Michigan Football: How Harbaugh's Start Matches Up to His Predecessors
Michigan hasn’t won a Big Ten Championship since 2004 and after seven seasons of mediocre results Jim Harbaugh has been hired to bring gridiron glory back to Ann Arbor. Harbaugh returns to a Big Ten very different from the conference he played in under legendary coach Bo Schembechler.
Gone are the days of the big two (Michigan and Ohio State) and the little eight (everybody else). Michigan will need to run the gauntlet of its two elite rivals (Ohio State and Michigan State) in the east division to make the Big Ten championship game and then overcome the west division winner to claim the Big Ten championship.
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The days of opponents wilting at the sight of the winged helmet are in the past; Michigan lost to conference newcomers Maryland and Rutgers last season.
| Jim Harbaugh | 12/30/14 | TBD | "I've dreamed about coaching at Michigan, and now it's time to live that." |
| Brady Hoke | 1/11/11 | 31-20 (18-14) | "This is an elite job and will continue to be an elite job. This is Michigan for God's sakes." |
| Rich Rodriguez | 12/17/07 | 15-22 (6-18) | "There's an old movie called the Lion King, I don't know if you've seen it..." |
Harbaugh’s first recruiting class is in the books and now it’s time to compare his start as Michigan head coach with that of the two coaches who came before him.
Rich Rodriguez came in highly regarded following a great run at West Virginia after Greg Schiano turned down the job. Rodriguez was different from the very beginning of his tenure. Whereas previous coach Lloyd Carr quoted the classics, Rodriguez invoked the wisdom of Disney cartoons.
Rodriguez came in and made a clean break with the past, dismissing all the previous coaches except for running backs coach Fred Jackson. His coaching staff was dominated by coaches who joined him from West Virginia.
He was hired nearly two weeks earlier than Harbaugh and nearly a month before Hoke. He roamed the sidelines of Michigan’s bowl victory over Florida and had a successful recruiting class that was ranked 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten.
Like Harbaugh, Rodriguez started his first season without an experienced quarterback when Ryan Mallett transferred leaving Nick Sheridan and Steven Threat, two quarterbacks ill-fitted for Rodriguez’s read-option offense, to compete for the starting position.
Michigan went 3-9 (2-6 Big Ten) in his first season (2008) and suffered one of the worst losses in program history falling 13-10 to a Toledo team that finished 3-9 (2-6 MAC). The losing record broke Michigan’s 33-year consecutive streak of making a bowl game.
Athletic director David Brandon hired Brady Hoke from San Diego State after firing Rodriguez and going on a jet-setting national tour where he spoke to both Jim Harbaugh and Les Miles about becoming Michigan’s next coach.
Brady Hoke nailed his introductory press conference and then like Rodriguez fired all the previous coaches except for Fred Jackson. He also brought many of his coaches with him from his previous job but convinced Greg Mattison to leave the NFL and become his defensive coordinator.
Despite being hired nearly two full weeks later than Harbaugh, Hoke landed a decent recruiting class that was ranked 26th nationally and third in the Big Ten.
Hoke had the luxury of having talented quarterback Denard Robinson stay with the program and lead Michigan to an 11-2 (6-2 Big Ten) finish and BCS bowl victory in his first season (2011). Hoke and staff worked magic coaxing great performances from players who had struggled under Rodriguez, particularly on defense.
Jim Harbaugh
After Michigan’s season imploded claiming both David Brandon and Brady Hoke, interim athletic director Jim Hackett hired Jim Harbaugh to lead the Michigan football program. Harbaugh was hired shortly after the NFL season ended and was announced as Michigan’s next head coach in late December. Harbaugh was hailed at his introductory press conference and addressed the crowd at a Michigan basketball game afterwards.
Harbaugh passed on rehiring Hoke’s coaches who were dismissed after his ousting except for Greg Mattison whom he retained as defensive line coach. He built his staff with coaches who had a mix of pro and collegiate experience.
Harbaugh crisscrossed the country trying to flip recruits from other programs and trying to convince undecided elite players to attend Michigan. Despite being in on a number of top players late in the recruiting process Harbaugh finished with a recruiting class that was ranked 38th nationally and sixth in the Big Ten.
Harbaugh enters the season with no clear starting quarterback but has a number of talented players including Alex Malzone, Zach Gentry, Shane Morris and Wilton Speight expected to compete for the position.
Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand
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