Bo Harbaugh

October 2nd, 2023 at 9:37 PM ^

Better than Bo, who had top 5 talent once he got rolling, in an era where talent was concentrated amongst 5-7 teams and UM was one of them. 
 

Harbaugh has won everywhere, including the NFL. Like Bo, the ultimate prize has eluded him to date. Unlike Bo, Harbaugh wins with, what on paper, are not teams of elite recruits. 
 

Imagine Harbaugh coaching Bama, UGA, OSU stacked recruiting classes and rosters and what the ceilings of those teams might be. No doubt we get blue chips and crazy talented players, but not at the ratio of those top football factories.
 

 

Joined: 08/03/2019

MGoPoints: 38615

Buffalowing Blue

October 3rd, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^

To be fair 6-7 years ago he was doing some whacky stuff and seemed arrogant, so I can see other fan bases thinking that.  

He has definitely turned a page in his life and he's not the maniac we wanted when he was hired. While his demeanor has softened up (no pun intended Mr. 3rd base) his passion is still there.  Just not as intense.

Joined: 11/14/2022

MGoPoints: 5369

Champeen

October 3rd, 2023 at 8:07 AM ^

This.  Bo gets a TON of credit for what he did in 1969 and the fact that he got the train rolling.  And im not sure i put Harbaugh above that.  BUT, once that train did get rolling, it was Nick Saban easy for Bo.  Like you state, talent was concentrated among 10 ish teams.  They could load up on whoever and whatever they wanted.  Bo's 5th guy at a position was like our 2nd best guy.

Im not sure i can say Harbaugh is better then Bo.  But im also not sure i can say Bo was a better coach either at this point.  It is much more difficult for Harbaugh to stay relevant with the current ruleset than it was for Bo.

Joined: 04/07/2011

MGoPoints: 14961

MGlobules

October 3rd, 2023 at 10:09 AM ^

Just to break down a couple of pieces of that: Jim has far more insight about xs and os, in my opinion. Credit for putting a modern football program in motion to Bo? Yes and no. M had a long history in football before him, including some of the great figures in the game. (Messy figures, sure, like Bo.) But Jim has re-modernized the program, succeeded early--as most admit--on guile and smarts where Bo had dominant players. And really done it in a healthier way, IMO.

I've watched 'em both up close, and can add that Bo was lionized, but not liked in many quarters. He had an ugly side. And he refused to adapt, even as Harbaugh has realized that when you can't bend the modern game toward you (and he has, to a real extent) you can also adapt to it. I'll take Harbaugh going away.

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 47648

Grampy

October 3rd, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^

Bo is an apt comparison, but Jim has an additional quality which Bo lacked - Adaptability.  Bo didn't need to make a lot of change, it was the nature of the times and he took pride that his brand included being stubborn.  Jim doesn't play in that world.  He seems to be fearless in looking at the team, from himself down to the walk-ons, and making changes to improve it.  

But, above these two stands Fielding Yost, unquestionably the coach with the greatest impact on the teams, program, and university.  This can only be assessed in the context of when each coach flourished, Yost wouldn't have done well in today's environment, but it's impossible to overstate what he did in his time.

 

Joined: 06/29/2012

MGoPoints: 24110

Dennis

October 3rd, 2023 at 10:04 AM ^

Lol, it's like the Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode where frank suggests they should sing a song at the Little Beauties Pageant called "do NOT diddle kids, it's no good diddling kids"

And Mac says "there's no quicker way for people to think you're diddling kids than to write a song about it."

Joined: 10/08/2017

MGoPoints: -9988620

Rhino77

October 2nd, 2023 at 7:32 PM ^

I think this team goes as far as JJ does. He is the leader they are following. Jim is facilitating that. Honestly I wouldn’t want it any other way. 

Joined: 05/27/2011

MGoPoints: 14020

Hoek

October 2nd, 2023 at 7:41 PM ^

Urban to MSU picking up steam??? What the fuck? I hope he goes there and Jim kicks him in the teeth for the next 5 years.

Joined: 01/29/2010

MGoPoints: 14312

MadGatter

October 2nd, 2023 at 8:03 PM ^

Its just clickbait. No one of any significance has come out and said its real.

They did the same thing last year after the Michigan game with "rumors" of Dante Moore going to MSU to get some positive press after getting dragged for the tunnel incident. Just a way to distract themselves in happy fantasyland for a while until they end up with Narduzzi.

Joined: 03/29/2020

MGoPoints: 8297

tybert

October 2nd, 2023 at 10:03 PM ^

Narduzzi is clearly better than Mel but he lucked into Pickett and Jordan Addison. One great season. One nice year last year w/9 wins. This year's Pitt team is very sad. He is definitely hoping to jump ship for the one school that would take him because of his hatred for UM. 

I just hope MSU doesn't get Dickett (yes, I'm aware of the jokes) from Wazzu or J Smith from the other OSU. 

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 8453

EGD

October 3rd, 2023 at 9:18 AM ^

Lots of teams will be after the guy from Duke. I have to imagine he'll find a better opportunity than MSU. In fact, Duke itself might actually be a better opportunity than MSU. Both are basketball schools. Both are in states with generally superior FBS programs. Both are in P5 conferences with major powerhouse teams that are pretty much always going to have more talent than you.

Unlike MSU, however, Duke is presently a top 25-ish team rather than a smoldering ruin clinging to a brief run of success (that corresponded with scandals at two of the major powerhouse programs in the conference and a series of disruptive coaching transitions and philosophical changes at the third). Duke doesn't have the recently-retired fan-favorite successful football coach lingering in the background for people to be like "why can't you be more like Mork?" Duke doesn't have any expectations of success in football so if you do well, people celebrate, but if you do poorly nobody cares. And so far as I know Duke's program isn't reeling from a still-unresolved sexual harassment scandal, coming on the heels of an astonishing sexual abuse scandal.

I do think the guy from Duke will probably look for a place where he can truly compete for league titles and national championships. But that place isn't MSU. They're not getting the guy from Duke. 

 

 

Joined: 09/16/2009

MGoPoints: 35199

Amazinblu

October 2nd, 2023 at 9:08 PM ^

What I have heard is.. it’s going to be a package deal… In an all time coup - the Spartans are going to offer the job to.. Saban, Harbaugh, Riley, Lanning, DeBoer, and a few others, including Meyer. Rumor is.. all of those coaches agents have reached out to the Spartan Administration - and, each of them will act as head coach for a game or two each season while rotating as Coordinators, position coaches, and analysts.

Joined: 01/22/2010

MGoPoints: 41285

Perkis-Size Me

October 3rd, 2023 at 6:51 AM ^

Urban would make MSU into a very good team, but that roster is so decimated right now that he’d be having to rely on transfers and freshman for at least the first year or two, in order to find any semblance of success. He’d lose a lot more than he wants to in the first year or two, especially that first year. 

The man is a great coach, but a big part of the reasons why he found success so early at Florida and Ohio State is because the rosters were already stacked with talent when he got there. A lot of people don’t realize Ron Zook recruited, extremely well at Florida before Meyer got there, but he just couldn’t get the job done on the field. Meyer just needed to mold and whip them into shape.

And then, when he went to Ohio State, he inherited one of the most talented rosters in the country, along with a quarterback, tailor-made for his system. Not saying he should have to apologize for that, but if you’re wondering why he finds success so early, this is a big reason why.

He hasn’t had to rebuild an entire roster and program foundation from scratch since at least his Utah days.

Joined: 11/30/2011

MGoPoints: 105739