How Jim Harbaugh Brought the NFL to the Big Ten

When Tyrone Wheatley jumped Kentucky's Vince Marrow in 247Sports' rankings of the nation's top recruiting assistant coaches on Wednesday, it didn't come as much of a shock.

After all, the Michigan running backs coach has helped secure pledges from seven of the Wolverines' 11 commitments in what ranks as the nation's fifth-ranked class in the 2017 recruiting cycle.

What may be a surprise, however, is the realization this is only Wheatley's fifth full cycle on the recruiting trail—his second at Michigan following previous brief stints at Eastern Michigan and Syracuse, which were sandwiched between a stop as the Buffalo Bills running backs coach.

His experience is dwarfed by college counterparts and fellow ace recruiters such as Ohio State's Tony Alford, Oklahoma's Kerry Cooks and Florida State's Odell Haggins, each of whom possesses more than a decade's worth of tenure in the college ranks.

But when it comes to Jim Harbaugh's staff in Ann Arbor—and as evidenced by Wheatley's success—the less experience at the college level, the better. At least that's how it seems in Harbaugh's first 15 months at his alma mater, as NFL experience has turned into the Wolverines' most reliable recruiting weapon.

And the rest of the Big Ten has taken notice, with some even following suit.

Take one look at the Michigan coaching staff's resume, and extensive experience at the college level isn't as prevalent as one might think. In fact, the only Wolverines assistant to spend his entire coaching career in the college ranks is the staff's newest member, defensive coordinator Don Brown, who was hired to replace D.J. Durkin this past offseason.

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

With former high school coach Chris Partridge having just been promoted to linebackers coach this offseason, eight of Michigan's 10 coaches—including Harbaugh—possess some form of NFL coaching experience.

"I think it does help that there has been NFL experience in our coaches' background," Harbaugh said on national signing day in 2015. "A lot of our players, that's one of their goals, to make it to the NFL."

The level of NFL experience for each Wolverines assistant varies, with some coaches, such as Wheatley and defensive line coach Greg Mattison, having spent just a few years at the pro level. Others—including offensive coordinator/passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch—possess more prominent NFL resumes. Harbaugh is a blend of both, having spent seven combined years at San Diego and Stanford before his four years with the San Francisco 49ers that preceded his return to Ann Arbor.

As one might expect, Harbaugh hasn't hidden his staff's NFL ties. Some of the Wolverines' most prominent recruiting materials have related to their track record in the professional ranks, whether it be promoting players that the staff produced to or coached at the next level.

"We don't discourage that," Harbaugh said of prospects' desire to play in the NFL. "In fact, we try to teach it."

Thus far, the results speak for themselves.

After failing to arrive in time to save Michigan's 2015 class, Harbaugh and his staff went to work on the 2016 cycle early, ultimately securing the nation's fifth-ranked class, including the country's No. 1 overall prospect, 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary. As relayed to Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue, several of the Wolverines' prized players chose Harbaugh and his staff based on their NFL acumen.

"You're going to get coached on an NFL level, and your football IQ will be high, if not the highest, coming out of college," 3-star linebacker Elysee Mbem-Bosse said.

"Coach Harbaugh and his staff set themselves apart with me by installing a pro-like system," added 4-star defensive end Ron Johnson.

With 10 months to go until the next national signing day, Michigan already appears well on its way toward putting together a 2017 class that could rival—if not surpass—its predecessor. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Wheatley, the Wolverines lay claim to commitments from three 4-star prospects, as well as the nation's top pro-style passer prospect in 5-star quarterback Dylan McCaffrey.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Perhaps it's not a coincidence that with the success Michigan has found with its pro-centric approach, other programs across the Big Ten have attempted to emulate a similar staff makeup. Illinois' hiring of Lovie Smith brought an NFL-caliber staff to Champaign, while Nebraska's Mike Riley—a former NFL coach—filled two vacancies in Lincoln this offseason with assistants with NFL experience.

Even at Ohio State, the one Big Ten school to still out-recruit the Wolverines since Harbaugh's arrival, Urban Meyer's has added professional experience to his staff's recruiting repertoire. After defensive coordinator Chris Ash took the head coaching job at Rutgers, the Buckeyes head coach brought on Greg Schiano, who last served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach from 2012 to 2013.

"Any time you have [an NFL] guy, that's the catch name," Meyer said. "That's a big part of recruiting, that's a big part of just instantaneous respect. We're reliant, leaning on him quite a bit."

"If you're recruiting the right players, they want to play in the NFL, right?" Schiano said about what he brings to the staff. "That's the talent level that we recruit here at Ohio State. So I can hopefully give them the true picture of what it is."

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

The reality is that not just the players in the Big Ten are looking for that NFL experience from head coaches—the programs are searching for it too. That didn't seem to happen much until Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor with his NFL-caliber coaching staff and watched as the results on the recruiting trail followed.

Of course, accomplishing what Harbaugh has in such a short time is easier said than done. It's worth noting that few NFL coaches were as successful as he was during his time in the pros, where he helped lead the 49ers to three consecutive NFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance.

That, however, won't stop his Big Ten rivals from trying, especially as the NFL experience of coaches like Wheatley continues to pay dividends at the college level.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.