Back to Football Just What Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines Need

Jim Harbaugh appeared relieved—not to mention a bit tired—during his first post-practice presser as Michigan’s head football coach. It’s been two months of media frenzy, exuberance from fans and national spotlights since he said "I do" on Dec. 30. The show’s now on the road.

While addressing the media Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh didn’t offer much in terms of quotable material, but here’s the gist of the Q&A session: Having the Wolverines start the process now, rather than later, can only benefit as they dive head-first into spring camp.

There won’t be any lag or transition for Harbaugh. He’s coached college ball before, and a stint with the San Francisco 49ers hasn’t altered or thrown off his approach in the slightest.

“Coaching is coaching,” he agreed.                                  

There won’t be any half-steps or second-guessing, either—Harbaugh clearly stated that he’s intent on finding the best player at each position, regardless of circumstance or situation. That careful calculation will manifest itself as a day-to-day evaluation.

“We’re still trying to figure out who the best players are right now—we’ve just had one practice so far,” he said.

Harbaugh’s take-charge attitude, which appears to be based more on performance than words at a press conference, is exactly what the Wolverines need to counter the previous seven years of mediocrity. He even went on to say that he wished he could “bottle the enthusiasm” from his team’s first spring workout—which symbolized a new beginning and true start of a “new year.”

“You feel like, when you start, you lay down a benchmark of where you are—it gives you a place to go forward from, a place to improve from and [an idea of] things to get better at,” he said.

Fresh Eyes

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Harbaugh knows exactly what to look for during evaluation periods. The earlier he can identify talent, the better. For the most part, former coaches Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke lacked in that regard. They had their stars and standouts, but they never really appeared to have complete rosters from top to bottom.

Massive holes were common, and costly, for nearly every position group.

With that said, widespread development should be the norm under Harbaugh, who has an expert team of assistants and staffers to assist with the process. He expressed great faith in passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch and offensive coordinator Tim Drevno—the pair is tasked with boosting one of the worst offenses, statistically, in Michigan history.

The Wolverines averaged a meager 20.9 points and 333 yards per game, ranking them at No. 13 and No. 14 in the Big Ten, respectively.

Fresh Attitude

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Harbaugh isn’t a cheerleading coach. He will not lead in singing Josh Groban songs, and he certainly won’t take part in any “there, there” talk. That’s not to say he’s not compassionate, which is not the case. But it is to say that he’s all business, all of the time. His chiseled demeanor just isn’t cut for the soft stuff.

Michigan, more than ever, needs that. The program has plummeted within the past decade—it has fallen from being feared to being very much beatable by the little guys of college football. And don’t even get started on rivals; the Wolverines have to crawl before they can walk in that sense. Michigan State and Ohio State are clearly levels above them at this point, having firmly taken hold of the Big Ten.

The past is the past, and athletic director Jim Hackett laid “Michigan Man” to rest back in December. But that doesn’t mean Michigan can’t take comfort in knowing that it got its man, not just any man. The feelings of a return to prominence are real. No longer a dream, the days of powerful Wolverines football are once again in reach and entirely likely. 

Harbaugh knows what’s on the line, and his readiness to embrace the responsibility of truly rebuilding the program—starting with the foundation—is nothing short of ideal for a team that’s most recent big splash came while sharing the 1997 national championship with Nebraska, which was then a member of the Big Eight.

It’s been some time. But Harbaugh’s presence justifiably suggests that now is indeed the start of something special in Ann Arbor. He said so Tuesday, in essence, just without the thing about his presence being the catalyst for the rebirth.

Calm but Confident

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Harbaugh isn’t making any promises right now, but the 2015 Wolverines should be in better shape than the 2014 version. Brady Pallante, a former defensive tackle, has been moved to fullback—that shows Harbaugh is willing to immediately flip the script. He doesn't care who did what under whom. Players will get reps where Harbaugh sees fit. 

He expressed excitement in a stern tone. Inside, he probably wanted to jump up and down. He loves the game, why wouldn’t he? But instead, he adopted a subtle tone and deflected questions, perhaps in an attempt to momentarily curb the anticipation and shift focus to growth.

There isn’t a starting quarterback right now. There is no depth chart—because like he said, it was one four-hour practice, the first in a series of efforts to retool the winningest program in college football history.

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer via press conference, press release or other media availability. Stats courtesy of BigTen.org.