Any discussion of this topic needs to address the fact that to anyone licensed to dispense anti-anxiety and anti-depression medication, it appears as if he started taking such medication circa 2017, and that it is impacting his cognitive functioning and emotional responses with almost textbook-like precision.

You could address it by saying you think it's bunk.  Or by saying that you think it's irrelevant.  Or by saying you think he'll adjust his coaching to compensate.  Or any of the hundred other takes you might have.  But to just ignore it makes it difficult to take the rest of what you say seriously.  

You are a voice of reason which has been sorely in need around here. In addition to revamping support and recruiting staff, I would love for the next Michigan coach after Harbaugh to come from the coordinators, e.g. Ryan Day. Not a Ron English type, but a big time coordinator that all other programs would want as head coach. Pulling a rabbit out of the hat coaching search for Michigan has put us behind. 

I see a lot of young players getting a lot of invaluable experience.  I don’t care about the win/loss record.  This season was just an opportunity to get better.

Go Blue!

I wish that I could be optimistic that 'this is just a down year,' and 'Harbaugh knows he needs to revamp things,' etc. but I just don't see it that way. This year, and this season, are abnormal but that doesn't change the fact that we're not on the right track. Jim looks burned out, maybe it's more than that; I saw someone post here on another thread last week that they knew he'd had some heart problems and was on medicine. I wish those that posted as if they are "in the know" would make it clear on what basis they know what they know, otherwise it's rumors and gossip and nonsense. Anyway regardless of the reasons, Harbaugh is clearly not the same as his first 2-4 seasons here, and both he and the team look lost and uninspired. I'm slowly coming to expect announcement of an extension in the next week or two, and I can imagine why that would happen (the athletic dept. lost a LOT of revenue this year). But while I'd like to think Harbaugh will take the opportunity to revamp his staff and his approach to recruiting and stop messing with our QBs and making them worse rather than better and stop meddling with the offense so his young OC can actually implement speed in space...I don't think any of those things will happen. What I think is that we're a sinking ship until Harbaugh leaves. And if we somehow end up playing at OSU next Saturday, look out below. I recommend cleaning the garage instead.

We seem to have reached this tipping point culturally, not just in football, but in this country.  The old school, tough, accountable, hardcore JH types aren't effective any longer.  Bo's style doesn't work today.  I'm a HS PE teacher.  I see teenagers every day.  They have very low resiliency, toughness, grit, whatever.  They aren't used to getting corrective feedback.  They don't accept it.  And, their parents support them and question teachers rather than ask their kids to accept it and support them in their growth by being accountable for their poor effort or behavior.  They aren't used to failing.  They don't know how to deal with failure and adversity.  Kids get everything they want, particularly when they are either gifted and/or come from good homes.  They have all sorts of other challenges with anxiety, depression, shit on social media, etc., but nothing in the way of direct confrontation and questioning from adults. 

The coaches that are successful seem to be mostly younger that can relate to this generation of young people.  It's not like it was in the 70s, 80s, or 90s.  I have zero confidence JH gets it.  He puts weird things ahead of winning, things like playing favorites, nepotism, toughness, etc.  He needs to bite his tongue, let it go, see the big picture, compromise, hire the best available assistants, etc. sometimes in order to keep players and assistants happy for retention and development to keep the best players on the field and the best coaches here and happy.  That puts winning first instead of some silly values like playing tougher kids in his opinion over better players or retaining guys like Brown or JayBaugh over guys like Partridge or Wheatley.  I just think we need a younger coach that is more in tune with today's culture of young people.  Our development and retention of people...not just players but coaches too is really bad.

Meh. Sorry, OP. I think you've correctly identified some problems, but ...

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""... but you have to take some guys that have that size already."

That's scarily Schembechleresque. "He's too small." If you're not a top-tier program, you need to take some athletes with upside that currently might be a little light in the ass. Don't take a right-sized guy who needs a sundial to time his 40-yard dash.

Of course you want full size and speed. You're not going to get that unless you're a top-tier program. Your vision of "identity" has to be reality-based for now. To put it another way, it's one thing to proclaim that you're going to focus on NFL-ready players. Fine. Excellent "mission statement." Good strategy. It still needs to be executed.

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"Ben Mason, Haskins, Charbonett, Bell, Giles, and Aidan are the only guys that I have seen that have it."

You just unfairly slighted a lot of players.

See my later note on Harbaugh's psychology.

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""Offensively we need a clear plan."

No argument here.

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Here's the elephant in your room: Harbaugh's psychology. To put it mildly, he's not for everyone and he's worn out his welcome. He has been a bit off for a few years. No roar is going be restored here. Look at how (un)excited most of the players look. Are we to believe that's just because they're not "dogs?" Maybe the coach is an out-of-touch goofball who doesn't inspire his troops. Maybe the overall dysfunction is out-of-hand.

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I've said this before: As long as the non-revenue sports get their money (and the kids get their scholarships) I'm good. Keep Harbaugh and there's a real risk that interest wanes and the stadium starts to empty. (I understand that a similar risk exists with Campbell et al.)

Consider one of your paragraphs:

"Harbaugh is tough to work with, he’s quirky, he’s weird, and he definitely has his favorites. Guys that remind him of himself. Guys like Ben Mason. Players love to play for him when they are winning and they see a path to the pros. But he hasn’t forgotten how to coach. He’s a true program builder. He needs to approach this next year like he’s coming back in with a fresh start like when he came back in 6 years ago."

JH can't go back.  There is a reason that he has a 4 year shelf life.

as Mike Florio of NBCSports pointed out, "Before becoming the head coach at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh’s career consisted of four years, and only four years, at each stop on the coaching trail.

Four years with the Raiders as an assistant. Four years at the University of San Diego as head coach. Four years at Stanford. Four years with the 49ers.",,,,,,,,,,,,,

......Yes, Jim is fiery and combative and demanding. Plenty of coaches are. The challenge becomes surrounding him with people who understand who he is and how he is, channeling his ways in a direction that produces positive results, and working to build a relationship that can be sustained notwithstanding his tendency over time to rub people the wrong way."

my question to you all is, given his pattern, why not move on?

A recruiting position big board has to be used and establish position and roster balance.  Once again we are staring down the dt position without a commitment.  
 

Establish an identity for position groups.  Target them and get back to working the recruiting trails!  
 

Evaluations are the biggest key to success.  Evals matter more than stars.  Demand evals by analyst and staff for offers but you better be getting out there and getting them done!  You can’t land a 5* dt or de, go get the 3 or 4* with the measurables and get them there.  You aren’t beating elite teams with avg players so until 5*’s start lining up this is the way you get it done!

I agree with a couple of posters in this thread. First, I teach college, and I do think students have changed. They aren't as willing to listen to criticism. It's not the end of the world, but it's a different world when relating to younger people, and it's a fine line to walk between being a coach and a friend. Tom Allen looks like he somehow pulled it off perfectly this year. 

Second, this fan base is crazy. I keep reading about how Don Brown should have been gone after the 18 game. I mean, Michigan had the #1 S and P defense going into that game. Did it suck? Yes. But you had to see if it was an aberration or an issue. 

As it relates to players, I hate how many people have been rooting against the season. These guys workout and train all off-season to play. Do they look engaged? Not really. But it's still the cherry on top of all those hours of work. I sort of get the players saying they tune out the fans. The fans are nuts. I'm happy Dax Hill is at Michigan. He could probably use a position coach. I'm not all that moderate in general, but the fan base at Michigan who used to yell for Mallett when I was there make it almost unbearable at times to even attempt a rational conversation. 

Last, Harbaugh does need to change staff. He could go back and hire guys who run the system he likes on offense, and he needs to shoot for a lot of new ideas on the defensive staff. You can't run it back. I'd prefer Campbell, but if it isn't Campbell, I'll still root for Michigan next fall. 

Some perspective on Michigan fans from my daughter and her fiance. I gave them the opening day tickets. This was a night game.

We were in A2 on Labor Day weekend for the MTSU game in 2019. We ate together at Pizza House and then my wife and other daughter and I went back to our hotel, while the two of them went to the game.

When I asked them after the game what they thought of the experience, they loved the night scene in the stadium, the flyover, the opening festivities and marching band. However, both of them were shocked by how negative the fans were about Harbaugh and the performance on the field. Recall we gave them two TDs with fumbles and still led by 13 at half. They said every time we missed a tackle and turned a 2 yd loss to a 2 yd gain, or missed an open receiver, a whole lot of people were bitching in the stands. Over and Over again. We still won the game 40-21 (it was 40-14 before a garbage time TD), yet people acted like we had lost to a 1970s NW team.

I've been critical of the EFFORT this year from the team. Go back as recently as the 1st half vs. Bama last year when the team was very focused. Absolutely shocked by the product on the field.

This being said I've gone to "soak" mode for the rest of the year and reflect on these things:

1. There is some truth that our fan base has unrealistic expectations AT THE PRESENT TIME - we cannot catch OSU without a 5 year plan. Their frigging 2nd string O line blew holes thru MSU's line that we were meh running against. While Harbaugh owns the product now, any new coach is going to need the full 5 years to be able to beat OSU.

2. JH will be back with a 2-3 year deal and a more friendly buyout. They is no Urban Meyer 2004 at Utah ready right now. Campbell may be the guy but Urban was clearly one of the best prospects in a long time when he went to Florida. If some big teams like Texas, etc. do make a change (and they don't convince Urban to come to Austin), we may end up getting a Charlie Weis if our #1 goes elsewhere. Remember ND thought they had Gary Barnett to replace Holtz, and Urban to replace Ty. 

3. Warde needs to have a heart to heart with JH about revisiting and returning to the 2015 mindset that he had about taking the team into the submarine like he did that August and getting the tough culture in place - not tough as in yelling but tough in getting the players to hold each other accountable. No way could I see Bush or Butt or Ruiz or Godfrey et al allow anyone on the field or on the sidelines to be less than 100% committed on every play.

4. I'm re-upping for 2021 and going to enjoy the gameday experience at least one more time. If things are 5-7, 7-5, etc. next year and no fire on the field from the players and JH is brought back for '22, well then I may move on. For those of us alums, A2 is a special place on football Saturdays walking thru campus where we may have spent our late teens and earlier 20s wondering where we would be one day decades later.