After firing head football coach Rich Rodriguez, Athletic Director David Brandon officially opened the Michigan football program's second coaching search in three years.

And with the high-profile, highly popular candidate Jim Harbaugh likely off to the NFL, the Wolverines are looking at a short list of coaching candidates.

Here's a short list of possible candidates for Michigan's newly vacant coaching position:

Brady Hoke, San Diego State

Why Michigan would want him: Hoke seems to be the name on everyone's radar as far as Michigan's head coaching position goes. He's definitely a "Michigan Man," having coached under Lloyd Carr as his defensive line coach and associate head coach from 1995-2002. Hoke took two relatively irrelevant teams in Ball State and San Diego State and transformed them into competitive teams. The Aztec coach loves defense, and would bring a defensive mind to Ann Arbor. He also employs a spread offense, which would mean less of an adjustment from Rodriguez's system to the new scheme. It's also a breath of fresh air that Hoke has spoken on end about wanting to coach the Wolverines at some point in his career.

Why Michigan wouldn't want him: Hoke doesn't exactly unite a fan base like Harbaugh would have, and the reaction around Ann Arbor seems lukewarm at best when it comes to hiring the San Diego State coach. Hoke hasn't really done that much as far as his coaching pedigree goes — he's just 47-50 in his career. The jump from San Diego State to Michigan is a pretty hefty one, and Brandon may be better off hiring a more proven coach, especially after the Rodriguez experiment kind of blew up in Michigan's face.

Likelihood that he's Michigan's next coach: Tough to tell. There's no reason why Hoke wouldn't take the Michigan job, having turned down the Minnesota job a few weeks ago and speaking publicly on his hopes of coaching the Wolverines. Brandon made it clear that the coach should be a proven one, preferably from a better pedigree. However, until any other names come out of the woodwork, Hoke looks to be the favorite.

Les Miles, LSU

Why Michigan would want him: Former Athletic Director Bill Martin wanted Miles and he wanted him badly when the Wolverines were looking to find a vacant coaching spot in 2008. Miles has won a national championship, and he's a "Michigan Man" by any definition of the phrase, having played and coached in Ann Arbor. Miles is an inventive play-caller to say the least, and his defenses at LSU have always been the strength of the team. Giving him a quarterback like Denard Robinson could open up his playbook in very exciting ways. Miles is also a notably good recruiter.

Why Michigan wouldn't want him: He may be an inventive play-caller, but he's also made a lot of head-scratching calls as coach at LSU. There's a reason they call him "The Mad Hatter," and Miles could cause an awful lot of heart attacks in Ann Arbor. A great deal of people think Miles is overrated, and they may be right. For a program that's having an awful lot of problems with gaining support, Miles could anger a lot of fans and higher-ups, and for Brandon, that might not be worth the risk.

Likelihood that he's Michigan's next coach: A decent shot. If Miles is willing to leave the Bayou, then Brandon would probably jump at the chance to hire his fellow Schembechler product. Michigan fans seem to be pretty leery about Miles, especially after he spurned the University and made the Wolverines into a laughingstock the last time around. We won't know anything until after Miles' bowl game on Friday, but Michigan would probably take him if he's willing to move.

Gary Patterson, Texas Christian

Why Michigan would want him: Patterson is fresh off a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin, and he'll probably be one of the hottest commodities in the country after his Horned Frogs finished the 2010 season undefeated. Patterson is a defensive-minded coach — one of the most respected on that side of the ball — who will surely garner some respect from his players, and the work he's done at TCU is hard to ignore. Michigan's job could be an impressive next step for Patterson, where he'd get a few more shots at beating Big Ten teams, like he did in the Rose Bowl.

Why Michigan wouldn't want him: Not much.