Our Coach
Many people have attempted to frame Jim Harbaugh as a crazy person but what he truly is, is a tactical genius!
Recruiting
Why the oddities?
The sleepovers received major attention as being creepy but what one fails to realize is this truly is a maximizing of time and exposure to the recruit. No one stops to think about the amount of time it takes to drive from a nearby hotel to a recruit’s house but I bet Jim Harbaugh does. Why waste that time when you could be front and center spending 20 more minutes with a potential recruit? Harbaugh wasn’t going to sleep on the floor either (although I bet he would) and would have some of the best care.
What has not been mentioned in news articles is the amount of time spent away from family. I am not certain of the actual hours spent away from family but Harbaugh has young children. If I had to spend x number of weeks away from my family and my success was dependent upon some 17 year old saying yes to my proposal then I would make darn sure that kid is going to say yes. What Harbaugh is doing is not odd at all when people understand it in the context of maximizing time, contact, and exposure. A sleep over may seem odd but spending 2-3 more hours to make your case than the next coach is most certainly not.
Signing of the Stars
Somewhere someone created a national signing day for high school recruits. Media exposure during what is considered a dead news season for college football has created a media event. If you have to give attention to this event then why not go all out? Why not make it a spectacle? If you want to fault anyone then fault those who chose to give exposure to the recruits as they select a hat off the table but most certainly don’t fault the man transforming the day into what it was quickly becoming: a gala. What is Coach Harbaugh in this situation? Honest! You might as well gain exposure for your program while you are being honest with the events that surround the day.
Practicing in Florida
Genius! Once again Harbaugh has managed to come up with a solution that gives his team practice time; gives him a selling point with the location; and exposure with a recruiting powerhouse. Does Harbaugh care about his student-athletes and their study time? Absolutely! The man posted GPAs publically for the world to see last semester. He cares about the players’ grades. They get to practice and have fun all on Michigan’s dime. He gets headlines and the eyes of recruits on him all across the country.
Well, it's no wonder the SEC wants to keep Harbaugh out of Florida. The last time he brought Michigan there, the Wolverines smoked SEC East champion Florida 41-7 at the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. And now he wants to practice there in front of recruits? Of course he's persona non grata in Dixie. - Brian Bennett, ESPN
He wears out his welcome?
Where did he wear out his welcome? San Diego? Stanford? San Francisco? The first two schools never would have fired him and Coach Harbaugh would still be there to this day if he wanted to. Stanford promptly kept almost everything intact that he built and continued their success. The San Francisco situation and blame is now clearly being placed on Jed York’s shoulders. If you are dealing with a man driven then he may rub you the wrong way but you learn to deal with it and work with him as he is making your organization successful.
Jim Harbaugh is not certified crazy; he is a genius! May OSU and the SEC have more headaches for years to come.
February 10th, 2016 at 2:55 PM ^
February 10th, 2016 at 3:28 PM ^
The IMG Practices are especially excellent. We all accept as given that the SEC bends and often breaks the rules to recruit. Harbaugh (and team) put their heads together and figured out an incredibly creative way to get in front of top recruits without bendnig or breaking a single existing rule. Not only is this a great way to represent the football team in front of top talent, it's also a great way to represent the intelligence and creativity of the University. We're going to be smarter, more creative and harder working to get after those kids, and not run afoul of any rules. It puts the SEC in an impossible position to either be blatantly and transparently hypocritical by pearl clutching about the kids' welfare or be the less innovative, less successful ones. Check mate and slam dunk. Let's all have some subs.
February 10th, 2016 at 3:39 PM ^
Is genius, I wholeheartedly concur. Free media attention throughout the whole recruiting cycle. He is his own marketing PR genius, getting mentioned constantly, and in turn subconciously being on the minds of prospects (such as Rashan Gary) as they are deciding on their future school. If any prospect stuck on a decision watches any sort of media outlet, they are constantly reminded about Michigan and Harbaugh.
Every little advantage is important. It's the combination of talent, development, and strategy. The IMG spring break is also ingenius in developing a team chemistry with guys spending an entire trip immersed with one another. Not only is he developing this existing talent, he is showcasing his coaching and development at a key recruiting hub.
I really believe we are entering a golden age for Michigan. Buckle up, prepare to be talked about and be relevant. It's going to be Us against the World, and we will certainly gain many many more haters throughout this era. Can't climb to the top without the status quo getting upset.
LETS GO BLUE
February 10th, 2016 at 3:44 PM ^
Typically, the people calling him crazy are the ones who have the most to lose (Li'l Brother, SUCK...erm, SEC teams, OSU, etc.).
This is a case of he may be a little crazy, but he's OUR crazy. If he coaches for you, you love him because he's successful.
If he coaches AGAINST you, you hate him.....because he's successful.
I'm glad he's ours. We love him!
February 10th, 2016 at 4:28 PM ^
Sometimes I get the feeling Harbaugh thinks selling Michigan isn't enough. I am of the opinion if you sell Michigan properly then it is an easy sell. And recent history supports that. You just have to look at the construction (and eventual deconstruction of our 2015 class) as evidence. At one point or another Hoke had 11 players ranked in the Rivals 250 and six in the top 100. Two of those were five star players. He was on his way to pulling in the best class in the nation, until the season and his job went by the wayside.
And Hoke did that without the clout or name recognition of Harbaugh, and with coming off a subpar season that already had people calling for his head (rightfully so).
I think if you put in the time to work on the top prospects in the country, Michigan will always get its fair share. I didn't see any great benefit to the Summer Swamp and while Harbaugh is planning Summer Swamp II, OSU is quietly filling up another top 3 class with 11 commits (including two 5 stars and five 4 stars). Maybe the old tried and true method of recruiting works too.
February 10th, 2016 at 5:09 PM ^
It may be the success of the old "tried and true" recruiting, but take a look at his 2017 class.
6 (of 11) are from Ohio
2 are from Florida
I believe this was brought up in one of the thousands of recruiting posts that circulated around NSD, but Urban has locked down the top talent in Ohio (in 2016 and 2017). Harbaugh has a chance to make waves in Ohio come 2018.
Urban is able to use his personal Florida ties to continue to grab top talent from the Sunshine State.
He also has big time on-field success to his advantage.
Harbaugh saw this cliff he had to overcome to reach Urban's status on the recruiting trail, and Harbaugh and Co. devised a genius plan to make Michigan appealing to recruits nationwide.
We may see Harbaugh cool it on some of these aggressive recruiting tactics once on-field success can speak for itself. But at the moment, Harbaugh is all-in on restoring Michigan, and this is what it looks like.
February 11th, 2016 at 10:12 AM ^
But the "tried and true method" includes locking down your in-state recruits early (like Urban is doing) and if we do that there are seven 4 start prospects in-state including Peoples-Jones, who is one of the most sought after players in the country.
If we are able to lock in some of these highly ranked in-state player early we would have the start of a top 5 class.
We have to keep in mind there are some good take always from the Hoke era. One is clapping on the sideline does not give you a schematic coaching edge. Two is just because they are not piping in Michael Bolton on your headset doesn't mean it has no further use. And three is that Michigan can still recruit with anyone.
For all the flaws Hoke had, he didn't back down from competing with the best programs for recruits and beating out the big boys for recruits. You could make the argument that with what he had to sell (years of losing, no real recent success, no personal name recognition, no NFL pedigree) he was probably recruiting better than anyone.
Jimmy has far more advantages when he is front of recruits then Hoke did. I would like to see what our recruiting would look like taking a simpler more focused approach. I have no reason to believe it would be anything other than a top 3 class.
February 15th, 2016 at 9:03 AM ^
When was the last time you wore a headset on a Michigan sideline? How do you know what they do or don't pipe in? Maybe they DID pipe in Bolton (or Josh Groban) and that's WHY Hoke wouldn't wear a headset?
February 10th, 2016 at 5:06 PM ^
I agree that Harbaugh thinks that just "selling Michigan" isn't enough. Nothing is "enough," it's only "as good as I can do today; tomorrow, I will do more." The word "enough" isn't in his dictionary.
If Harbaugh can sell Michigan as well as Hoke (and he can, I think we agree), then all he can do is add to that with his extra efforts. You may not see any great benefit to the "extras," and those benefits may even be as meager as you suggest. Even so, why not go the extra mile? That's what Harbaugh is all about. He's a jackhammer.
February 10th, 2016 at 5:26 PM ^
February 10th, 2016 at 8:26 PM ^
But I think, Sir, neither is he in regard to it being necessary or not. But I think what Jim is doing is for one purpose only. I think you will see him back of in a year or two. By that time I think he will have accomplished what he wants. I believe right now he is putting as much energy as possible into establishing footholds in every portion of the country, and as an extension to every position in the country with the end game being that in two, three years he will, based on the foundation he's laying right now, is to have his targets(recruits) in place far in advance of where they would otherwise be.
By taking this approach where he seems to be everywhere and he absolutely is, he will be getting feedback from all over the nation instead of what were formerly hotbeds of Michigan. I am sure it does not take he and his staff long to evalute who will most likely develop properly under their tutelage. The month's advantage he will have simply by havint the network in place he is building now - and that definitely includes 2016 recruits - will save so much time in the future and furnish him with a much more effecient, streamlined strategy where 1) target, 2)contact and all else follows 1 and 2.
You read where Rashaun's mother was definitely turned off by negative rercruiting and even though it was close after USC and Clemson put the late surge on, she felt that Michigan selling it iself was far more effective than what the others did. There is no doubt he is selling Michigan as Michigan. But in a game of numbers, he who gets there first has the best opportunity to establish the relationship, that in the end, it will come down to for most of these young men.
I am comfortable right now with his showing every recruit in America that he is willing to make every effort possible to merely identify those he wants. What he does in the future I think will be a direct result of his willingness to put MI in the forefront of these recruits minds. I think even by next year you will see many players as young as the soph class list MI in their top three due to nothing else but name recognition, which will only be bolstered by on field results.
Additionally, we have the benefit of pissing every other coach off in America, most notably all of those we are coming for.
February 15th, 2016 at 7:51 AM ^
I get your point, but I don't know that Harbaugh knows how to back off, which is great. If anything maybe he relies more on top assistants to make some of these trips. But yes, he recognized that there was work to be done, roots to be planted, and he is taking care of business! At the end of the day the best way to recruit elite talent is to win on the field and Harbaugh knows that.
February 11th, 2016 at 8:28 AM ^
Come on, Albatross. In recent years, Carr or RR or Hoke would have lost Rashan Gary. It would have been a good class, but they would have probably lost out on one or two of the other guys near the top or the great late additions. I don't think Hoke would have gotten Quinn Nordin, either.
The "old tried and true method of recruiting works," but Harbaugh's method is the difference in this era between future All Americans and guys who perform well but aren't quite the best in the country.
February 11th, 2016 at 10:18 AM ^
He was and still is a terrible recruiter.
February 18th, 2016 at 8:37 AM ^
As the season wore on and the recruits saw that Brady (nice man, no coach) was not going to produce a winner and each season he coached resulted in fewer wins, do you think it likely that some would have decommitted?
Further, what if some of those recruits wanted to take another visit? They would have been eliminated due to his policy that once committed, no other visits.
And finally, would you prefer a top level class, with little to no chance to winning over what Harbaugh pulled in his first season with predictions fow wins very favorable.
We watched what Brady accomplished with, acoording to the gurus, was an outstanind OL haul and the next season an incoming freshman accepted, across the board as our best OLman. Like you, I liked Brady. Hell of a nice guy, but he actually never proved himself anywhere prior to Brandon giving him the keys to the castle.
Michigan will, as you say, be welcomed throughout the nation. But if you want to be honest with yourself, you know Brady would have not possibly developed those young men to the level they needed to be to compete in this conference.
You know, whether you will admit it or not, Harbaugh, no matter how he secures them will get more out of a number 5 class than Brady would have out of a number one.
February 10th, 2016 at 8:46 PM ^
As do I, incidentally.
I'd be interested to tab everything that people are saying now and come back to it five or ten years down the road and see how it compares. I wonder if he'll continue to be the lovable loon, or if he pushes a little bit too far and the perception turns against him.
February 11th, 2016 at 12:17 AM ^
Just win (with character, with cruelty) baby.
February 11th, 2016 at 8:33 AM ^
I am guessing you are pretty young if you think the "perception" ever "turns against" Harbaugh. Harbaugh was the first QB Bo really trusted to pass the ball a lot. His story is well known.
Peception of Harbaugh will be just as it is now; we will love him, rivals will hate him and the media will milk the entertainment factor for all it's worth. Just think about what happens if Harbaugh gets to the playoffs once every three or four years.
The only change in perception of Harbaugh is that we are going to love him even more and his rivals will hate him even more.
February 11th, 2016 at 11:33 AM ^
Too much love is the danger. But I will take that over the love/hate with RR. There are no signs of this love being over the top, at this point, but what we have seen at other programs is love above and beyond expediency and consequence. That if anything is the danger.
For example Gee's take on the Vest... or even better...
Consequence needs to follow actions...that can be hard when when the love for a football coach exceeds reality.
February 11th, 2016 at 1:05 AM ^
of gaining recognition for not only himself but also Michigan football. Then with winning comes the respect. With recognition and respect we build the momentum to achieve our goals.
February 18th, 2016 at 6:50 PM ^
Harbaugh is a master recruiter. He gets one of the best recruiting classes in the country, in only his first full year at Michigan
February 27th, 2016 at 5:05 PM ^
I am so glad Harbaugh isn't sticking with the "tried and true". Michigan should always be the leader and the best, and "tried and true" will only get you to the middle of the pack. May Harbaugh continue to flummox his detractors for years to come. Go blue!
February 27th, 2016 at 5:27 PM ^
electricity will eventually even out.
And, then the focus may shift to watching one of the outstanding coaches in the country purely play chess with his opponents....
Win/Win.
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