Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from Jim Harbaugh’s new hires

Michigan landed a big-time recruiter

Harbaugh knows that if Michigan football is going to catch Ohio State, it has to do well on the recruiting trail and this hire was all about recruiting.

Jean-Mary has coached previously as the defensive coordinator for South Florida, but before that, he coached at Texas and helped the Longhorns land three top-15 recruiting classes. He should help the Wolverines in both Texas and Florida, while also being an asset as a defensive coach, much like Campanile, who was strong as a coach and recruiter.

He did a solid job with the defense in South Florida and had units that thrived on forcing turnovers and getting tackles for loss, which is a good fit for what Michigan wants with Brown. His defenses also did well in the red zone, which could be an area of improvement for the Wolverines.

There is no doubt that Michigan needed a guy who can connect with recruits, as well as a coach on the field and while Wright would have surely done a great job on the trail, finding talent, Jean-Mary has proven he can do that, in addition to being a major asset coaching on the defense.