After years of underachieving classes, the Jim Harbaugh effect is fueling Michigan’s football recruiting success.
Not many coaches can attack recruiting with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind the way Jim Harbaugh does. Sleeping on floors, climbing trees, starring in rap videos, drinking milk with steak and –the latest– jumping in a swimming pool to celebrate a big commitment. Harbaugh has his quirks, but he does whatever is necessary, within reason, to land top targets.
Coaches respect him, recruits love him and parents trust him. He is that goofy uncle who always gets too wild at family gatherings and tries to relate to the younger crowd. The difference between that uncle and Harbaugh? Jim’s approach actually works.
When Harbaugh played quarterback at Michigan in the 1980s under legendary head coach Bo Schembechler, he knew that he wanted to take the reins of the program once he retired from the NFL. He got his start as the quarterbacks coach of the Oakland Raiders, then was hired as San Diego’s head coach, followed by Stanford and then back to the NFL to lead the 49ers.
Reaching the NFL as a head coach and taking San Francisco to the Super Bowl against his brother, John, seemed to be the pinnacle of his career. He found a home in the Bay Area and it looked like he would remain at the highest level as one of the league’s top coaches.
Then the front office turned on him. He had worn out his welcome despite going 44-19 in four seasons with two NFC West titles. That’s when the Michigan rumors began to swirl.
With one foot out the door, people had been speculating Harbaugh’s potential return to Ann Arbor to lead the Wolverines who had just fired Brady Hoke. It seemed like a far-fetched idea since Michigan was trending in the wrong direction and there were other NFL teams willing to give him a shot.
On Dec. 28, 2014, Michigan was one step closer to making a power move — Harbaugh and the 49ers parted ways. Two days later, he was introduced as the head coach of the Wolverines during halftime of a men’s basketball game. The crowd went nuts.
It was a new era in Ann Arbor. The program hadn’t been to a Big Ten Championship Game since its induction in 2011 and was without a conference title since 2004. Everything was in disarray after Hoke and Rich Rodriguez did some damage and Harbaugh was back to save Michigan from irrelevancy.
The 2015 recruiting class was basically set in stone as some of Hoke’s targets remained on board and Harbaugh only had a month to finish the class. It finished No. 37 in the country and was fifth-best in the Big Ten behind top rivals Michigan State and Ohio State, according to 247Sports.
Michigan’s 2016 class was much different, however. Not only did Harbaugh begin aiming for the nation’s top targets, but he was landing them at an incredible pace. His recruiting prowess was beginning to pay off immediately.
After a 10-3 season with a Citrus Bowl victory in 2015, Harbaugh reeled in the sixth-best class in the country and second-best in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State, per 247Sports. Guys like Rashan Gary (the nation’s top overall recruit), Ben Bredeson, Brandon Peters, David Long, Devin Asiasi, Kareem Walker, Michael Onwenu, Lavert Hill and Kekoa Crawford, all top-150 recruits, bought in.
Business was booming.
With all of that talent coming in and returning stars such as Jabrill Peppers, Jourdan Lewis, Taco Charlton, Jake Butt, Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson, a Big Ten title seemed likely. After beating Maryland, the Wolverines were 9-0 with a road game against Iowa forthcoming. The Hawkeyes dashed any hope for a playoff berth … or so it seemed.
Despite the crushing loss, the Wolverines remained No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings. They took care of Indiana the following week to improve to 10-1 with a huge showdown in Columbus for all the marbles approaching.
Michigan lost by inches — literally. A somewhat favorable spot, depending on who you ask, on a J.T. Barrett keeper was the difference between a Michigan win and playoff berth and Ohio State’s victory and shot to win a second national title in three years.
The Wolverines would go on to play Florida State in the Orange Bowl and lose one of the best postseason games of the year to finish 10-3.
Another third place finish in the Big Ten East seemed disappointing, but the improvement was obvious. A season ago, the Wolverines lost to both Michigan State and Ohio State, the latter decisively. This season, they took down the Spartans and nearly upset the Buckeyes on the road in overtime.
Fans don’t want to hear the word “improvement”, rather they want to see results. If the Wolverines’ 2017 class is any indication of impending success, Michigan’s next Big Ten title might come within the next 365 days.
Michigan has the fourth-best 2017 class in the country and the second-best in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cesar Ruiz, Tarik Black and Ambry Thomas are currently committed to the class with a number of other top-250 targets left on the board. He’s not done adding yet.
Love him or hate him, you have to respect him. He relates to the young kids with his quirky style and it’s reeling in the big fish.
Jim Harbaugh is college football’s most interesting coach.