ANN ARBOR, Mich. — No one wants to hear it, not anymore. And frankly, no one at Michigan is in position to say it.
The next bright quarterback prospect? The next aggressive defensive scheme? The next group of promising assistants? Yep, they’re all here again, but without the requisite fanfare. So is Jim Harbaugh, and so is judgment time.
Some will say judgment time has long passed, and after six seasons without a Big Ten title or a victory over Ohio State, Harbaugh is borrowing time. By previous standards, he’d likely be gone. Last year’s 2-4 disaster could’ve been the end, except Harbaugh — like many in the sports world — was graded on the pandemic curve. The Wolverines lost players to opt-outs, lost quarterbacks to injury, and the defense seemingly lost faith in coordinator Don Brown.
Harbaugh hasn’t said much since, but has done plenty. Brown and four other assistants were broomed. Program bluebloods such as Mike Hart and Ron Bellamy were hired to invigorate the staff. A quarterback, Cade McNamara, was anointed, and he seems as sharp and hopeful as those before him, many of whom struggled.
Betting on himself
This is Harbaugh’s latest — possibly last — chance to reinvent himself and his program, and when he accepted a new contract that sliced his base salary in half, he pushed in all his chips. No need for bluffing or blustering, because it’s clear. AD Warde Manuel gave Harbaugh the opening to leave on his own when his contract expired, perhaps back to the NFL, and he declined.
I respect Harbaugh’s desire to see it through, no matter the odds. I think a good coach and leader still lurks inside him. Whether through arrogance, stubbornness or unforeseen misfortune, Harbaugh lost his way and perhaps his drive. He basically admitted it by hiring a batch of under-40 coaches, including first-time defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, 34, and the buzzword during training camp was “energy.”
That’s partly what Harbaugh and his team have lacked since winning 10 games three of his first four seasons. Although he’s a respectable 49-22 overall, the Wolverines are 11-10 since late 2018, and the losses to Ohio State have been embarrassing.
A lot is different with this team, personnel-wise, scheme-wise, hype-wise. The Wolverines generally are picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten East. The question yet to be answered: Is anything really different, and does Harbaugh know what he has?
“You’re a seasoned vet, I think you know the answer to that,” he said to this seasoned vet Monday. “I think we have a very good team. And then you have to play the game to find out exactly where you’re at.”
The games begin Saturday, and while Michigan is a 17-point favorite against Western Michigan, is anyone confident it’ll be a breeze? The Broncos have a prolific quarterback in Kaleb Eleby and an aggressive defense. From there, the schedule ratchets quickly, with Washington coming to Ann Arbor next.
(Under) center stage
I think when Harbaugh returned to his alma mater, he believed his own glossy reputation, and why wouldn’t he? He resurrected Stanford, reached the Super Bowl with the 49ers and was hotly coveted. He misjudged two things — Ohio State’s enduring power and his own ability to mold quarterbacks.
Oh, Harbaugh knows how to collect quarterbacks and how to put together good recruiting classes. Developing that talent has been the issue. Three former Michigan quarterbacks — Joe Milton (Tennessee), Brandon Peters (Illinois) and Dylan McCaffrey (Northern Colorado) — are starting elsewhere. He has two more — touted freshman J.J. McCarthy and Texas Tech transfer Alan Bowman — on his roster. In six seasons, the only quarterback to reach his potential was Harbaugh’s first, Jake Rudock. Wilton Speight and Shea Patterson popped at times, but not consistently.
McNamara is a rarity, an actual Harbaugh recruit who stuck around and won the job. He has a bit of Harbaugh flair in him, self-assured and hungry to lead. He’s from Reno, Nevada, so he knows a bit about gambling. Maybe he’s different. If he is, Michigan has a chance, because the quarterback position is the riddle Harbaugh somehow, stunningly, hasn’t figured out.
“Last season was very upsetting” McNamara said. “And I think we've done enough this offseason to, for sure, set up a season that's going to be different. … You mentioned a different culture, and yeah, I definitely feel like I've contributed to that part of the team.”
There are reasons for modest confidence. McNamara completed 61% of his passes, with five touchdowns and no interceptions in four games before getting hurt. Four of five offensive-line starters return. Three of the top four receivers return. Three running backs — Hassan Haskins, Blake Corum, five-star freshman Donovan Edwards — should make an impact.
The defense has Aidan Hutchinson, Daxton Hill, Josh Ross and a lot of unknowns. After a few years of landing prized recruits and raising expectations, this is the most critical test for Harbaugh. Michigan hasn’t matched the big boys with pure talent, so why not try to win the old-fashioned way? You know, with a pounding run game, efficient quarterback play, team chemistry and discipline.
“Last year wasn’t really Michigan football,” receiver Mike Sainristil said. “Of course I’m not happy we had a losing season, but it was a reality check for us.”
You could argue too much weight is being placed on a crazy, shortened season, and you’d be right. Except that issues surfaced the previous year, when Michigan went 9-4 and got clobbered by Wisconsin, Ohio State and Alabama. A lot of supposed power programs would lose those games, but the outcomes have gotten lopsided.
The 27-24 home loss to Michigan State last season, in Mel Tucker’s debut, shattered the narrative. Too many blips add up to something more. Harbaugh has made no excuses or promises, and by signing the scaled-down contract, he bet on himself.
At 57, he’s slimmed down and seemingly fired up, joking he’s back to his playing weight. He has stated he’s not afraid of being fired, and a few weeks ago, he handled the pressure question deftly.
“I kind of feed on it,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not my first time being in a pressure situation. It’s life-giving energy to me. I mean, I kind of thrive in that situation.”
He’ll have to thrive to survive, and that’s how it should be. He can say it, but he has to do it. With a nasty schedule, most have Michigan pegged for 7-5 or 8-4. The theory is, Harbaugh has two years to straighten this out, but a record of 7-5 or worse could crush that theory, especially if the Buckeyes slap another 50-plus on them.
Harbaugh is determined to show he has the energy and drive to pull it off. In a video after a recent practice, he was seen pushing a weight sled, legs churning as players cheered. It was a flashback to the manic, hands-on coach, the one Michigan hired. He covered the 10 yards in about 10 seconds, suggesting he’s of sound body, implying he’s of sound mind.
“That's just inspiring for our team to see Coach do that, and we're not taking weight off the sled, either,” McNamara said. “You know that’ll get the boys fired up for sure. That's always something that's been obvious to me, the amount he cares about this team and the amount he cares about winning.”
Harbaugh’s competitiveness rarely was questioned, until the Wolverines’ meek performances the past couple of years. It became an issue as he seemed too comfortable, too willing to recoil from the fray. He doesn’t need to snipe at other programs, rail at officials or radically change college football. He needs to develop a quarterback and let his young assistants connect with players.
No, Harbaugh wasn’t ultimately judged on last season’s chaos. He will be now.
