Would Michigan Football be better off without Jim Harbaugh?
The question every Michigan football fan has to be asking right now, is would the Wolverines be better off without Jim Harbaugh?
It’s pretty baffling that we are at this point with Michigan football. Just one week ago, the Wolverines were sky high and now, following another brutal loss, it feels like rock bottom.
Obviously, things can turn around quickly in the world of college football. It’s part of the week by week process of the sport. Last week, Michigan State was the disaster and with one fell swoop, they have swapped places with the Wolverines and are now toasting their new head coach.
Which leads me the question on the mind of every Michigan football fan, do the Wolverines need to move on from their head coach, Jim Harbaugh?
Whether you agree or disagree, you have to have considered this over the past 24-48 hours.
For all the progress Harbaugh has legitimately made, that loss to the Spartans was a gigantic step back and it’s hard to get past it.
Mel Tucker has his team ready and Harbaugh didn’t. The Wolverines didn’t look ready for anything Michigan State threw at them and they certainly didn’t have the ability to adjust.
But we don’t need to re-live what happened last Saturday, the key question is what does it all mean going forward?
Should Michigan really move on?
The frustration is understandable and at this point, it’s fair to ask if Harbaugh will ever come close to living up to the hype? It doesn’t feel like it, but this also doesn’t feel like to the time to cut bait.
Hear me out.
First things first, Harbaugh still has time to turn things around. Following the Wisconsin loss last year, people were saying the same thing. Then, U-M beat Iowa and Notre Dame and it silenced the critics.
The same thing could happen this season if Michigan football beats Indiana, Wisconsin and Penn State. I’m not saying U-M will do that, but if it does, Harbaugh isn’t going anywhere.
More from GBMWolverine
- 3 things to watch for Michigan football vs. Rutgers
- Michigan football vs. Rutgers: Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 4
- Michigan Wolverines news: Jim Harbaugh wants J.J. McCarthy ‘gunslinging’, plus a drop in recruiting rankings
- Grades, game balls for Michigan football vs. Bowling Green
- Michigan Wolverines news: Jake Moody is money in the NFL, plus more
Even then, there is good reason to keep him around, more like one good reason and his name is J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy is the five-star quarterback currently committed to Michigan football for the 2021 recruiting class, which in general is looking like one of Harbaugh’s best classes.
Sure, some of those guys could jump ship if things get really bad this season and if that happens, then it will probably be time to let Harbaugh go anyway, but this close to signing day it’s not likely.
I don’t expect the wheels to fall off completely and that makes the decision about Harbaugh even more difficult because as maddening as he is, letting him go is essentially a commitment to an entirely new rebuild, likely without the first five-star QB Michigan has landed in a long time.
And yes, Harbaugh could be fired after McCarthy and others sign, but players are now allowed that one-time transfer so he could leave without penalty through the transfer portal.
Josh Gattis may not have had his best day Saturday, but he’s brought some exciting things to Michigan and he would probably be gone too, unless the new head man decided to stick with him as OC, which is a pretty rare thing, though not impossible.
I don’t necessarily buy that if Michigan can’t win with Harbaugh, it can’t win with anybody. And besides, if that’s the attitude why try? Why even play Ohio State each season?
At some point, Michigan football has to hold Harbaugh and all coaches to a certain expectation level. He’s 3-3 against Michigan State and 0-5 against the Buckeyes. If that doesn’t change soon, at some point, he simply has to go.
But doing it right now or even after the season seems like the wrong time. That changes if this team tanks and it’s clear Harbaugh has lost the pulse, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at all and I don’t think it will be.
What we learned in loss to Michigan State. light. Related Story
Maybe I’m just weary about the prospect of another rebuild or maybe I don’t want to risk potentially the most talented quarterback Michigan has recruited in over a decade, but as up and down as things have been under Harbaugh, firing him still seems like a risky proposition.