Coach Harbaugh wants to coach at Michigan next year (MLive article)
Title sums up a portion of the article. Coach Harbaugh gave a recent radio interview and indicated he wants to coach at Michigan next year.
https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2020/12/jim-harbaugh-wants-to-remain-michigans-football-coach.html
December 15th, 2020 at 12:33 PM ^
I'm gonna go ahead and take cuts here.
IDGAF what he wants at this point, you know what I want?
A coach who looks like he gives a fuck and not checked out. Do a more equitable job of recruiting, do better at keeping those players and not rub people the wrong way and run them off, Develop those players better.
In general, do a better job of running the program. If he really cares about Michigan then he either does that or step out of the way.
December 15th, 2020 at 1:02 PM ^
Couldn't agree more! Harbaugh looks like he's going through the motions. Players haven't developed like they should, the defense looks progressively worse including the bigger and bigger beat downs from OSU, and the offense has yet to start a QB under Harbaugh that looks like he's in control. I'd like to see a HC change but at a minimum, we need an overhaul of staff starting with Don Brown.
Like always, Go Blue!
December 15th, 2020 at 1:46 PM ^
When the Michigan players look like spectators on the sidelines there is a real problem. If he was able to fix the espirit de corps he would have done so by now.
December 15th, 2020 at 2:03 PM ^
All you stated is very reasonable. This is a baseline requirement that is all that is necessary to stabilize the program. The rest might just fall into place.
December 15th, 2020 at 1:06 PM ^
Exactly. And Warde has offered him a contract to do so. I may not be a lawyer but I'm pretty sure that if he truly wants to come back all Jimmy needs to do is accept the offer by signing the contract.
December 15th, 2020 at 1:39 PM ^
Of course he wants to stay who wouldn't want to keep an $8M annual paycheck going where you are the king?
December 15th, 2020 at 11:34 AM ^
So do I. Does that mean I can?
December 15th, 2020 at 1:41 PM ^
No. But unlike you, Jim Harbaugh actually deserves, and probably should still be coach next year. This year shouldn't count, for obvious reasons that seem to elude most of the board. Last year was his first "bad" year, and it wasn't that bad. Just felt like it because it ended so poorly.
I don't understand why it's so hard for so many people to maintain just a little bit of perspective. That applies to a lot more than our football team, or sports in general. It's endemic in our culture today, and I hate it.
December 15th, 2020 at 1:53 PM ^
I appreciate your defense of Harbaugh but there are some things that are frightening while I grant you this year shouldn't be judged in terms of the W/L column as much as we want. Having said that:
-The team that is fielded is lethargic and looks like spectators on the sideline
-The players are making mistakes during games consistently that point to lack of coaching fundamentals
-This team does not look prepared to play on any given Saturday. If they lose due to personnel being out from Covid etc fine...but this team doesn't look well coached at all.
-Harbaugh's demeanor during press conferences is strange and noticeably different than his first few years
-We have not seen improvements in the team from game to game
Coaches of programs with fewer resources and lesser talent do a noticeably better job of making the most of what they have. The Michigan team appears to get minimal performance out of it's wealth of riches and talent and it hasn't gotten better over the season.
December 15th, 2020 at 2:15 PM ^
Must be the End Times. I agree with what Timmmaay posted.
December 15th, 2020 at 2:58 PM ^
I cannot fathom how people who know football as well as you, cannot look at these less than stellar "achievements" of Jim Harbaugh and still feel that he has done well enough to warrant a 7th year coaching here at Michigan:
- 0-5 vs OSU, with the 2 worst losses ever, and covid'ed this year's game
- 3-3 vs MSU
- 0 B1G titles, not even playing in the B1G title game let alone CFP
- best road win is against #20 Northwestern
- 1-4 in bowl games
- 0-15 when Michigan is an underdog
- 2-12 vs. top 10 teams
- worst halftime deficit in Michigan stadium history & 2nd worst loss ever at home
- home loss to an 0-5 team
- 4 straight home losses
- talented players transferring / leaving the program early
- inability to recruit and develop certain position groups
- 4th highest paid coach in the country
December 15th, 2020 at 3:46 PM ^
Go listen to what Marcus Ray had to say on The MZone yesterday. It's available on WTKA podcast (View from the Backfield). I have to finish listening to it; work got in the way. "Everyone has a file on Don Brown, they don't even have to watch game film...." "Can't win with transfer QBs." "Need one RB."
December 15th, 2020 at 4:12 PM ^
Harbaugh should go but Marcus Ray is an idiot. There is this somewhat well-known team in the Big 10 that seems to be winning just fine with a transfer QB. Another team just last year won he National Championship with a transfer QB.
December 15th, 2020 at 4:13 PM ^
The board is listening to the sage advice of Marcus Ray now? Good Lord 2020 is strange.
December 15th, 2020 at 4:18 PM ^
The lack of an adequate replacement?
Considering many of the hot young coaches probably couldn't even accomplish what Harbaugh HAS in 6 seasons.
Even Matt Campbell, who seems to be the only real candidate, got a pass on his 3-9 season because he turned it around to not quite get to 10 wins every year. Doubtful even he would be the one to get us to the top4.
December 15th, 2020 at 6:21 PM ^
Adding to what EGJ said:
- Horrible in-game coaching decisions, including being ultimately responsible for perhaps the worst RB substitution scheme in college football
- Inability to utilize modern clock management techniques such as running tempo, making the defense proficient in dealing with other offenses running tempo, and teaching the offense how to successfully manage end-of-half situations.
- Holding onto a recruiting coordinator - Dudek - who apparently isn't coordinating shit, leaving us with a clearly unorganized recruiting process, leading to an inability to recruit well, as Judge mentioned.
- Fetishizing "practice warriors" leading to the wrong players playing on gameday. This has ripple effects throughout the team and leads to the above-mentioned attrition, which is of historic proportions.
- Holding onto a buddy DC whose effectiveness has clearly waned.
- Being ultimately responsible for hiring position coaches that are ineffective at their jobs, leading to the above-mentioned lack of development.
- Being ultimately responsible for an offensive scheme that apparently is trying to mash together concepts that can't work together, leading to an inability to even look functional on offense.
- Being ultimately responsible for consistently high injury rates, stemming from (possibly) a demand for playing through minor injuries, making them worse rather than allowing players to heal properly.
And people still want to hang on to this guy? C'mon man....
December 16th, 2020 at 11:05 AM ^
So, I acknowledge there are some issues, certainly. But I can also see what some of the mitigating factors have been, or that I believe to have been. Nearly half of your list is from this year. I'm not putting much stock in anything from this season.
It is what it is, and we'll all see where it goes soon enough.
Go Blue.
December 15th, 2020 at 3:01 PM ^
I appreciate where you're coming from, but last year was NOT his first "bad" year. 2017 was the beginning of the slide. That team went 8-5 with zero wins of any significance and an embarrassing bowl collapse against South Carolina. 2018 was a nice rebound year until it wasn't. 2019 was just meh.
I completely understand that bringing in a new coach doesn't guarantee more success and could even mean less, but Harbaugh has let this program slide in more ways than one (player management, player development, obvious recruiting gaps and a focus in the NE for some reason, etc...) and the lack of results against upper/mid-tier opponents is starting to pile up. There's no excuses for the WAY in which we have lost to Wisconsin the last two years or losing to MSU this year. And those are just a couple of examples. You can choose to chalk this year up to COVID and its effects, but we did not field a competent football team this year. When that happens at Michigan in year 6 of a coaching regime, it's time to move on. Giving Harbaugh an extension feels like delaying the inevitable (and I hope I'm wrong).
December 16th, 2020 at 3:45 PM ^
We shall see.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:35 AM ^
Why wouldn't he? All the school wants from him is to win a few games, graduate players and be scandal free for the most part. He's done that. No pressure from his bosses to win the B1G. He's got it made.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:36 AM ^
He is a very straightforward person. He wants to return. He may not be wanted that badly - but I am anticipating a rare maneuver in college: a head coach humbly accepts a pay cut because he has not performed at his previous salary level. Dantonio’s pride before the fall was prophetic in more ways than he intended. Harbaugh has a chance to see if the humble will be exalted. I know I am in the minority now, but I want to see this happen.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
I know I am in the minority now, but I want to see this happen.
I am particularly surprised he wants to come back, mainly because JUB reported he'd have to clean house, which included firing his son. I don't see that happening, but we'll see.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:40 AM ^
He will find his son a landing spot. He has a ton of connections. I can see Jay being a special assistant to John in the NFL next year.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
The Harbaugh that can beat the best football team in Ohio. Sigh.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:19 PM ^
I have yet to see the Ravens play the Buckeyes.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
Other than Warinner, Jay is probably the last person on the staff I would like to see go. I was as skeptical as anyone when he was hired for obvious reasons (the nepotism), but Jay Harbaugh has been excellent. Hassan Haskins, a guy he found and developed (when almost every other Power 5 school missed him), is almost certainly our best offensive player.
He's also been a good recruiter. Blake Corum, Tavierre Dunlap, and Zach Charbonnet were all heavily pursued by other schools but chose to come to Michigan.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:57 AM ^
He brought in a lot more than just the names you mentioned, and has proven himself a good position coach. If he is let go for whatever reason, he'll have no problem finding a landing spot in either college, or the NFL, without the family connections. But those certainly won't hurt...
December 15th, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
I wonder, and this is my own speculation, if he would want to work for someone other than his dad or uncle to get away from the nepotism criticism. His only position not working for dad or uncle was as a grad assistant at Oregon State, but he worked for his dad's old coach Mike Riley.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:16 PM ^
Something I've mentioned several times - it's probably time he flies on his own. While I wouldn't mind him coming back next year, I do think he needs to establish himself outside of the family influence if he wants to continue as a football coach. Kid has a promising future in football...
December 15th, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^
yeah, the Jay hate is annoying. He is a decent coach that is a plus recruiter. That works just fine for a RB or a TE coach.
December 15th, 2020 at 2:24 PM ^
Does he control the RB rotation? If so, he can’t be RB coach. Rotation was brutal. Definitely a good recruiter it seems though.
December 15th, 2020 at 2:32 PM ^
That's my big issue. Whoever is pulling those strings is fucking terrible at it, and needs to go. We can't seem to figure out how to get a RB in rhythm, at all. Seems such a simple thing.
December 15th, 2020 at 3:31 PM ^
Didn't Harbaugh and Wheatley get into a spat at how to utilize RBs which is why Wheatley left Michigan?
December 15th, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
Wasn't the claim that Jim would have to "clean house" attributed to JUB, and then Bacon came out and flatly denied that he ever said that? I could be out of the loop, but I thought this claim had been debunked on the board many times.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:05 PM ^
Something has to change with the defensive coaching. Even my beagle Reggie knows that.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^
Can Reggie play DT? I'll assume he's got good pad level.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:30 PM ^
:-) yep, great pad level, but easily distracted by rabbits, squirrels, the postman, the UPS truck, the Fedex truck and food.
Hmmm...not much of the above in the Big House on a Saturday. You might have something there.
December 15th, 2020 at 2:06 PM ^
Claims being debunked has never stopped fans from attributing what they want from said claim & continuing to pass them off as gospel.
There’s been so many contradicting “claims” from many known & portrayed insiders that one can conceivably connect dots in whatever manner they desire.
As with most things, (seemingly even more so when Harbaugh & contracts are involved. His staffs included) it’s best to take things as they come & prepare to be surprised when the dust settles.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:13 PM ^
JUB's reporting (and what people then claim he's reporting) has been all over the map recently with respect to Harbaugh. What I read it to mean was that there would need to be dramatic changes; that doesn't mean you fire everyone if you can justify why they should stick around. Jaybaugh, Warinner, Moore, and Zordich all feel like good coaches/recruiters Michigan should try to retain; they may not but turning over a staff completely isn't logical or realistic.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^
I believe it is spelled D’Antoni.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:04 PM ^
Don't compound the mistake. It's "D'Antorini"
December 15th, 2020 at 11:46 AM ^
Maybe with a reduced salary and a dimmer spot light, he can flourish again. I really think outside pressure, media rumors, and negative recruiting really did a toll on him. We know he wants badly to be a legendary Michigan coach and I think those pressures have done him in. Maybe with dampened expectations he can return to his former glory.
December 15th, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
This is what I'm hoping for as I've accepted the fact that he will be HC for next season.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
If he comes back do you really expect those same factors you mentioned won't be in play?
December 15th, 2020 at 12:48 PM ^
The expectations are much lower than they were in 2015. He probably won't be making Saban level money, so those criticisms will be no longer valid. I think the days where we are pre season picks for the CFB is done until we beat OSU, so the team won't have lofty expectations. And now the narrative is shifting to how can Harbaugh get back to being Harbaugh rather than Harbaugh needs to change who he is (which was the narrative in 2017 or so. I think it's a lot easier for Harbaugh to rekindle his flame than to remake himself and his philosophy.
If he commits himself to Michigan despite everything going against them right now, then it should silence the negative recruiting every year that he will bolt for the NFL. Teams will still negatively recruit saying he might not be in AA for long but that will be based on results instead of rumors, which is much easier to quantify for a recruit.
December 15th, 2020 at 12:37 PM ^
That may very well be true and regardless of how you feel about this team (thanks we hate it), it's very reasonable to expect a bounce back of sorts next year. Thing is, high expectations and a white hot spotlight are always going to be a baked-in constant in Ann Arbor, even if I was the coach.
"If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen" verges on Rovellian bad take territory, but if the weight of the pressure has become an immovable obstacle that bottles up the best version of Harbaugh on and off the field, then it really would be the best thing for all parties to end things as gracefully and quickly as possible.
December 15th, 2020 at 1:26 PM ^
Maybe the weight and the pressure in AA is the problem. I honestly believe that our football woes are not as much related to the coach as it is to what the culture at the university has become. The university wants to win like any other school, but will not bend its morals to achieve the wins. The fan base only sees the wins and loses and sees failure. The admin sees graduation rates and a lack of violations and believe things are fine.
I'm so sick of the damn list that people throw out. (0-X OSU, 3-X MSU, Bowl games!!!) My question is what is anyone's record against OSU in the last 20 years? Michigan isn't alone in that category and that isn't going to change until the NCAA changes. The MSU record is skewed by the most fluke play I've ever seen and a pandemic year, and Michigan is historically bad at Bowl games. That goes back to before the Bo era.
Michigan can chose to fire or ask Harbaugh to walk. At this point I'm indifferent to it. I just don't expect the records to change regardless of the coach they hire until the university's culture changes. What that culture change needs to be is for someone much smarter than I to figure out.
December 15th, 2020 at 3:39 PM ^
I didn't realize that MSU wasn't playing in a "pandemic" year right alongside everyone else when they beat UM's asses. What the literal fuck does "pandemic" year have to do with anything? Everyone is dealing with the same shit.
December 16th, 2020 at 8:35 AM ^
Not saying pandemic year is or isn't a factor other than life, in general is strange right now. Take away the fluke of a loss against MSU and we are 4-2 and it isn't as bad. My point stands. I don't believe the culture of the University of Michigan and it's fan base, regardless of the coach, is a recipe for on field success.
Trust me, it pains me to say that considering I've been a die hard fan for most of my 46 years. I don't know what's worse, the disappointment of the on field results, or the fact that I barely care anymore. A new coach opens a whole new can of worms. The same coach all but ensures more of the same.