The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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20 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2021 to new coordinator Mike Macdonald. Macdonald was purportedly on his way to becoming the next DC of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, but head coach John Harbaugh recommended him to brother Jim. Now, Macdonald will look to pull together a defense that yielded 34.5 points per game last season. He's do- ing so with one defensive staff hold- over — line coach Shaun Nua. New- comers consist of defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale, safeties coach and Michigan football alum Ron Bellamy, and linebackers coach George Helow. On the offensive side of the ball, third-year coordinator Josh Gattis incorporates another U-M football alum, Mike Hart, as a running backs coach. Hart joins new quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss and holdovers Jay Harbaugh (special teams coordinator/ tight ends coach) and Sherrone Moore, who moved from coaching tight ends to taking over the entire offensive line. Harbaugh insists he loves sitting in the offensive and defensive meet- ing rooms, hearing how his new staff interacts. He's observed extensive input from the new coaches, and the staff analysts as well. He likes his quarterback situation, where redshirt freshman Cade Mc- Namara emerged from spring ball the team's No. 1. True freshman J.J. McCarthy will remain in hot pursuit and will play early, Harbaugh noted. Plus, redshirt sophomore transfer Alan Bowman from Texas Tech will inject some big-time college football experience as a challenger. This situation definitely looks up- graded from the start of last season, where the two top contenders are now out of the program and McNamara hadn't seen the field. But like with every other position, there are projec- tions, observations, hopes and dreams. Then there's what happens on Sat- urday afternoons in the fall. That's a dichotomy Harbaugh recognized in Indianapolis as a major part of Michigan's climb. Asked about pressure, the coach spoke of channeling it into action. "For better or worse, whether it's a blessing or a curse, you have that gene in you," he said. "You've got to do your best, you've got to give your best at all times. Eventually, you've got to be the best. "We're capable of that. There are other coaches that have that blessing or curse as well. I'm seeing them on our staff. Guys that have to get that done. And players … there's a lot of guys. You feel it." Harbaugh insists he felt it from the first day of spring football this year. He knows many onlookers are in a show-me state of mind. He said his team showed him quickly in 2021. "I've heard other guys talk about energy, and what it's been like this offseason," Harbaugh said. "Maybe it was that they didn't have football, didn't have spring ball the year before. "Maybe it is the pressure. Maybe they want to get to the top. Maybe they've got that deep desire to be the best. All those things, maybe, but when that practice was over, and I was standing in front of the team, I go, 'You guys noticed that, right? I mean, that was different. That felt different. That was awesome, right? You know you did, right?' "And they were like, 'Yeah, we did.' Okay, let's bottle that. Let's put that in the copier machine and come back two days from now when our next practice is, and let's do it again." Harbaugh insisted the Wolverines went through 15 practices like that. The enthusiasm, he said, continued into Michigan's summer cycle. Now, a major part of the puzzle remains. "I feel like we've won half the bat- tle," he said, when asked how close the Wolverines are to getting where they want to be. "Now we've got to win the second half of the battle. "I always look at an offseason that way. The offseason is half the battle. You've got to win that. You've got to get your best possible team you can into training camp. Then you go about winning the second half of the battle." JIMMIES, JOES AND A SCENE EVERYONE KNOWS The head coach didn't only wax philosophical. There were some nuts and bolts involved. He dubbed red- shirt junior guard Chuck Filiaga as experiencing the best summer of all offensive linemen thus far, even though he's still in a battle to hold onto his starting job. Redshirt fresh- man Trevor Keegan emerged from spring ball No. 1 at left guard. Harbaugh noted freshman offen- sive lineman Zak Zinter could move into the center spot, held last season (and possibly this year) by fifth-year senior Andrew Vastardis. Harbaugh noted if Zinter made that move from guard, redshirt junior Andrew Stue- ber could move from right tackle to guard, and redshirt freshman Trente New defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is one of the headliners from Harbaugh's offsea- son overhaul of his coaching staff. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS