After successive swings and misses, Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon decided to choke up and hit the soft ground ball to the right side. Per the New York Times:
Michigan stayed within its football family Tuesday by handing its head coaching job to a former assistant, Brady Hoke, who led San Diego State to a 9-4 record this season.
Hoke, 52, coached defensive linemen at Michigan from 1995 to 2002 under Lloyd Carr, and he is considered a strong recruiter, not only attracting Midwestern talent to Michigan but also working hard to get players from California. He coached Ball State for six seasons before moving on to San Diego State for the past two. His combined record is 47-51, but led a revival of both programs.
Admittedly it's hard to blame Miles for passing on Michigan. After all, despite being in an easier conference, why make the move to an inferior program that needs a complete rebuild, especially when the school is located in a state that is literally rusting away further with each passing day? Even so, give Miles credit for saying no. He's nearing 60 now, and this was almost certainly his last chance to go home. For better or for worse, he is an LSU man now.
For Michigan, this isn't necessarily a bad hire, but it's hardly an inspiring one given all of the adversity that program faces at the moment. Hoke may fit the "Michigan Man" mold, but he has never been anything more than a position coach at a BCS conference school, and he also came very close to getting fired at lowly Ball State before Nate Davis exploded onto the scene. The Michigan fans are in miniature meltdown mode over the hire, and it's hard to overly blame.
Oh well, I'll take that as positive note, Michigan as a whole has long been a fan base in great need of a serious reconsideration of their importance, influence and stature. Count me as someone glad to see that day of reckoning has finally arrived.