All of what you say sounds reasonable , but this is his profession and to shy away from the biggest of the big time would be weak . If he could go there and turn that defense into a championship unit , he would have unlimited options for his future .When you've got all the money you need, why sacrifice your quality of life for a little more by working 80 hour weeks under a miserable character?
College football's a kind of sad enterprise.
I'm sure Shafer's going to want to coach again, and he'll probably be wise enough to avoid that kind of high-profile headache.
Yes, he learned a lot when he took the job as the DC of Michigan under Rich Rod. His next job will be as a DC under someone he has worked with before, or I could see him taking a job as a HC at a smaller school.