After the Michigan Wolverines finished the 2014 college football season with a record of 5-7, you knew that change was forthcoming in Ann Arbor. And when Michigan decided to replace Brady Hoke as their head football coach with Jim Harbaugh, you knew that each player on Michigan’s team would fall in line.
It’s only early October, but the next victory by Michigan will tie their win total from 2014. So far the Wolverines have a record of 4-1 and even though they have not gotten into the heart of their Big Ten Conference schedule, you can see that they’ve already made tremendous strides.
Michigan had a solid defense in 2014 as they were ranked seventh in the nation in total defense. And the Wolverines have found a way to build off of that as they are currently ranked second in the nation in total defense. Michigan has surrendered just 38 points this season with 24 of those coming in the first game of the year and in their last two contests, they’ve shut out their opponents. Michigan’s offense has yet to reclaim its status as a national juggernaut, but you can see the blueprint that is being constructed on Harbaugh’s watch. And when Michigan completely gets their act together, the Big Ten as well as the rest of college football will be put on notice.
Harbaugh is an intense man that ask no quarter and gives no quarter. Football runs through the veins of Harbaugh as his father Jack was a football coach for nearly 50 years while his brother John is the current head coach of the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League. Harbaugh himself played football at Michigan under the watch of legendary head football coach Bo Schembechler. Harbaugh would go on to play 14 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback. For seven years Harbaugh played for the Chicago Bears where he was known to clash with head coach Mike Ditka: while during the 1995 NFL season, he would lead the Indianapolis Colts to a berth in the AFC Championship Game as their starting quarterback.
After being on the Carolina Pathers roster in 2001, Harbaugh began to venture into his post-playing career. From 2002-2003, Harbaugh was the quarterbacks coach of the Oakland Raiders as he helped the team win an AFC Championship. In 2004, Harbaugh got his shot to become a head coach when he took over the University of San Diego’s football program. After going 29-6 in three seasons at San Diego, Harbaugh got his big break when Stanford University came calling. Prior to Harbaugh arriving at Stanford, the team was 1-11, but in his first season they would win five games and by his final year in 2010, Stanford won their first Orange Bowl in school history.
In 2011, the National Football League would come calling as Harbaugh became the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers were a proud NFL franchise that had fallen on bad times as they had eight consecutive non-winning seasons. But in Harbaugh’s first three seasons in San Francisco, he was able to guide the Niners to the NFC Championship Game in each year with a berth in Super Bowl 47. However, Harbaugh and 49ers general manager Trent Baalke were never on the same page which resulted in Harbaugh being fired this past January.
Just prior to becoming the 49ers head coach, Michigan had flirted with bringing Harbaugh as their head football coach, but things fell through. However this time around, Michigan found their guy.
Harbuagh totally embodies Michigan as he is indeed a “Michigan man”. Being that Harbaugh was raised by his father who was a blue-collar football coach, played for another one at Michigan in Schembechler, and in the National Football League under Ditka, he was a tough minded, competitive player which has carried over to his head coaching career. Harbaugh is an old-school coach that still believes in using a fullback and blocking tight ends which catches those who have fallen in love with the spread offense totally off guard. You know that when you face a Harbaugh led team that there will be a high level of physicality with them as they get off of the team bus with an attitude and they pride themselves on being able to run the football while playing solid defense.
During Harbaugh’s time at Stanford, the school began a tradition of sending quality offensive linemen to the National Football League that includes Pittsburgh Steelers guard David DeCastro and New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Andrus Peat and you can expect that to continue in Ann Arbor.
Harbaugh is returning the Michigan brand to what is was under Schembechler; and not just because the football team is wearing 1974 inspired uniforms this season. But being that Michigan is a national brand that doesn’t need to use the fancy gimmicks of the spread offense during Rich Rodriguez’s tenure there, or with unrecognizable alternate uniforms to get the attention of recruits like they did when Hoke was in charge as they are going back to being all about three yards and a cloud of dust . And once you factor in Harbaugh’s success in the National Football League as a player and head coach, along with his ability to get talent to the professional ranks, Michigan is returning to the old days as they won’t have to beg the top high-school talent in the nation to come to Ann Arbor.
With their 4-1 record this year, Michigan appears to be ahead of schedule under Harbaugh which will only help to prop up the Big Ten Conference that much more as the conference is at its best when the Wolverines are competing on the national stage. In recent years the Wolverines have taken a back seat to the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten and although it isn’t etched in stone that Michigan will be victorious in those games, you might be witnessing two of the most physical games on the college football slate when the maize and blue tango with their conference rivals.
Hail to the victors valiant, hail to the conquering heroes, and when opponents face the Wolverines under Harbaugh, they had better pack a lunch.
Source: Cfbstats.com
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