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1.
When Jim Harbaugh left in the mid-'80s for the NFL Draft, the Michigan Wolverines were a perennial power; now, in 2015, he returns to Ann Arbor, Mich. with the program in shambles, scraping the bottom of the Big Ten. We'd say we feel sorry for him, except that he inked a contract that'll pay him $5 million dollars per year annually to resurrect a Michigan team that used to stand at (or near) the apex of the college football world.
That same Michigan program, the one that used to sweat dominance, has hovered below .500 in the conference (which, as you may know, hasn't been viewed too favorably over that period) over the past seven seasons combined. If you're a teenager, all you may know is Michigan mediocrity. But your dad, or your grand-dad, or your grand-dad's grand-dad may view them as one of the greatest collegiate powers in NCAA history. We're talking about a team with 16 national titles (none in 17 years), 42 conference titles (none in 11 years) and 78 consensus All-Americans (none in three years). In fact, Michigan is the winningest program in the history of NCAA football, even after the combined calamities of the Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke eras. Now they can't even make a bowl when college football practically gives them away.
It's now up to Harbaugh, the alum come home, to get the program's arrow pointing upward again. He fixed a wretched Stanford program. He took the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Now he has to fix the Hindenburg-esque disaster that Brady Hoke left in Ann Arbor. To do so he has to re-root Michigan football. Here's a brief rundown of the Seven Steps Jim Harbaugh Must Take to Turn Around Michigan from two people (one a fellow alum, and the other just some guy) that don't have one one-thousandth of Harbaugh's experience or expertise. Who could possibly be more qualified?
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2.Recruit.
If you're a Michigan fan anybody, tell us if you see any red flags in the following statements:
— Michigan has only six verbal commitments for their 2015 recruiting class.
— That puts them last amongst teams in "Power Five" conferences.
— The "dead period" for recruiting lasts for another week-and-a-half.
— National Signing Day is less than a month away.
That should sum up the dire recruiting situation in Ann Arbor at the moment. While it seems doubtful that Harbaugh will be able to get much done until the 2016 class, there is reason to hold out hope for some sort of January surprise. Harbaugh consistently posted Top 25 classes at Stanford, where the entrance standards are notoriously rigid (he did this by compiling an array of "A-List recruiters").
This means U of M won't have to promote undergrads from ultimate frisbee intramurals to walk-ons just yet. In fact, several unsigned top recruits have taken notice after Harbaugh signed, including (but not nearly limited to) Snoop Dogg's son. We're not expecting a windfall, or a miracle, or any of that shit, but a couple of last-minute blue chips could make the transition easier in what should be an initial fairly average season for the Wolverines.
3.Beat Michigan State and Ohio State.
Uh, we’d file this one under “no easy task,” as we’re talking about the potential National Champs, as well as a team who could easily finish this season in the top five. You really, really don’t want to remain No. 2 in your own state for too long, lest an entire generation of Michigan children grow up aspiring to become Spartans instead of Wolverines.
And though we’d like to call Ohio State-Michigan a "rivalry," it really isn’t, nor has it been since the turn of the century. In fact, the Buckeyes have won 10 of the last 11, meaning it’s a “rivalry” the way Red Sox-Yankees was a rivalry, with one team consistently shit stomping the other. That means your dad probably knows it’s supposed to be a “rivalry,” but you don’t. Jim Harbaugh needs to change that immediately. Or at least give fans something to look forward to at the end of each season. We don't need to spell out the consequences, but the fact that all three teams draw from a similar recruiting pool (especially in the Midwest) puts Michigan at a severe disadvantage.
4.Find a viable quarterback.
There's going to be seven quarterbacks on the roster in 2015. Seven! And while it’s likely that none are in the vein of Andrew Luck, one could at least hope that there’s somebody more capable than Devin Gardner. While Michigan diehards aren’t going to be patient, they’ll still be a helluva lot more resigned to mediocrity than they were a decade ago. Years of futility will humble you; and Hoke set the bar so low it’ll be impossible to limbo under it. Seriously, Jim, just don’t let a guy play with a concussion and you should be fine.
It isn't immediately clear who's going to start for the Wolverines on the opening day of the season, and it's possible that we won't even know until that day is upon us. It could be Shane Morris, Wilton Speight, or perhaps even the team's incoming 4-star recruit, Alex Malzone. There have even been rumors about the possibility of Stanford QB Kevin Hogan using his fifth-year transfer option to come play in Ann Arbor; Hogan has played under coach David Shaw for the entirety of his collegiate career, but was recruited by Harbaugh.
A former Michigan quarterback, Harbaugh is regarded as a guru of the position, having coached up Luck, Alex Smith, and Colin Kaepernick. Regardless of who ends up starting in Ann Arbor, the expectations will only be higher for the next Michigan signal-caller.
5.Re-establish the running game.
For awhile, during the combo of Rich-Rod and Brady Hoke-led Michigan teams, the rushing strategy appeared to be: Snap the ball to Denard Robinson, let him make a play. And it worked. For awhile.
But since Lloyd Carr (and more importantly Mike Hart) left after 2007, Michigan has had a total of one thousand rusher who actually played halfback. This from a university that produced past (college) greats such as: the aforementioned Hart, Tim Biakabatuka, Tyrone Wheatley and Anthony Thomas.
One thing Harbaugh has been known for (beyond cheap khakis and smearing player blood on his face) are gritty offensive lines anchored by his longtime OL coach-turned-offensive coordinator, Tim Drevno. With a couple of five-star backs in their arsenal, and Drevno providing the road graders to create holes for said backs, Michigan's run game could be ready to hold it's own in a conference that just lost Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman and Ameer Abdullah (i.e. the three finalists for the Doak Walker Award) to the NFL.
Maybe don't expect that level of production (at least not right away), but a running back pushing 1,000 instead of 500 yards appears to be within Michigan's grasp (high standards, we know). You might think those are weak-ass expectations, but if so it means you haven't been watching the Wolverines abhorrent run game for the past seven or eight years.
6.Restore the off-the-field standards for the program.
After the expulsion of former Sugar Bowl hero Brendan Gibbons in December of 2013, the football program and the University were met with heavy criticism for their lack of transparency and honesty regarding the rape accusation weighed against Gibbons in the fall of 2009, as well as former All-American tackle Taylor Lewan's alleged coercion in the incident. Gibbons was "separated" from the University without so much as a word about his dismissal, a silence that smacked of the same sad cover-up narratives we hear about on other college campuses where athletics are too highly prized. For a school and a program that pride themselves on their rigorous ethical standards, the Gibbons story was a deeply disillusioning example of how low the school was willing to go for the sake of maintaining its image.
The damage done by the scandal cannot be undone by Harbaugh. However, Harbaugh can at least take steps toward re-establishing the team's ties with the Ann Arbor community and their standing as students within the University. If there comes a time when an example needs to be made of a player, then Harbaugh must do so; no athlete can be seen as an exception to the rules.
7.Don't get overshadowed by Urban Meyer.
The necessity for Michigan to beat Michigan State and Ohio State has already been mentioned. However, in the case of Ohio State, it bears repeating. Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer is looking like the next Woody Hayes in Columbus, Ohio, meaning that Harbaugh will need to step up and play the role of Bo Schembechler if Michigan is going to have a chance against their chief rival in the foreseeable future.
The megalomaniacal Meyer is undefeated in the Big Ten Conference, and currently stands on the doorstep of his third national title. In order to best Meyer's almost fatal dedication to football, Harbaugh's blood-smearing, in-your-face approach to coaching will need to resonate more clearly than ever with his latest team.
The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is one of the most prestigious showdowns in sports history. Of the fourteen Michigan coaches who played against Ohio State, only five finished their careers with losing records. However, three of those men are Lloyd Carr, Rich Rodriguez, and Brady Hoke—the last three coaches to lead the Wolverines. It's up to Harbaugh to break the streak. Even if Harbaugh can lead Michigan to a winning record again, a victory in this rivalry is still a bottom-line reality for any coach on either side of it. Just ask John Cooper.
8.Win back the students.
Former athletic director Dave Brandon was an antagonizing leader for the Michigan football program after raising student ticket prices to astronomical levels during his four seasons in Ann Arbor, changing the seating policies for the student section by removing the seniority rules, and generally acting like a total dick. Thankfully, Brandon resigned in disgrace last season, after the program's horrific handling of the concussion fiasco finally forced him to leave Ann Arbor in the same greasy Domino's pizza box that he was delivered in.
However, Brandon wasn't the program's only ignominious figure; in September, students gathered in protest outside the home of University president Mark Schlissel, calling for Brady Hoke's job after the aforementioned incident involving Wolverines quarterback Shane Morris. By season's end, the program and its core fan base became completely alienated from one another.
With the help of interim AD Jim Hackett (who is looking more and more likely to take on the position in a permanent role), Harbaugh will need to give the students a reason to fill the Big House once again. If the recent "Khaki Out" is any sort of indication, then he's already well on his way to restoring the ties between the students and the Wolverines.