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FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt claims Michigan ‘better with Jim Harbaugh’

Dave Holcomb

By Dave Holcomb

Published:

There was a lot of noise in September that suggested Jim Harbaugh was on his last legs at Michigan. But after the Wolverines have rallied to win six of the last seven, the narrative has completely changed — at least for Joel Klatt.

The FOX commentator defended Harbaugh and his tenure at Michigan after the Wolverines routed the Michigan State Spartans, 44-10, on Saturday. Klatt started his defense of Harbaugh by claiming “Michigan is better” with him as head coach.

“Look at what Michigan was before his stint here, whether it was Rich Rodriguez or Brady Hoke, they were a non-factor, largely a non-factor, each and every year,” Klatt said. “They had four or five or six losses year in and year out. Rich Rodriguez was an unmitigated disaster here at the University of Michigan. Brady Hoke wasn’t much better. He got worse every single year as far as number of wins.

“Yet here we are with Jim Harbaugh, and yes, I understand, you want championships, and I think, eventually, you’ll get there. But it takes some time, and it takes some patience, with where the program was and where Ohio State was and trying to close that gap.”

The Wolverines have won at least eight games in all five of Harbaugh’s seasons, and they’ve reached 10 wins three times. Michigan can still reach 10 wins this season if it wins its final two regular season games or one of those contests and a bowl game.

Under Rodriguez and Hoke, Michigan reached 10 wins only one time in seven years. Harbaugh may not be meeting championship expectations, but the Wolverines are indeed better with him than they were before he arrived.

Here is Klatt’s full video:

Dave Holcomb