SEARCHBITS XIX: GONE TO PLAID Comment Count

Brian

plaid-958x360[1]

All hell: done broke loose

THE BIG NUMBER. The 48 or 49 million dollar offer that had been kicking around the Michigan internets—pretty sure Sam Webb was the first to drop it—has now reached the NFL reporters, who are furiously reminding you that they are never wrong about anything even when they are vastly wrong about something:

Rebuffed my ass. Nothing about how this has gone looks like Michigan getting rebuffed, publicly or privately. Michigan took its time to get their offer together, waited until Harbaugh was eliminated from the playoffs, aimed, and fired. Michigan reporters from Webb to Lorenz to Balas (and me!) have been way closer to things than these guys from the start.

But keep those ranks together. I mean… why the hell are you even reporting anything in the first place when this is your explanation for the change?

Asked why he was considering it now, but hadn’t been previously, one person said now that the 49ers are out of the playoffs, it was possible for Harbaugh to at least consider it.

Bottom line: Harbaugh has some thinking to do and decisions to make.

The implication of all this reporting is that Michigan had no chance because it was not the NFL. This explanation makes it clear that Adam Schefter's earlier reporting was based on hearsay from people with no clue—at best. Harbaugh wasn't going to consider anybody before the 49ers were eliminated.

OKAY. I'M IN. Ran across a twitter feed that felt credible that claimed a connect to Harbaugh's agent, but I was hesitant to tell you guys about it until he put something out that was checkable and not public knowledge. Here's something from 4 PM today:

He got the number right as well. That official offer took a few hours to filter out to the NFL guys, who are now reporting it. The Michigan guys are sitting back with their McKayla faces on after being told repeatedly that Michigan knew they were done, had no chance, etc.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS. Michigan's offer blindsided the NFL guys. The Michigan side of things had the number, the years, and the approximate timing. That gives greater credence to the other half of the Michigan chatter: it's happening.

WHAT I'VE GOT. I don't have anything reportable. By that I mean information that I know is correct because I know who got it and why. I do have just an avalanche of IT'S HAPPENING stuff that is secondhand. Aside from the downer email I mentioned a few days ago, I have a half-dozen bits of hearsay ranging from dubious to pretty credible all pointing towards Harbaugh in Ann Arbor.

If you would like to change this situation, I'm listening.

FURTHER EYE-ROLLING. The Raiders had 16 million a year out for Jon Gruden.

Okay buddy. And I used to think Michigan was arrogant. It is not about whether the Raiders can give Harbaugh another gold toilet; Michigan's offer is highly competitive. It's about Michigan or the NFL.

THEY'VE DONE WHAT THEY HAD TO DO. Michigan assembled a kickass offer to come back to Ann Arbor and run the town. It is now highly public. If Harbaugh doesn't come, that's on him. No milquetoasty private conversations about how he flaked leaking out over the years; no debate about whether Michigan had a bonafide offer. They came strong and public in exactly the way they should have last time. (According to a player on Rodriguez's last team, he was giving everyone the impression he knew he was done even before the Gator Bowl. In that case he should have been gone after OSU.)

If it doesn't work out, okay. Jim Hackett still did this as well as he could, and if Michigan does have to move on to Plan B they can at least do so as a unit, knowing that they did their level best here.

PLAN B. A dollar it's Dan Mullen, if it comes to that.

Comments

evenyoubrutus

December 17th, 2014 at 9:06 PM ^

Since when was "rebuff" synonymous with "negotiate"?

Also, if you're saying something has changed in what you're hearing and that Mullen is truly going to be pursued if they are turned down by Harbaugh, I honestly won't even be that disappointed.  Mullen is only a slight step down in my eyes but still someone who can compete with Urban.

BlueCube

December 18th, 2014 at 8:58 AM ^

accept the Michigan offer in a heartbeat. Harbaugh numbers would not even be needed. The only question is where he is on the Michigan list if anywhere. He said it was his strongest gut feeling.

The good thing with this offer being public is that all coaches know Michigan is serious and it's doubtful anyone will turn them down without finding out there offer. All coaches will listen. We have their attention.

 

All that being said, GO HARBAUGH!!!!

 

edit:  One other thing Sam mentioned is that this has gotten the recruits attention too. Clark is one who is rooting for Harbaugh. It's very possible Weber and others will return if Harbaugh is the coach.

Mr. Yost

December 17th, 2014 at 10:50 PM ^

However, my question is this...if you're offering Harbaugh $8 million a year, you're going to overpay someone a SHIT TON if he (Harbaugh) doesn't come.

I mean, it's not clear that we have the money and we're willing to spend it.

If you don't get Harbaugh, if I'm Stoops, I'm like...hey man, I'll take $7 mil and be there in the morning.

evenyoubrutus

December 17th, 2014 at 11:58 PM ^

The whole point is that Mullen does not use the same tactics and yet he built a team that almost made the playoff. Have you looked at the amount of talent he gets in recruiting compared to Miles? Unless you think his recruiting isn't going to improve when he gets to Michigan?

Blue in Yarmouth

December 18th, 2014 at 7:52 AM ^

I find it incredibly odd that posters on this board can't understand that the univeristy has a lot to do with recruiting. When you are recruiting the south and have to compete against Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Florida State, Miami (YTM), Georgia, etc etc etc and only have Miss. State and it's history to fall back on do you really think it has any reflection on Mullen as a recruiter that he loses those battles?

Recruiting aside, looking at his performance in the SEC over the years people still come away thinking he isn't a good coach. This blows my mind. He is in the toughest conference in college football and goes to battle against those teams with 2 and 3* recuits and has built a team that competes, and this year has won it's fair share, against the powers in that conference. I'm baffled as to why people are selling this guy short. I would take him a close third behind Harbaugh and Stoops.

aplatypus

December 18th, 2014 at 9:56 AM ^

is virtually the same as that used by the people who said Hoke was great as well. Hoke built up Ball State and had that great year, then went SDSU and got them to a good year. Mullen has had 5 years of being okay, with just over .500 records and suddenly BAM they're really good this year. Mullen must be the best ever! 

He has 6 years of head coaching experience and only 2 of them have been particularly good, even for Miss. State. I'm not saying he's not a good coach or a viable candidate, because I believe both to be true, but if you argue that Mullen is definitely good because of this year, then you must have also throught Hoke was great because of 12-1 and 9-3 years. 

evenyoubrutus

December 18th, 2014 at 11:00 AM ^

Experience makes you better at your job. Mullen is a national championship coordinator. He was in his 30's for the majority of his head coaching career so far. The reason I consider him such a great candidate is because of what he's done with so little. He's really not much different than Dantonio except that he is coaching in a much tougher conference.

Canada loves S…

December 18th, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^

The big question between Mullen vs Miles, is which one can best recruit in Nova Scotia!

I'm in agreement with you, Yarmouth. Mullen has a definite edge over Miles. One serious point that I haven't seen in this thread is to look at their current fan base. LSU fans would be happy to show Les the door. Mississippi State fans would be devestated to lose their golden boy. I think that tells us a lot.

ifis

December 18th, 2014 at 8:25 AM ^

the first is about tactics.  I thought Mullen was the coach that just withdrew a scholarship from a committed quarterback in late November or early December, right before the kid was supposed to enroll early at Miss. St.  My take on that was that Mullen did that because he thought he could get a better athlete, given Miss St.'s success this year.  I see that as at least as bad as Miles's recruiting tactics.

As for talent at Miss. St vs. LSU, you are absolutely right.  Mullen has had to develop lower ranked high school recruits in order to succeed at Miss. St than Miles did at LSU.  However, Miles has a much stronger track record of success than Mullen.  As alum96 pointed out in an earlier post, Miles (and Stoops) are among the proven elite coaches.  Mullen is not even close. This year, Mullen, with a team stocked with seniors, almost made the playoffs.  Miles, with a very young team, went 8-4 in the SEC west.  Any other year, Miles's team would be orders of magnitude better than Mullen's.  Proponents of Mullen over Miles are putting a lot of stock in this year's performance, and I think that is a huge gamble.  I think that after Harbaugh, Miles is as close to a sure thing as it gets.  I realize reasonable people can disagree about that though.

Furthermore, I would be shocked if Miss St.'s roster does not have a ton of kids who would have a hard time meeting Michigan's academic standards.  Miss St. and LSU might not have the same talent on the football field coming out of high school, but they both have the same academic red flags in their recruiting process. 

Blue Mike

December 17th, 2014 at 9:57 PM ^

That to me is the significance of the offer being public.  If Harbaugh takes it, fantastic.  If not, Michigan just shot across the bow of every college coach in America.  $8MM per year?  Tell me that Mora, Patterson, Stoops, etc. hang up the phone on that.  Maybe they walk away for a different reason, but Michigan is playing for real.  Stuff just got serious.

Sam1863

December 18th, 2014 at 5:32 AM ^

Agreed. Whether it succeeds or fails, this offer just gave Michigan and Hackett credibility. It proves Michigan isn't going after one of the hottest coaches in the country with a half-assed offer, nor is it trying to get him by simply playing the maize and blue, heart-and-flowers, "Bo would want you to come home, Jimmy" approach. If money talks (and in college athletics, it does), then Michigan just spoke up loudly and clearly.

Now, if Harbaugh answers "No" ... well, that stinks, but nobody can say Michigan didn't take one hell of a shot.

 

stephenrjking

December 17th, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^

Of course it's Harbaugh-specific. JH is a Saban-level hire both in resume/capability and fanbase desperation. The big shots that are funding this are not putting $8 mil out for a lesser candidate.

And that's ok. Because half do that total could easily, easily pull a lot of quality guys.