The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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26 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2021 at least one 1,000-yard rusher at each of those schools except for Syracuse. The former Wolverine finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 2006, while capturing Michigan's MVP awards in 2006 and 2007. He wasn't the biggest back in terms of stature, but he never backed down from anyone. "When you're a head coach, your staff can make up for some of your deficiencies," Karsch postulated. "I think Hart is a good complement to Harbaugh, but we'll see. Ultimately, Jim needs to get back to some of that jackhammer that he showed early in his tenure at Michigan. "… He'd fire back at people who were critical of the Michigan pro- gram on Twitter. When he signed the contract extension, when that got an- nounced on Twitter, the official Twit- ter page of Ohio State liked the tweet. The official Twitter page of Michigan State football liked the tweet. "The old Jim Harbaugh would have responded on social media and let people know that's not acceptable. Now, more importantly, is to answer it on the field." Hart might boost the staff in taking people on, Karsch opined. "Hart's got a passion, man," he continued. "Sometimes that mouth has gotten him in trouble too. He did say something once that fired up a rival [the 'Little Brother' comment re- garding MSU]. Saying the right thing at the right time is something I'm go- ing to be looking for out of this staff." SAFETIES COACH GEORGE HELOW Helow stays in the Big Ten, mov- ing from his linebacker assignment at Maryland to directing Michigan's safeties. Prior to his stint with the Terrapins, he guided safeties at Colo- rado State in 2018 and 2019. He's made several high-level stops, including Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and Ole Miss. Helow (pronounced He-LOW) made it clear he's more than happy with his move within the Big Ten. "I am incredibly excited and grate- ful to be joining the Michigan foot- ball program, a school with a rich tradition and history of winning," Helow said in a released statement. "I am looking forward to developing great players who are also upstand- ing citizens. This is an outstanding opportunity to work with coach Jim Harbaugh, one of the best in the busi- ness, and the great coaching staff that he has assembled at Michigan. I can't wait to get to work. Go Blue!" Helow's Colorado State secondary became the seventh-best nationally in pass yards allowed in 2019. It gave up only 181.6 yards per game, on average. His varied experiences with other top programs include serving as a grad assistant on the national-cham- pion Florida State squad in 2013 that finished third nationally in total de- fense. He also interned on the defensive side of the ball at Alabama a year earlier, for a crew that allowed 10.9 points per game and secured a na- tional title. Georgia also finished with a top-20 defense in both his years on staff. "If the defense has been turned over to Mike Macdonald, and this is who Mike Macdonald wanted, I'm all for it," Karsch said. "I'm always intrigued to see what the defensive coordinator has to say about the guys on the staff and what stood out about them. "The emphasis goes back to the Jimmys and Joes more than the X's and O's. This offseason looks like it's one to recalibrate the recruiting." WIDE RECEIVERS COACH RON BELLAMY Bellamy never strayed far from Michigan, after graduating in 2003 with 67 catches and eight touch- downs. He launched himself into high school coaching and took West Bloomfield to the top this year, winning the state championship in Class A. Harbaugh noted: "Ron is a high- character individual as well as an outstanding coach and mentor. He displays a lot of energy and enthu- siasm for teaching and developing young men, and has created lasting relationships with his players. We are excited to welcome Ron and his wife, New safeties coach George Helow has been a position coach at Maryland and Colorado State, and got his start by working as a graduate assistant at Georgia, Alabama and Florida State, helping the latter two win national titles during his tenure. PHOTO COURTESY MARYLAND ATHLETICS