The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/998618
THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 11 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Kareem Walker, Kekoa Crawford Reportedly Transferring Though Michigan had not yet con- firmed as of June 11, redshirt sophomore running back Kareem Walker and junior receiver Kekoa Crawford were report- edly no longer on the team and set to transfer, WTOL-11 Toledo reported in early June. The two had been the subject of rumors for several days before sports anchor Jordan Strack reported the news. Crawford notched 21 receptions for 290 yards and two scores in two years with the program, never quite living up to his four-star status out of Rancho Santa Margarita (Cali.) High. Walker struggled with injuries and didn't make much of an impact. The for- mer four-star out of Wayne (N.J.) DePaul carried only 20 times for 68 yards and a touchdown in five games played. "He's coming along," running backs coach Jay Harbaugh said of Walker dur- ing spring practice. "Thus far, we've all been pretty happy with his performance this spring. He's competing. He's doing the best he can." It appears now he'll be competing for someone else in the future. — Chris Balas E very coach's fourth season with a school is important. It's viewed as a make-or- break year that athletic directors use to de- termine a program's future if a team hasn't yet had success under a coach. Michigan has earned some accolades under current mentor Jim Harbaugh, who enters his fourth year at the helm this fall, but expectations are still high. Through three seasons, Harbaugh has matched the win total that legendary coach Bo Schembechler had in his first three sea- sons at U-M (28). He's also just one win behind Lloyd Carr, whose third season was a perfect 12-0 record in 1997. Schembechler and Carr enjoyed strong fourth years, both earning 10 wins, Big Ten titles and finishing in the top 12 of the Asso- ciated Press poll. Gary Moeller had an aver- age year at 8-4, but still finished at No. 21. Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez have been the two coaches since Schembechler that have been disappointments. Rodriguez never even made it to a fourth year after be- ing let go following a 7-6 campaign in 2010. Hoke recorded fewer wins in each of his four years, finishing with a poor 5-7 record in his fourth and final year at Michigan. Harbaugh has never coached more than four years at any school or for any NFL team. He was at San Diego for three seasons before leaving for Stanford. With the Cardi- nal, he went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl in his fourth season, finishing No. 4 in the nation. In Harbaugh's fourth year with the San Francisco 49ers, the team went 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the only time under the coach. That came after three consecutive trips to the NFC championship game — and one Super Bowl berth. — Andrew Vailliencourt Fourth Year Is Always Important For Football Coaches, And Jim Harbaugh Is No Different Jim Harbaugh matched Bo Schembechler with 28 wins in his first three seasons as U-M's head coach, and will need to rack up 10 victories in 2018 to keep pace with his former mentor. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS How Previous Michigan Coaches Have Fared In Year Four Coach Year Record Final AP Rank Back For Fifth Year? Bo Schembechler 1972 10-1 6 Yes Gary Moeller 1993 8-4 21 Yes Lloyd Carr 1998 10-3 12 Yes Rich Rodriguez N/A N/A N/A No Brady Hoke 2014 5-7 Unranked No Jim Harbaugh 2018 TBD TBD TBD Junior receiver Kekoa Crawford is re- portedly leaving the program after haul- ing in 17 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown last fall. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL