Josh Pate predicts next Michigan HC, and it’s not Kalen DeBoer

With Sherrone Moore fired and dealing with legal issues, the Michigan Wolverines football program is in search of a new head coach. Wide speculation is that Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer could be the man for the job. However, college football analyst Josh Pate has another name in mind.

During a guest appearance on “The Up and Adams Show,” with Kay Adams, Pate predicted that Michigan could hire Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham. Ultimately, Pate does not believe DeBoer will leave Alabama, and that it opens up an opportunity for the Wolverines to pursue and potentially hire Dillingham.

“My feel, is that [Michigan] will not land him. My feel is that Kalen DeBoer is not going to leave Alabama,” said Josh Pate. “So, if I’m right about that, where do they go next?.. There is a guy at Arizona State named Kenny Dillingham who has done [more with less] with that roster. Who has been great at developing quarterbacks, who is the proper combination of like, really, really fresh, new-world progressive thoughts and football, but also really, really intense.”

Next Michigan HC? CFB Expert Josh Pate has his eyes on one name:

Kenny Dillingham @JoshPateCFB | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/L7moCMaMuH

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) December 12, 2025

Pate argues that Dillingham is a coach who could excel at a bigger football program after showing how much he’s improved Arizona State in just three years. A school like Michigan would be one of those programs that gives the 35-year-old head coach all of the ammunition he would need to recruit some of the best high school players and transfers in the nation.

Kenny Dillingham served as an offensive coordinator for a number of years at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State, and Oregon before being hired as the Arizona State head coach in 2023. Under Dillingham, the Sun Devils have gone 22-16 in the past three seasons. The team reached the College Football Playoff in the 2024-25 campaign as the No. 4 seed.

Only time will tell what the Wolverines plan to do. There is a chance Michigan pursues Kalen DeBoer, but if what Josh Pate is saying is true, then the University may have to pivot. And pivoting to Kenny Dillingham has the potential of being a slam dunk hire.

The post Josh Pate predicts next Michigan HC, and it’s not Kalen DeBoer appeared first on ClutchPoints.