The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2017 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS On the heels of Michigan's disappointing home loss to Michigan State Oct. 7, grumbling about head coach Jim Harbaugh became audible on sports talk shows and message boards across the country. A popular refrain became that Harbaugh had the same record after 31 games as predecessor Brady Hoke (24-7). It may have been true, but is little more than a coin- cidence. As the chart to the right shows, Harbaugh's tenure has accomplishments Hoke's résumé lacked at the same point, and still did after four years at the helm. Harbaugh's teams have also been closer to ranked foes and rivals, not to mention more consis- tent — Hoke's tenure started with an 11-2 campaign, but declined in wins every year before bottoming out at 5-7. Let's also not forget that Harbaugh took the 5-7 squad he inherited from Hoke to 10-3 and a No. 12 national finish in the Associated Press poll. The comparison has even brought one-time critics of Harbaugh to his defense. Rivals.com national director of recruiting Mike Farrell was one who laughed off criticisms of Harbaugh after the defeat. "In a couple of years, Harbaugh will be laughing at everyone questioning his record against Michigan State and Ohio State, and he will have his team playing either in the Playoff or for a national title. And this comes from the guy who said Harbaugh could never win the big one at Michigan," he admitted. "Why do I say this? Because despite the offensive line woes and recent quarterback struggles, Harbaugh is a great coach and finds ways to motivate his team and push players to get better." Farrell went on the predict that next year or the 2019 campaign will be when Harbaugh "makes his run. Re- cruiting has been good, player development has been excellent and he has Don Brown leading the defense." A look at current coaching giants across the country also show that a championship football team isn't built in a day, or even three years. Here's a rundown of notable coaches' records through their first 32 games at the listed school (Harbaugh was 25-7 for a winning percentage of .781): Jimbo Fisher, Florida State: 24-8 (.750) Nick Saban, LSU/Alabama: 24-8 (.750) at both Brian Kelly, Notre Dame: 22-10 (.688) Dabo Swinney, Clemson: 19-13 (.594) James Franklin, Penn State: 18-14 (.563) Some will point out Ohio State's Urban Meyer went 29-3 in his first 32 games, but he didn't inherit a rebuild- ing job from a fired or retiring coach like nearly everybody else on this list. Meyer took over a team full of future pros that ousted their leader only due to NCAA violations — so that qualifies him even more to be the exception, rather than the rule. One important note on Saban's record at Alabama is that he went 2-6, then 12-2 before an undefeated 14-0 campaign in year three — but it still took time for the undisputed best coach in college football to get going. Even at LSU his tenure started off with 8-4, 10-3 and 8-5 campaigns, respectively, before breaking through for his first national crown in year four. Swinney has been to two straight national champion- ship games, but his best season in his first three years at the helm was 9-5 in year two. His record was actually 61-26 (.701 winning percentage) in his first six-plus years on the job (he took over as an interim head coach midway through the 2008 season) before rattling off back-to-back 14-1 campaigns that ended in the title game. Closer to home, Michigan State's Mark Dantonio started his tenure 19-13 in his first 32 games and 22-17 his first three years. However, starting in year four his Spartans went 73-26 with this season's 5-1 start. It all shows teams build their foundations at different paces, but one thing that's obvious is there's no telling the ceiling for a coach at a school midway through year three. However, it does become painfully clear when it's not working — like with Hoke — and that's certainly not the case with Harbaugh. — Ryan Tice Harbaugh-Hoke Comparison Requires Deeper Look Jim Harbaugh is 25-7 at Michigan through the first six games of the 2017 campaign, but that's no reason to panic. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN A look at Brady Hoke versus Jim Harbaugh, which takes into account the former head coach's entire tenure while it is through Harbaugh's sixth game coached in year three: Category Hoke Harbaugh Year 1 W-L (AP rank) 11-2 (12) 10-3 (12) Year 2 8-5 (24) 10-3 (10) Year 3 7-6 (NR) 5-1 (19)* Vs. Big Ten 18-14 (.563) 15-5 (.750)* Vs. MSU, OSU 2-6 1-4* Pt. Differential Vs. Rivals (Avg.) 171-248 (-9.6) 105-136 (-6.2)* Vs. Ranked 4-9 5-4* Pt. Differential Vs. Ranked (Avg.) 292-392 (-7.5) 225-133 (+15.8)* Bowl Record 1-2 1-1* Pt. Differential In Bowls (Avg.) 65-84 (-6.3) 73-40 (+16.5)* * After first six games of 2017