The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1451622
18 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2022 selves what it was like covering a Harbaugh-coached team. Some even wrote columns the day after the an- nouncement encouraging the Vikings owners to reconsider after reportedly deciding on Los Angeles Rams of- fensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell as their guy. "Fortune favors the brave, they say. The Vikings ultimately weren't brave enough to roll the dice on a guy who has generated plenty of sevens (when sevens are good)," ProFootballTalk. com's Mike Florio wrote. "Instead, they're opting for the predictable un- predictable, plucking the latest prod- uct from the Sean McVay assembly line and hoping that a guy who never was a head coach (and who never has called plays) will be able to ef- fectively do a job he has never done. "Meanwhile, Harbaugh has been an effective head coach for. FOR NINETEEN YEARS. "I would have hired Harbaugh. If it didn't work, there would have been the next flavor-of-the-month, lather-rinse-repeat, cookie-cutter can- didate from one of the Super Bowl teams. Like there is every year." There's a chance O'Connell will work out just fine, of course. But in passing on Harbaugh, national radio host Rich Eisen noted, the franchise missed out on the only coach in his- tory to make the Super Bowl and the College Football Playoff. Time will tell soon enough if they'll regret that decision. ONWARD WITH 'AN ENTHUSIASM UNKNOWN TO MANKIND' But Minnesota's loss is Michigan's gain, and Harbaugh made it clear com- ing back that he was "all in." He texted some of the same people he told he was probably leaving just a day earlier to let them know he was headed back to Ann Arbor "with an enthusiasm un- known to mankind," his trademark phrase. Michigan — a program with great tradition, coming off a No. 3 national finish and Big Ten title — isn't a con- solation prize. Harbaugh knows that better than anyone. It's in his blood. He played for Bo Schembechler, was a ball boy before that and never forgot his roots, even when he coached the 49ers. He made that clear with Albom. "Sure, the Super Bowl is the greatest prize in our sport," he said. "But win- ning a national championship … that's pretty darn great. Let's do that. "There was a pull to the NFL because I got that close to the Super Bowl, but this was the time [to try and return]. And this is the last time. Now, let's go chase college football's greatest prize." He got started by finishing his staff, replacing two coordinators, and as- signing duties. He was also quickly on the phone with recruits and their parents, preparing for the Feb. 21 start of spring ball while settling back into the job many Michigan fans hope will be his last stop. As Schembechler once said, "No man is bigger than the team," and Michigan football would have perse- vered had he left. But that day is no longer imminent, wrapping up one of the program's more unique chapters of the last sev- eral decades. ❏ Michigan's 2022 Coaching Staff Jim Harbaugh, head coach Sherrone Moore, co-offensive coordinator/offensive line Matt Weiss, co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Ron Bellamy, wide receivers Mike Hart, run game coordinator/running backs Grant Newsome, tight ends Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale, co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs Mike Elston, recruiting coordinator/defensive line Jay Harbaugh, special teams coordinator/safeties George Helow, linebackers Harbaugh told the Detroit Free Press' Mitch Albom that his players welcomed him back at Michigan with open arms. "Whenever one of us wants to explore going to the NFL, you sup- port us and wish us well. And if we look at it and we come back, you're thrilled, and we get right back to work,'" Harbaugh said of his players' message. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN