that had hit him earlier in the game. He will undergo further testing, according to the team.

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Kyle Tucker took a step toward overcoming his recent struggles with a third-inning RBI single down the first-base line. The ball skidded against the dirt and deflected off the base over Bryce Harper’s head. Freddie Freeman scored.

Ryan Ward receives a sunflower seed shower from teammate Andy Pages after hitting a home run for the Dodgers on Sunday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Tucker was one for 17 at Dodger Stadium before he finally connected a hit off Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (1-6).

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“I think that speaks to not being selective enough, because he is a guy that by nature can run deep counts and still be fine getting to two strikes, but it just seems like he’s much more hyperaggressive than I recall,” Roberts said before the game. “That’s just what my eyes see. But, yeah, he’s working hard to try to work through it.”

From there, the Dodgers kept scoring.

Ryan Ward and Freeland each homered to right field. It was Ward’s first home run in his first game at Dodger Stadium. Alex Call, who pinch-hit for Ward in the fifth, also drove in two runs with an RBI single to shallow center left field.

Andy Pages scored in the sixth inning on a Freeman sacrifice fly, and Max Muncy hit a seventh-inning home run.

Bryson Stott finally put the Phillies on the board with a home run in the ninth. By then, though, the Dodgers had already wrapped the bow on Roberts’ birthday gift.

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Dodgers activate Jack Dreyer

The Dodgers activated left-handed reliever Jack Dreyer from the injured list and, in a corresponding move, optioned Paul Gervase to triple-A Oklahoma City.

Dreyer had been one of the Dodgers’ most consistent relievers before he missed 13 games with left shoulder inflammation. In 20 appearances, he held a 2.08 ERA with five earned runs and 24 strikeouts.

“Really excited to be back, obviously to do what I can to help the team,” Dreyer said. “Feeling great, so just ready to go whenever my number is called.”

Blake Snell, recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, is throwing plyo balls but is not on a throwing progression yet like closer Edwin Díaz.

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Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann explains why Commanders are poised to bounce back from disappointing season

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Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann explains why Commanders are poised to bounce back from disappointing season

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Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann, who spent his entire career with the then-Washington Redskins, is excited for the Commanders this season despite an underwhelming season last year.

Last season, the Commanders went 5-12 after making the NFC Championship in 2024. Theismann, 76, said the team ran out of gas last season as they dealt with injuries.

“It was a lot of injuries in key places last year. The defense, I think, was very susceptible in certain areas,” Theismann told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “With Bobby (Wagner) getting older now, obviously, we just sort of ran out of gas. 17 games is a lot of football games, right? I mean, that that’s a lot of wear and tear on your body. I don’t care how young you think you are, your body’s going to tell you you’re not that young.”

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Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders looks on from the sidelines after leaving the game during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., on Dec. 7, 2025. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)

The Commanders defense struggled last season, giving up 26.5 points per game, which was 27th in the NFL. The team addressed their porous defense in the NFL Draft, drafting Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with the No. 7 overall pick.

“Our number one pick is going to be something special going forward,” Theismann said. “I think we added some really great pieces on defense.”

The Commanders invested heavily in their defense. Former Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher Odafe Oweh (four-year, $100 million), former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (three-year, $24.75 million), and former Houston Texans defensive tackle Tim Settle (three-year, $24 million) were among their key free agent additions.

Star wide receiver Terry McLaurin missed the majority of the Commanders’ offseason program due to a contract holdout, and Theismann pointed out he will be an active participant in this year’s program.

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SUPER BOWL CHAMPION JOE THEISMANN WEIGHS IMPACT OF JAXSON DART-ABDUL CARTER TRUMP CONTROVERSY ON LOCKER ROOM

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles gets into position during the 2025 Cotton Bowl quarterfinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 31, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

The Commanders made a change at offensive coordinator after mutually agreeing to part ways with Kliff Kingsbury. The Commanders promoted David Blough to replace Kingsbury, and Theismann noted how the offense will be called differently.

“I think David Blough will call the games a little differently than Kliff did. A Little more play action, a little more under center. And this is what Jayden (Daniels) had a chance to work on while he was not participating in the games at the end of the season. So, he’s a little bit ahead of the curve when it comes to that as well,” Theismann said.

Daniels was limited to just seven games due to injury last season, giving him the opportunity to get a head start on a new system late in the season.

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Theismann did note that while the Commanders got better, the rest of the NFC East got better as well.

“The division itself has improved. The Giants got better. I think the coaching change makes a difference. Jaxson Dart is coming into another year. Defensively, they really didn’t play to the talent that they have,” Theismann said. “The Cowboys added defensive talent. They needed some help there. The Eagles are the Eagles; they’re not going away. I mean, everybody is trying to bust on Jalen (Hurts) and all he does is show up and do the job and win football games.”

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Former player Joe Theismann speaks during the announcement of the Washington Football Team’s name change to the Washington Commanders at FedExField in Landover, Md., on Feb. 2, 2022. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Theismann played in the NFL for 12 seasons, spending his whole career with the then-Washington Redskins. He was named the league MVP in 1983 and made the Pro Bowl twice.

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He led the Redskins to the Super Bowl in 1982, when they beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII. In his career, Theismann completed 56.7% of his passes for 25,206 yards with 160 touchdowns and 138 interceptions.

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Theismann will be competing in the American Century Championship from July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. The tournament will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

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