The University of Michigan is on the market for a new head swimming & diving coach after Mike Bottom’s retirement a few weeks ago, and it appears as though they are focusing their search on high profile associate head coaches.
Cal associate head coach Matt Bowe, Louisville associate head coach Bryon Tansel, and Arizona State associate head coach Herbie Behm have all been spotted on deck with members of the Michigan athletics administration in recent weeks.
The three are among the highest-regarded assistants in the country. Bowe has Big Ten experience thanks to five years at Ohio State. He left last season to become the associate head coach at Cal, where he was part of an NCAA Championship squad.
Among the things Bowe has to offer, he could immediately bring some big credibility to the program if Olympian Hunter Armstrong, who turned pro and followed him to Cal, returned to the midwest to train in Ann Arbor.
He also spent a year as an assistant at Indiana (2016-2017), and as an assistant head coach at nearby Eastern Michigan (2013-2016). From a regional-experience perspective, Bowe checks all of the right boxes.
While Bowe was hired as the men’s assistant coach at Cal, the program wound up combining, blurring the line between men’s and women’s staffs.
His former colleague Bryon Tansel is coming off one year as an associate head coach at Louisville. Last year, the Louisville women finished 4th and men finished 13th at the NCAA Championships.
One alumni told SwimSwam that former members of the Michigan team are in favor of hiring Bowe under the belief that it might net them a two-for-one deal: they expect that Tansel, who also spent five seasons at Ohio State, would be his first hire.
Tansel’s wife Danielle is a coach as well, having spent four years as a member of the Michigan staff – so there’s a deep connection for the Tansel family in Ann Arbor.
Behm is the youngest of the group. An Arizona State alum, Behm has the fewest regional connections. He has led the team’s sprint groups since returning to the program in 2018, and previously had stints at Utah and with the Phoenix Swim Club.
But Behm comes from an Arizona State team that, at least on the men’s side, is the hottest thing in the country – both at the pro and collegiate level. They rose all the way to 2nd place last year’s NCAA Championship meet, are home to one of the world’s top 3 swimmers Leon Marchand, and seemingly can’t-miss these days.
While we don’t know if this is the entirety of the group that Michigan is interviewing for the gig, what is noteworthy is the ages of the three: Bowe is 39, Tansel is 38, and Behm is 32. That means each has the potential to fill this position for the next few decades.
With recruiting for the class of 2025 already underway, the pressure is on Michigan to fill this position quickly to start rebuilding their roster. The hire will ultimately set off a ripple effect of movement across the country.
You want the coach that gets the results it should be Herbie Behm no question. GO BLUE!
Do universities recruit H.S. coaches? Has a H.S. coach ever made the jump to college head coach before?
Yes and no. It has happened in prior generations for sure.
More modernly, my sense is that it has only happened at the D1 level if said HS head coach was also the head club coach or in a HS program that was run more similarly to a club, ala Carmel or Bolles. Or perhaps in a case where a coach was a collegiate coach, went back to HS for a stint between jobs, and then back to college.
But then again, I can’t actually think of a modern example of this happening (because hiring club coaches for college head coaching jobs has become rare as well). Jeff Poppell, for example, went from high school head coach to associate head… Read more »
Chris Martin
Peddle and club to Florida
Gregg Troy
Bolles and club to Florida
Ahhh Troy is a good one. I was looking through old Bolles’ coaches but kept running into guys who made other stops between (Sergio, Poppel, etc). Didn’t go back far enough.
Good ID on Chris Martin too. Sort of early 90s and before, it was more common – in part because a lot of the best swimmers were HS students, so it was easier for an AD to identify a “top coach” out of a high school – especially the prep schools that were essentially run like club programs not HS programs.
OOOOOH and as I’ve been reminded, Popell went from Bolles head coach to Arkansas head coach, back to HS head coach at Gulliver Prep, then on to Florida associate.
So he’s the best modern example I would say.
Coaches don’t want their names out there that they’re interviewing for jobs. Swimmers on those teams see it too. Most coaches would rather not have to address that he/she is looking for jobs elsewhere.
I get it’s journalism, but it makes it tough on the coaches interviewing when they go back home after not getting the job.
I like to see Braden Holloway attitude when his assistants get a higher level job somewhere else. He celebrates them, so the swimmers follow the example and also celebrate it. They are family people, after all. They have mouths to feed at home. This takes priority.
I’m not talking about the head coaches perspective. The head coach should know his/her assistant is interviewing. As a head coach you should be happy that your protégée has done well enough under you that other programs are interested in them.
I’m talking about when the team finds out you’re interviewing.
That was my first thought as well.
But my second thought was, the candidates apparently agreed to tread in public spaces (including the pool deck – when the team present!) and that is problematic. For other sports, hiring at big universities doesn’t including public tours. Bit of a blunder, in my opinion. The candidates who don’t get the job have to keep coaching at their current teams.
The rumor mill does affect many who are involved. At what point does Swim Swam cross the line given so many who are affected. This affects numerous whole families who deserve some privacy during the career path search. I recognize the entertainment value of these post but there is a negative side when names are mentioned.
Ron Aitkin? Blair Bachman?
Grateful.
Mark Gangloff is rumored to have been taking a trip to Ann Arbor to talk about the job. Hope he gets it. He’s great!
Listen, just because you want him out of UNC doesn’t mean you need to send him to Michigan
I think bowe is the right man for the job. I don’t think tansel has what it takes from my experience with him.
If they were to join forces as Head and Associate, that would be a huge get for Michigan.
a buckeye even considering becoming a wolverine was NEVER a buckeye
You’re right! They just become a champion like Bo!
Agreed
This train of thought is petty and embarrassing. Our son had a wonderful experience at OSU working with Matt, and the continued success OSU has experienced is because of Matt’s recruiting efforts. The head coach job at Michigan is easily a Top 10 job in the country, and rather than say silly things like this, we should congratulate him for being considered for such a prestigious position. Do I want to win against Michigan, yes. Do I think he’s a bad person for chasing a dream of being head coach, no.
Matt…if selected, I wish you well and thank you for your efforts to lead and guide young people. Go Bucks!