Thoughts about potential coaching change timeline
Just sitting here thinking about the state of the program and am wondering what might be a realistic timeline to relieve Jim of his duties. If he makes it to the Maryland game, I suspect the following might happen:
He coaches the Maryland game, but is relieved before the Ohio State game. I don't think the university wants to send him out there against that team for his final game. Having an interim coach might save him from some personal embarrassment. In this scenario, I have to imagine that the team would need to lose to Maryland because it would be awkward to not only fire him after a win when they could have done so after the Penn State loss, but also because it might seem like a cop out against Ohio State.
What do you think? Does this seem reasonable?
November 28th, 2020 at 6:27 PM ^
He is not getting fired.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:29 PM ^
^^^ Harbaugh's burner^^^
November 28th, 2020 at 6:33 PM ^
^^^Mark Dantonio’s burner^^^
November 28th, 2020 at 8:37 PM ^
Now that you've exchanged numbers ask him if he needs a job.
November 28th, 2020 at 8:36 PM ^
Agreed, not being fired. But could be forced to leave as a total failure in utter disgrace unless he takes that NFL offer.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:27 PM ^
After the Maryland loss.
November 28th, 2020 at 8:38 PM ^
Shit, we couldn’t beat CMU or EMU. Michigan football fucking sucks.
November 28th, 2020 at 9:57 PM ^
It's the Michigan difference.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:28 PM ^
Won’t there be a game after the OSU game against the 6th place west division team?
November 28th, 2020 at 6:29 PM ^
The scenario above puts harbaughs image and reputation ahead of the teams/programs, which is unacceptable. If the decision is to fire him after Maryland, fire him now or wait to end of the year.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:29 PM ^
I think you're full of crap. Jimmy's not getting fired. He's gone, but not in anything like your scenario.
November 28th, 2020 at 8:38 PM ^
I tend to agree. However, he sucks and should be fired on principal. Everyone needs to understand that Harbaugh is also worse than both Hoke and RR.
November 28th, 2020 at 10:00 PM ^
Ummm......no. Harbaugh isn't remotely worse than RIchRod. Remember, Harbaugh had them within six inches (and a bad spot) of playing for the B1G Championship in 2016.
RichRod lost his last three games by 30, 38 and 38. The comparison is ridiculous.
Brady Hoke on the other hand......
November 28th, 2020 at 11:05 PM ^
Jeebus dude.
That's a completely bs take. Probably time for Harbaugh to exit but he's certainly the better coach.
Quit drinking and go to bed.
November 28th, 2020 at 11:55 PM ^
Ok, But Hoke beat OSU, in his first year with RichRods players...you can’t really argue 0-6 is better. And Osu is really all that matters.
i know these hard-to-swallow pills are hard to swallow
November 29th, 2020 at 12:31 AM ^
Were you here for Hoke's last two years...or RichRod's?
I mean, seriously.
Sure, JH probably needs to separate and just go back to the league. Things are pretty awful just now but let's not get us drunk on revisionist history.
November 29th, 2020 at 8:20 AM ^
The OSU team Hoke beat was 6-7 that year. Sure, he beat OSU, but it think more because OSU was in transition and had a bad year instead of a masterful coaching job by Hoke.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:30 PM ^
If he makes it to the Maryland game
This is not in question. Any coaching change is going to happen after the season.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:38 PM ^
I agree, there are really only 2 realistic conclusions to this situation. They will allow JH to coach out the remainder of the season and then part ways, or they will do nothing and sign him to an extension.
What I would like to see is for him to tender his resignation to Warde by Monday morning, but that won't happen.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:34 PM ^
Let the commits sign! After we play the last place team in the other division!
November 28th, 2020 at 6:39 PM ^
And then they will transfer anyway and get a waiver due to the coaching change. Either they are letting him coach out his last season out of respect or they're giving him a covid waiver for this year. I'm hoping it's the former.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:04 PM ^
Honestly, a Covid waiver is an idea that should at least be considered.
If Warde can’t get anyone better this year, he might as well punt until next year. Give him one more do or die year.
If he gets 9-10 wins then you keep him. It’s hard to see next year being a success with Harbaugh though. If Harbaugh sticks around, the staff needs an overhaul.
November 28th, 2020 at 8:06 PM ^
If he's a lame-duck going into next year, why would any half-decent coordinator even consider joining this operation?
November 28th, 2020 at 8:35 PM ^
No half-decent coordinator has tried working with him before why start now?
November 28th, 2020 at 9:54 PM ^
Don Brown was the best hire imaginable at the time. He coached several dominant defenses at Michigan and he was the hottest defensive coach there was. He's been figured out in recent years and he's too damn stubborn to evolve.
November 28th, 2020 at 10:17 PM ^
He was a really good hire at the time but something changed along the way. He went away from recruiting the trenches altogether and I have no idea why. To play press coverage like he wants to do, you have to recruit dominant d linemen and top cornerbacks. Now we aren't recruiting either position well. Nothing on the roster screams "soon to be fixed" from either of the positions.
November 29th, 2020 at 2:27 AM ^
The something that changed is two guys who used to work with Brown (Day and Mattison) showed the rest of the football world how to beat him.
November 29th, 2020 at 8:27 AM ^
I'd be much more worried about the impact of being a lame duck on recruiting than the coordinator situation. As impacts of lighting next year and the year after's recruiting classes on fire will linger fot a long time.
November 29th, 2020 at 12:11 PM ^
I'm sure the next head coach will be thrilled that you've saddled him with the results of a lame duck recruiting year to hinder his rebuild "out of respect" for the previous coach.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:37 PM ^
Best case scenario is Covid
Worst case is Harbaugh doesn’t get fired.
Harbaugh could’ve sent a message and fired Don Brown last week if he’s serious about coaching Michigan. Harbaugh doesn’t want to be the bad guy and make necessary changes and so he’ll wait for Warde to do it.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:41 PM ^
No. He will finish the season, for good or for ill. Likely for very ill.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:42 PM ^
He will finish out the season. They'll either give him an extension or they'll "mutually part ways."
November 28th, 2020 at 6:46 PM ^
honest question about if there shoild be a coaching search. coaches that have been successful elsewhere are coming to michigan and stinking up the world. hoke had done pretty well elsewhere then came to michigan to die. richrod was as hot as any coach before he came to michigan to die. harbaugh same story...just waiting on family to visit before they withdraw care on his tenure. what is wrong at michigan? athletic department? not a campus culture where football cant flourish? it cant be just coaching at this point.
November 28th, 2020 at 8:08 PM ^
This has nothing to do with "campus culture." Michigan is football-mad. Harbaugh had every opportunity, every resource -- tons more than most Top 20 programs have. It just didn't work because he didn't manage the roster, made bad recruiting choices, and didn't adapt. Also, it appears the team got sick of him.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:48 PM ^
As pissed off as most of us are, there will be no firing during the COVID asterisk season. He may have to do some house cleaning for better assistants though. There is no money coming is to hire another big time coach this season. We will have to wait for a failed 2021.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:29 PM ^
They can ask donors or get a fucking loan
November 28th, 2020 at 6:50 PM ^
Why would the Ohio State game be different from any other game?
Seriously.....this fanbase needs to stop obsessing about former coaches and RIVALRIES
November 28th, 2020 at 10:09 PM ^
Agreed about obsessing on the former coaches, but rivalries? Michigan vs. Ohio State in football was talked about on the same level as Duke vs. UNC in basketball, The Cowboys vs. Redskins (or Washington football team), Green Bay vs. Chicago, Yankees vs. Red Sox. You don’t achieve that level of rivalry to walk away from it.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:52 PM ^
The major problem is that you know what comes behind every football decision at OSU - win at all costs - and we know what comes behind every football decision at Michigan - Stone Age influencers who value academic achievement over football. Since that’s the case, they shouldn’t charge so much to see a game.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:39 PM ^
I'm sorry, but as an alum, I have no interest in a win at all costs mentality. This remains the football team of the UNIVERSITY of Michigan. There are plenty of options on Sundays to watch professional football.
I support the kids who play football and other sports while representing U-M. Having said that, I too am very disappointed in this year's football team. Though I doubt the team members are any less disappointed.
Unless the coaching staff has collectively suffered from COVID related cognitive impairment, I seriously doubt that any of them have forgotten how to coach in the last year. Yet, they, and the players, must be held accountable.
I'm not sure what form that accountability takes. Harbaugh has won wherever he's been, so there's no reason to think he can't win at Michigan. Recruiting has to be vastly improved. How many of our players could start on other good Big Ten squads? And the depth...
If you want a coaching change, then fine, but who is out there who is available and would realistically want and take the job who has a proven record of success at this level? Other than Urban Meyer, no name comes to mind and who knows if he'd even be interested?
I wish I had an easy answer and a quick fix but I don't and I doubt anyone else does either. Yet, I can't help but feel as if we've been sidetracked for the last decade+. Spread offense, speed in space... No matter what you run, or what the other team runs, it's hard to win when you don't control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and have a functional quarterback.
I like the Wisconsin model and I think we could build upon it with enhanced talent at some skill positions that we should be able to attract.
November 28th, 2020 at 8:10 PM ^
I agree with the above. I'd much rather be Wisconsin than a football factory. People need some fucking perspective. Football is awesome. But it's just a game.
November 28th, 2020 at 10:49 PM ^
Wisconsin is a football factory for O-Lineman, RB’s, TE’s and OLB’s.
This idea that a ready made candidate is the only answer is silly. When Alabama signed Saban he was coming off of a 1-15 year with the Dolphins despite his college success. Jim Tressel came from Youngstown St., Ryan Day had never been a head coach, Dabo Sweeney had never been a head coach, Lincoln Riley had never been a head coach, Brian Kelley was at CMU and Cincinnati prior to ND...I could go on. There are plenty of guys who proved it once they got there. There have been plenty who failed also. It is up to the AD to thoroughly review potential candidates and get the best one for Michigan.
Some have made ridiculous claims that Fickell would never consider Michigan because he is OSU through and through. That’s not how it works in the real world. If it is good for Fickell he will come. Some have said no to Matt Campbell. No one has any idea if he would be successful or not because none of us have interviewed him. People have said no to Urban Meyer. If it is the right fit, so be it. If you don’t trust Warde, I point to the hires of Mel Pearson, Juwan Howard, and the retention of Bakich. So far I would say Warde should have earned the fans trust when it comes to hiring coaches. He understands the importance of the head football coach. This isn’t his first rodeo.
I want Harbaugh gone now also. That’s my petty fandom wanting him to pay for his poor performance. It’s also what I hope and pray my employer would never do to me. Let it play out and see what happens when the season is done. Then people can start evaluating how Warde is handling the situation.
November 28th, 2020 at 11:02 PM ^
Wisconsin is the biggest steroid program in the big. Read what borland has written
November 28th, 2020 at 7:01 PM ^
I just don't think Warde is gonna fire Harbaugh. Maybe he will leave on his own - so it will be on his terms. But I have little hope whatever happens. Either scenario will result in more years of badness.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:20 PM ^
Who's going to fire Jim? Warde? Schlissel? How much money did we lose this year? This is a financial decision. I don't see either paying for Jim and a new coach right now. As long as he graduates players and develops good men, he'll be here for at least one more year.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:26 PM ^
After the Lions call...
November 28th, 2020 at 7:29 PM ^
Time to order the headbands with "JIM" printed on them for the OSU game.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:31 PM ^
Problem is Earle Bruce's players actually liked him and played hard for him.
November 28th, 2020 at 8:15 PM ^
And even if his teams underperformed, they beat their rivals. Bruce was 5-4 against Bo.