The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
FROM OUR READERS MSU's Jenison Field House by Spar- tan wide receiver Octavious Long. Needless to say, Desmond Howard and Denard Robinson scored some points. Probably the best trackman of the Michigan football players was mid-'80s reserve tailback Thomas Wilcher, one of the best high hur- dlers in the country. As the entire Wolverine Nation gleefully anticipates the start of spring football practice, we can have confidence that if there is another Rob Lytle-type player on the roster or in the recruiting pipeline, Coach Harbaugh will be able to recognize him. Lou Hoekstra Kalamazoo, Mich. If Harbaugh finds someone he can even mention in the same breath as Lytle, Lou, he'll be a happy man indeed. HARBAUGH GENERATING EXCITEMENT Dear The Wolverine: Jim Harbaugh coming to Michigan is an absolute grand-slam home run hire. He has also put together an incredible staff of proven assistants with collegiate and NFL experience. After the last two failed head coach- ing hires, Michigan needed this. RichRod was a bad fit and Brady Hoke, although a very good man, was not up to the task of running this storied program. Let us not for- get that the program began to erode in the later years of Lloyd Carr's regime. His hiring choices, includ- ing passing up Harbaugh for Scot Loeffler, led to lesser results in both recruiting and teaching. Other than Vance Bedford and Teryl Austin (who both left years before Carr did) the fruit on the Carr coaching tree is not too impressive. The good news is that the roster is filled with much more talent than when Rodriguez and Hoke took over. Hoke, Greg Mattison & Co. did a good job of re-establishing in-state recruiting as well as that in the key state of Ohio. So I think Harbaugh and staff will have a nice base to be- gin building on. Now most people will point to getting a consistent, accurate quar- terback as the key for Michigan. I am not too worried, because at all of his previous stops, Harbaugh has taken QBs that had previously struggled and turned them around. I think he will do fine with the kids on the ros- ter until he can bring in and groom his own signal-caller recruits. Both lines are key, but I believe Tim Drevno and others will put together a front to drive people off the ball. The area of biggest concern to me (and a subject of previous letters) is the fact that Michigan has had pedes- trian talent at wide receiver and run- ning back for years. They have not had a great re- ceiver since Mario Manningham, and in recent years, the wideouts get no separation. Perhaps a healthy Drake Harris or perhaps Brian Cole or one of the younger guys can take the top off of the defense. Speed should top