CC Idea: Promote Jay Harbaugh to OC
It sucks to lose great coaches like Herbert and Minter, and it really feels like for the guys who are on the fence about leaving the best way of keeping em is to offer a promotion. Jay Harbaugh would be a huge win if we’re able to hold onto him. He’s consistently been one of our best recruiters year in year out and has six years experience at Michigan as a position coach on the offensive side of the ball. He also worked as an offensive quality control coach for the Ravens. With Sherrone on the sideline he’ll have the support to develop on the job and I have no doubt he’d become one of the best young OC’s in college football. We need some retention wins and this would be a great one in my opinion. Curious what everyone’s thoughts are on the idea cause I haven’t seen this floated yet.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:16 AM ^
Give me Mike Hart
January 29th, 2024 at 11:44 AM ^
I hope it’s all just wild speculation or manufactured rumors, but there is some internet chatter that he might be leaving. I’m assuming it’s not based in any actual insider info, but that would suck.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:48 AM ^
I’m prepared for it. He wasn’t at the parade and didn’t show up for Sherrone. Seems like he wants to elevate himself in the coaching world and maybe didn’t see it happening here soon enough.
January 29th, 2024 at 1:08 PM ^
I am very afraid this is the case. He doesn't see this being a promising path and only OC would likely help retain him.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:05 PM ^
+1 for David Tennant
January 29th, 2024 at 11:17 AM ^
I'm sure Michigan can do better. Plus, he's probably in LA with pops.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:38 AM ^
Jay would surely stay if he was offered the OC job. Hell, Jim wouldn't even let him come if that were to happen.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:46 AM ^
Ah yes, more speculation. Surely this will go places.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:52 PM ^
The next step in Jay’s career needs to be out from under Jim. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jay does something different from Jim if the right opportunity comes along. He’s not ready to be the OC though at Michigan.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:18 AM ^
I'll take Hart or Campbell over him.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:19 AM ^
Jay has coached TE’s, RB’s, and Safeties. I think he has more versatility than Hart does on his resume and has been a much better recruiter.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:22 AM ^
Jay is already gone.
The wacky idea would be to bring in David Shaw as the OC/passing game coordinator. Only thing is that he might not want to leave the west coast.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:27 AM ^
Not so wacky.....David Shaw was my first thought as well. Could be worth giving Paul Chryst a call, too.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:56 PM ^
Holy fuck no to Chryst. You think 3rd base is conservative? Chryst would have us punting on opponent 30 yard lines. And dude doesn’t recruit.
January 29th, 2024 at 3:26 PM ^
Holy Chryst?
January 29th, 2024 at 11:30 AM ^
Shaw would make a lot of sense. Experienced OC/HC who could help Moore grow into the position as head coach.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:57 AM ^
He has interviewed for two NFL HC jobs. He won't get one. But it seems unlikely that a guy interviewing for NFL HC jobs would want to be OC at Michigan. But...if he were interested, that could be a great hire.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:00 PM ^
Maybe. But if he wants to get back into coaching being the OC for the defending national champions would be a good starting point.
January 29th, 2024 at 2:24 PM ^
I don't have a fully formed opinion on Shaw as OC, but if did take the job it would clearly be a 1-2 year deal. If he's not getting the job offers he wants, sitting around doing nothing for another year doesn't help him change that. While OC at Michigan is obviously not an NFL job, it is a high profile way to keep your skills honed and show you're still relevant.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:24 AM ^
i'm in camp campbell...
January 29th, 2024 at 11:26 AM ^
Jay is leaving with dad. And overpromoting him (he's never been an OC before) isnt going to change that.
The absolute LAST thing Moore needs right now is to elevate Jim's kid into a role he's never held so we can have "retention".
January 29th, 2024 at 11:30 AM ^
Anyone calling him “Jim’s kid” hasn’t paid any attention to what he’s done while here. We have/had Donovan Edwards, Colston Loveland and Blake Corum because of Jay.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:35 AM ^
True, but I don't think many would be suggesting that we promote him if he last name wasn't Harbaugh...
January 29th, 2024 at 11:51 AM ^
If he wasn’t Jim’s son he would have already been at a higher position at some other program. The young man has excelled at every job he’s ever taken. He just knows football.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:17 PM ^
Yeah, he shouldn't be dinged for being Harbaugh's son but he also hasn't even been an assistant OC before; putting him as the OC would be a significant flyer on a guy. That's the bigger argument here.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:38 AM ^
Fair, but those are recruiting wins and not Coordinator duties. Do we know if he can put together a gameplan? Can he call plays? Even Brian Hartline got his playcalling duties rescinded this year (lol) and if he wasn't a Harbaugh would you have even floated him as an option for OC? I think his name is relevant.
Of Note, Mike Hart has never been an OC either. If they keep this young staff, I think they should bring in some of the other guys mentioned to be analysts, like Chryst, Shaw, former NFL OC's.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:42 AM ^
Did Hartline ever have the playcalling duties? I thought Day kept them and finally agreed to relinquish them after the season. Honestly, at the time I thought OC was a figurehead job for Hartline, offered to keep from losing him to another school.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:16 PM ^
Ryan Day alluded to letting him call plays, then over the summer it sounded like he wasn't going to let that happen, and in the end it was a figurehead job, like you said just so they didn't lose him. But clearly being an ace recruiter isn't a necessity for a good play-caller.
January 29th, 2024 at 2:30 PM ^
Was going to say the same thing about Hart. Lots of people want him at OC, which he has never been. I'd rather see Jay in that position before Mike. IMO, Jay would be better to keep then Mike. Jay doesn't get enough credit for how well he has coached whatever position he coaches in that particular year, or how well he has recruited. Mike is still in the prove it stage for me.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:45 AM ^
"Anyone calling him “Jim’s kid” hasn’t paid any attention to what he’s done while here"
And by the same token, anyone making the suggestion he be elevated to OC under a first time HC is doing so exclusively because he's "Jim's kid".
Because his last name is the only reason anyone would think this is a remotely good idea.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:52 AM ^
I’m focused on his success as both a coordinator of the best special teams unit in the country (statistically) the past three years, success with every position group he’s been put in charge of, and the fact that he’s consistently been our best recruiter over the past nine years.
People are openly in favor of Hart and Campbell being promoted to OC having never done the job before, why not Jay?
January 29th, 2024 at 12:14 PM ^
Fair point. FWIW I dont like the idea of elevating Hart or Campbell either but if our pool of potential OCs was only those three then yes, Jay would be worthy of consideration.
But as stated earlier, I dont think it would be a very good idea for a first time HC at a program like Michigan to have a first time OC. I think he needs to look for someone with experience in that role.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:21 PM ^
Sure, but the counter-argument is both of those guys have been OCs/AHCs elsewhere; Jay has only been a position coach and so you have to wonder if he could handle the significant jump in responsibilities both on and off the field. The fact he's been successful at other spots is a positive for him but not dispositive.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:44 PM ^
His special teams group fell of a cliff once the best kicking duo in college graduated.
I guess the question should be is if Jay was working on kicking technique with them and should therefor get a lot of credit, or if we should look at the pretty poor returning of the last couple of years and ask how much input he had on those phases.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:39 PM ^
being a great recruiter doesn't make you an offensive cordinator. More is a new HC, he needs a proven minds on both offence and defence. Screw all the guys that left and will leave. Lets go out and get some new up and comers (like Minter and Moore were) and give them their start and hope for similar sucess.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:59 PM ^
I did not know this until fairly recently.... but Jay isn't Jim's biological son. Jay was born in '89 and Jim and Miah didn't meet until sometime in the early '90s.
Not that it matters, but its and interesting bit of trivia.
January 29th, 2024 at 2:40 PM ^
From Sportskeeda:
On the personal front, Jim was married to Miah Harbaugh for 10 years between 1996 and 2006.
Miah Harbaugh's birth name was Miah Burke before she got married to Jim and took his name. They have three children together, Jay, James and Grace Harbaugh.
They dated for five years before getting married in 1996. The Michigan coach got remarried to Sarah Feuerborn in 2008.
Jim has seven children from two marriages. Jay, his first son, is a special teams coach at Michigan under his father. James is a music, theatre and dance major at Michigan.
January 30th, 2024 at 9:48 AM ^
They dated for five years prior to getting married in 1996. 1996 minus 5 is 1991. Jay was born in 1989.
January 30th, 2024 at 12:09 PM ^
Don’t have to be dating to have a kid together
January 30th, 2024 at 2:02 PM ^
true, although there are articles that say they MET in the early 90s.
believe what you like, i suppose.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:29 AM ^
FFS!!!!
January 29th, 2024 at 11:32 AM ^
Has been floated. Also been floated as DC. (Not as OPs.)
I think Jay wants to be with his dad more than he wants to get on some coordinator/HC track, at least at the moment. So it's a moot point.
January 29th, 2024 at 11:38 AM ^
Mute point*
January 29th, 2024 at 11:44 AM ^
Moo point. Like who cares what a cow thinks?
January 29th, 2024 at 11:49 AM ^
The card says Moops.
January 29th, 2024 at 12:02 PM ^
If George says the card says "Moops," the card says "Moops."
January 29th, 2024 at 11:53 AM ^
Am I missing a joke here?
January 29th, 2024 at 2:50 PM ^
It’s a Seinfeld bit. The episode about the Bubble Boy.