The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/447116
"That Harbaugh has NFL experience, and that what high-level recruits want more than anything is a coach who can provide them with a path to the NFL, the way Harbaugh's longtime foil Pete Carroll did during his time at USC. That Harbaugh is a prideful man, and that his loyalty to Michigan will be rekindled and manifest itself in maniacal ways, and that he will galvanize an alumni base that has become dispirited and lost the arrogant self-assuredness that made a Michigan Man a Michigan Man in the first place. "I would be excited about the prospect of Harbaugh as the new Bo Schem- bechler, a fiery spirit who will go straight at [Urban] Meyer and [James] Franklin and [Mark] Dantonio, who will pick fights with them both overtly and covertly, who will hire smart people with good ideas, and who will work his ass off to drag Michigan football into the 21st century. I would be excited at the prospect of Harbaugh cutting through the woe; at the notion of a fresh start under the best possible coaching candidate on the market; at the idea that Michigan is not really that far away; and at the possibility of rubbing it in to haters like me who insist on prematurely eulogizing a program that ain't dead yet." Pat Caputo, Digital First Media: "Harbaugh is worth it. The Harbaugh hiring could fall under the classic example of Michigan's faithful getting ahead of themselves. You know, like they do on every national signing day. The Wolverines don't get an automatic pass into the Big Ten championship game by hiring Harbaugh, let alone a national title. Ohio State and Michigan State have accomplished things Michigan has only dreamed about in recent years. Urban Meyer and Mark Dantonio have well- established programs in place and are obviously formidable. "But there is little question Harbaugh will present a strong challenge. What he did at Stanford, under far more difficult circumstances, was just short of miracu- lous. Michigan returns most of its starters on both sides of the ball. That can be good or bad, but is likely good in this case. It's not like these players weren't highly regarded before arriving in Ann Arbor. "For example, Michigan has many highly-rated running backs and offensive line- men, yet has not been able to run the football with any degree of effectiveness. Harbaugh turned Toby Gerhart into a Heisman Trophy candidate at Stanford and developed a top offensive line. He turned the 49ers from a soft team, both physi- cally and emotionally, into an exceptionally tough one overnight. The 49ers hadn't had a winning season since 2002, and all of a sudden, they featured a roster of full of Pro Bowlers. "That's a sign Harbaugh is outstanding at developing players. Harbaugh was an excellent quarterback in his own right at Michigan and in the NFL, and has coached the position well in both the college and NFL ranks. Michigan will move into modern football and have a top quarterback, probably sooner instead of later, under Harbaugh, despite what looks like iffy choices personnel-wise at this stage. It's perhaps Harbaugh's greatest strength."