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Michigan football: Give Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh due respect for 6-0 start
By Adam Biggers
Published:
On Dec. 30, 2014, Michigan football entered a new era by calling home a former legend.
He was a son of Michigan.
The favorite.
The only choice to lead an ailing program.
Five days after Christmas 2014, the Wolverines received the biggest gift they’ve had in decades: Jim Harbaugh publicly announced that he’d take over as head coach of the football team.
In 2015, the former star QB and local boy done-good assumed his rightful throne in Ann Arbor, guiding the Wolverines to a 10-3 season and decisive bowl win over Florida. In 2016, he had the Wolverines on the doorstep of fortune, just a win away from consideration for the College Football Playoff.
The loss at Iowa, not the loss to Ohio State, cost Michigan a trip to football’s Final Four.
That was his second year. People forget that more than anything. They focus on his futility against Ohio State (0-5), ranked teams, and the series vs. Michigan State (3-3). They don’t pay proper respect to a coach who’s won at least 9 games in 4 of 6 full-schedule seasons.
Forget 2-5 in 2020. Hopefully, Harbaugh has done that much by now. That wasn’t his finest hour, by any means.
Real Wolverines football under Harbaugh is what was put on the field in 2015, 2016 and early parts of the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The lack of postseason and end-0f-season wins have had some barking for Harbaugh’s head, demanding that UM find another leader.
But then Harbaugh rebounds.
This year, No. 8-ranked Michigan (6-0) looks like a team from the beginning of the Harbaugh era. Everything about this year’s squad can be compared to the early years.
Cade McNamara, at quarterback, is a game manager like Iowa transfer Jake Rudock was in 2015. At his best, McNamara touches levels reminiscent of Wilton Speight, who was 13-3 as a starter and the lead man on the 2016 almost-CFP team. Both adequate QBs. Not superstars. But adequate.
Michigan has a defense that could very well end up ranked among the top 10 by season’s end. It might not have Rashan Gary and Chris Wormley, or Devin Bush and Jourdan Lewis, but this year’s defense has star power and has held opposing teams to minimal gains. When it comes to scoring defense, the Wolverines are No. 9 in the nation, giving up 15.5 points per game.
Yeah, the Buckeyes have beat up on Harbaugh’s Wolverines. Michigan still needs to find a way to get the best of Ohio State. At this point, it’s almost sad, yet comical at the same time.
However, he’s getting a hold on the series with MSU. Under Harbaugh, MSU probably won’t go on 4-game winning streaks, equaling its longest streak in program history, and post an 8-2 record in a decade like it did with Mark Dantonio.
Earlier this week, Saturday Tradition columnist Ryan O’Gara wrote that Michigan AD Warde Manuel made a wise investment in Harbaugh.
And that’s true.
However, it goes a little deeper than that.
Harbaugh’s presence brought the Jordan Brand to Michigan, which, at its inception, was a $173 million, 11-year agreement. The impact on recruiting and branding has been mind-boggling, and not only for the football program — the basketball program has benefited from the partnership with His Airness’s wing of Nike.
Sometimes it gets a bit old, but Michigan’s tradition under former coach Bo Schembechler never fades in the distance. Harbaugh was Bo’s prodigal son. The Wolverines, during the early-to-mid 1980s, were considered as one of the country’s premier programs. Harbaugh was the QB that ABC’s Keith Jackson talked about every weekend.
Harbaugh brings more than coaching prowess, he brings nostalgia.
Logical or not, that heritage carries weight in Ann Arbor.
So, it’s not a surprise that the pressure and expectations have been through the roof. Harbaugh was supposed to a savior.
He hasn’t reached the pinnacle of college football, but he hasn’t necessarily hid in the shadows during the past 7 years. Again, a trio of 10-win seasons, and a 9-win year, aren’t anything to dismiss — those results are on par with (insert legendary UM coach name here).
The fact that Michigan started the season way off the Associated Press’s radar, and has now risen to No. 8, is proof positive of Harbaugh’s efforts and ability to guide a program. UM can be discarded, written off and forgotten, but Harbaugh has somehow found ways to keep the Wolverines in the national conversation.
He’s ditched the Hollywood-style recruiting galas. He’s done away with commercials for fast cars. He hasn’t been spotted shirtless in years. He’s basically blended in with the rest of his colleagues. He’s no longer a gimmick.
Harbaugh is the right coach for Michigan. There is no debating that. His results and progress rival that any of his predecessors. There isn’t a coach in the nation who would have carried out duties better than Harbaugh.
He hasn’t won the Big Ten. He missed on the CFP in 2016. But through 6 weeks, he has the Wolverines at No. 8 in the nation and in the Big Ten championship conversation. Michigan hasn’t faded into the unknown; it’s actually more recognized than it’s been in the past 20 years.
“Fire Harbaugh,” right?
Adam Biggers brings his expertise on the Michigan beat to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.