I got a call yesterday. Source was another coach (not at UM). Rumors like this always come through the coaching community, so I took it with a grain of salt. But he said that Golden was concerned that the 2014 team (which is feeling the effects of poor 2011 and 2012 classes) would hurt his standing. His value is high now.
There is legit smoke here. If Golden leaves, I believe the first call will be to Rob Chudzinski.
That fits perfectly with his shyster pvssy personality. He knows his recruiting classes suck so he wants to split before he gets even more exposed than he already is.
Right now, the only people who know he's a fraud are some astute UM fans, his assistant coaches, and Golden himself. If he hangs around much longer, the Ponzi bubble will burst. He doesn't appear willing to ditch his partner in crime or scrap his dilapidated busted system, so it's only a matter of time before his stock completely plummets.
Next year, he won't be able to rely on Shannon's players or, more importantly, the public's low opinion of Shannon's players as his crutch. It'll be pretty much all his own guys at that point, and the final bit of the Golden fraud (his alleged great recruiting) will be exposed. If he has half a brain he'll move on before the jig is up and he has to go into the broadcast booth after he gets shytcanned.