Ad Disclosure
Kirk Herbstreit says Jim Harbaugh still the right man for the job at Michigan: ‘I don’t know how you would ever want another coach’
Published:
The topic of Jim Harbaugh’s job security always seems to be an area of conversation heading into each college football season. Even during a unique year like 2020, the discussion about the head coaching situation in Michigan is still relevant.
Harbaugh has been successful during his five seasons in Ann Arbor, hitting the 10-win mark three times, reaching a bowl game each season and never winning fewer than eight games. Most programs would love to have that consistency. But failing to beat Ohio State and play for a B1G title has been a knock against Harbaugh, entering his sixth season this fall.
For Kirk Herbstreit, the talk about Michigan looking for a new head coach, or Harbaugh being on the hot seat, is nonsensical.
“I don’t buy into the fans that think, you know, ‘Let’s get rid of him,’ or, you know, ‘He’s on the hot seat,’ or ‘We need to bring in somebody else,’” Herbstreit said, according to MLive.com. “If Jim Harbaugh can’t win at Michigan, who can? I don’t know how you would ever want another coach to coach there other than Jim Harbaugh.
“Are they close? Yes. It is frustrating? Obviously. Do they want to beat Ohio State? Yes. Do they want to get into the playoff? Absolutely.”
Over five seasons, Michigan has won 47 games and consistently been near the top in the recruiting rankings. They have all the pieces to take the next step as a program, but have failed to do so thus far. Herbstreit says quarterback play is a big reason why.
“I still think he’s building a program,” Herbstreit said. “I still think he’s got to get the quarterback play up to par to be able to really go to that next level. I mean, if you look around at Clemson and Alabama and Oklahoma and Ohio State and Georgia, and all these teams, I mean there’s one think they all seem to have is quarterback play that kind of takes them to a different level. And I think Michigan’s kind of been searching since he’s been there.”
Michigan will begin its quest for its first B1G title under Harbaugh on Oct. 24, when it takes on Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB