Michigan Football: Grading Jim Harbaugh's 1st 6 Months on the Job

Jim Harbaugh hasn’t met expectations during the first six months of his tenure with the Michigan Wolverines—he’s shattered them. Perhaps “obliterated them” better describes what he’s done since taking over his hobbling alma mater Dec. 30.

Supposedly, he wasn’t much into recruiting anymore, yet he’s strung together the No. 8-ranked class in the nation.

Make no mistake: He’s into recruiting. So much, in fact, that he had recently walked the streets of downtown Ann Arbor with a group of prospects, kicked-hat and all, in what looked like an attempt to better relate to prospects on a personal level. There is video and photographic evidence of Harbaugh having fun while recruiting that group, which included 4-star tight end/defensive end target Naseir Upshur.

Because of Harbaugh’s actions, he’s the hottest name in college football.

And with that said, Michigan fans couldn’t be more satisfied with the 20-man—and growing—collection of talent for 2016, and they couldn’t be happier with what Harbaugh—the right man for the rebuild in Ann Arbor—has done with the Wolverines program through 180 days.

Being that he’s new, Harbaugh’s every move gets magnified, dissected and analyzed by everyone. There are many layers to Michigan’s head coach, but he consistently demonstrates his ability to command with authority. Because of his presence, Michigan has regained a bit of confidence.

For that, and that alone, his overall grade has to be an “A.”

Some may argue for an “A+,” but contrary to popular belief, Harbaugh hasn’t been perfect. However, considering the circumstances and scenarios outlined below, he’s been pretty good. In a sense, he’s been better than anticipated.

Public Perception: A

As mentioned in a recent “biggest offseason headlines” piece, Harbaugh has commanded a considerable amount of attention outside of football. People love him, particularly those connected to Michigan. His energy is contagious, which is something that even Michigan State and Ohio State fans can appreciate.

Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes carry the conference’s flag, but Mark Dantonio’s Spartans are right behind them—and now here comes Harbaugh’s Wolverines. The Big Ten is the league to watch in 2015.

This past spring, Harbaugh showed off his love for baseball by helping out the Oakland A’s during an exhibition. The American Sniper thing caused a little stir, but he followed with a lighter, shirtless moment while practicing with athletes at a satellite camp in Prattville, Alabama.

He followed that by going all out during his “A4 Aerial Assault” camp in Ann Arbor—complete with baseball drills, trampoline golf, bounce houses and dodgeball. Participants also did a few football-related things. While with the media, he talked about getting “athletic reps” any way possible—which essentially describes the way he approaches everything: Waste no time, and get something from every experience.

He’s been described as “clinically insane,” off his rocker and a bit out of his mind. So far, he hasn’t blown a gasket in Ann Arbor and is viewed as more of a savior than football coach.

Recruiting: A+

Getting players was half the battle—and Harbaugh’s won on the trails at every turn. During the past six months, Michigan has recruited just as well, if not better, than it did under former coach Brady Hoke, who had a pair of top-10 classes a year prior to being released in December.

When looking for new talent, targeting “needs” usually trumps going after “wants.” The Wolverines needed a quarterback—a year ago, actually—so Harbaugh did what any guy who couldn’t wait until next year would do: He got a senior transfer.

Now with Jake Rudock—who started 25 games at Iowa—at the helm, Harbaugh has an experienced signal-caller to run the show this fall. The job isn’t in the bag for Rudock, but he’s the most logical successor to Devin Gardner.

Harbaugh gets an “A” for bringing immediate reinforcements. Hey, it was kind of like recruiting.

Now it’s time to move on to standard recruiting. Given momentum, Harbaugh could finish with a top-five class on national signing day. Like the rest in his position, Harbaugh has set his eyes on some of the best high schoolers in the nation, namely 5-star DT Rashan Gary, who’d be the cherry on top of a class already well represented by players such as 4-star QB Brandon Peters, 4-star WDE Ron Johnson and 4-star OL Ben Bredeson.

According to 247Sports, Michigan has extended 106 offers to prospects in the 2017 class.

Handling Internal Matters: C/C-

This past week, Ondre Pipkins accused Harbaugh’s staff of forcing him to retire from the team. Michigan coaches said he wasn’t healthy enough to play, but they encouraged the senior defensive lineman to seek playing time elsewhere, according to initial reports from ESPN’s Joe Schad.

The reported ousting of Pipkins doesn’t reflect particularly well on Harbaugh, but evidently, it may have been a necessary move.

Prior to being shown the door, Pipkins, the No. 6-ranked DT of 2012, had endured a couple of neck injuries and an ACL tear. This past spring, he suffered a concussion. His unhealthy track record was certainly enough for the Wolverines staff to question his ability to play the game at a high level.

According to Schad, Pipkins had been asked “10 times over a two-month period” to sign a medical release form.

“I feel I’m healthy and ready to play,” said Pipkins, according to Schad. “I don’t want to sign the form. I wanted to play for my seniors and for the team. Coach Harbaugh said, ‘I recommend you take the medical.’”

Either Pipkins is in denial about his health, or he was on the receiving end of a cold maneuver designed to create scholarship space, as he had suggested to Schad.

Regardless of who’s right or wrong, the parties involved could have handled it better. Finding a middle ground would have been better than a messy headline-grabbing affair. Players leave all the time for all kinds of reasons, but they rarely alert the media and air out dirty laundry.

And speaking of dirty laundry, on May 8, Jim Minick was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. According to a recent report from Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press, the Wolverines’ assistant football athletic director struggled to complete and/or attempt on-site sobriety tests. According to Snyder’s findings, Minick blew 0.185 on his breathalyzer test. Because of his apparent inebriated condition, field officers “feared for his safety” during the encounter. They didn’t even bother asking him to stand on one leg to prove balance, per the report.

Five days later on May 13, Minick was suspended indefinitely by Harbaugh, only to be reinstated June 5. During a court appearance this past week, Minick pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

The 50-year-old Marine was given eight months of probation, yet remains employed by the school and, evidently, in relatively good standing with Harbaugh. Certain situations warrant second chances, and Minick was certainly given the benefit of the doubt.

With that said, each punishment should fit the crime, right?

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

But back in May, due to a reported bad semester—one in which no such drunken/illegal activity was cited—senior-to-be Dennis Norfleet was indefinitely suspended from the football team. However, “Fleetwood,” as he’s known to Michigan fans, could be reinstated by August, according to a report from ESPN’s Dan Murphy.

But there are no guarantees.

Murphy wrote on June 5:

"

Norfleet’s high school coach, Terel Patrick, said Norfleet is on track to be back with the team as long as he “takes care of his business this summer.” Patrick didn’t want to go into details about what type of business Norfleet needed to complete. A Michigan spokesman said there’s been no change since head coach Jim Harbaugh declared the situation an “internal matter” a month ago.

"

Again, there is typically much more than meets the eye in cases such as these. But according to reports, it’d appear as if Harbaugh took care of a first-year employee who was clearly in the wrong better than he accommodated veteran players.

Perfect coaches don’t exist—only those who are very good at what they do and avoid major disasters, scandals and other undesirable attention. They each have their faults and quirks, but they’re ultimately judged on how often they win, how they win and how they handle team business.

In the real world, an “A+,” an “A” and a “C/C-“ doesn’t equal an overall grade of “A.” Despite an average handling of internal matters, Harbaugh has successfully recruited top players and maintained high—mostly positive—visibility during his first six months at Michigan, warranting nothing short of an “A.”

The next step is winning games.

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

Recruiting/ranking information was obtained from 247Sports.

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