The Turning Points Before the 2021 Season
It's clear that there was a sea change at Michigan after the awful 2020 season. Yes, I wanted Harbaugh fired after that season. I was glad to be wrong, since 2021-2023 is arguably the greatest stretch in modern Michigan football. But what changed? I'll give you some of mine, but I look forward to hearing more. In no particular order:
- Wholesale coaching staff changes: Harbaugh hired six (I think?) new assistants after the 2020 season. More than just changing staff, though, Harbaugh focused on hiring younger, more energetic, and more innovative coaches. He then continued the trend, bringing on Mike Elston for 2022 and promoting Kirk Campbell to QB coach for 2023. Also, the promotion of Sherrone Moore to OL coach was obviously huge.
- A clear change in Harbaugh's demeanor and focus. In interviews before training camp in 2021, it was clear that Jim was more focused and back to being more "into things". Many speculated on what was "off" with Jim from around 2017 to 2020, and I can't speak on that, but something was definitely improved starting somewhere around the summer of 2021.
- The Biff Poggi factor. Poggi was brought on before 2021, and he is widely thought to have helped a great deal with team culture and communication, setting the foundation for what we saw as a family of coaches and players willing to lay it all out there for each other.
- The emphasis on beating Ohio State. It always frustrated me in pre-2021 interviews, when Jim would refer to "all games being important", etc. This is undoubtedly true, but the idea of "What are you doing to beat Ohio State today?" was significant and seemed to focus the team on an important goal.
- The rise of dynamic, influential player-leaders. Starting with the commanding presence of Aidan Hutchinson in 2021, we have seen the rise of strong team leaders. Blake. JJ. Zak and Trevor. Mike. Mason. There have been tons of players in the last few seasons that have provided leadership and strength to this team.
I'm sure there are other things that happened, some of which we may never hear about, but the effect certainly has been remarkable. More importantly, let's hope it continues.
January 9th, 2024 at 3:35 PM ^
I think you nailed it, and I would suggest that the most important change was the life or death focus on defeating Ohio State. This program was beached for years, and the choice to refocus the entire program through the lens of beating Ohio State was a fundamental need.
Aidan Hutchinson's player level leadership, the staff changes, the demeanor changes, they all stem from this one goal, knowing they could do it from early 2021. And then actually doing it propelled the future success and overall paradigm shift from Ohio State people thinking Day was an upgrade on Urban Meyer to the same people now parroting Harbaugh's born on third narrative.
January 9th, 2024 at 6:03 PM ^
the choice to refocus the entire program through the lens of beating Ohio State was a fundamental need
True. And furthermore to the OP's 4th bullet point, that could only have happened after The Game was cancelled.
If OSU had beaten that really bad 2020 Michigan team by perhaps the largest margin of victory in recent decades (oh yeah, other than the "fact" that Villari would've won), there's no way that the "What have you done to beat Ohio State today?" would go over very well a few months after nursing their wounds. It took 18-20 months of not losing to Ohio State to start to build that type of culture without the wounds still being recent.
January 9th, 2024 at 6:27 PM ^
Had not considered this point but it makes sense. It would have been a royal beat down I fear.
January 9th, 2024 at 10:08 PM ^
BC -- that's plausible, not 100% certain, but it makes sense. What I'd say would have been more likely, given that counterfactual, is that Harbaugh would have been gone and we would have been reeling at that point. Maybe we finish 6-6 or worse, with a bad loss to the Evil Empire, and that may have been it for Jim.
January 16th, 2024 at 11:54 AM ^
I love the "what if" history you Buckeyes like to play around that 2020 game that wasn't played.
It was mainly "Harbaugh would've been fired," which, IMO, is just not true. The product was already horrendous enough to the point where the evidence for whatever decision was being made was there. One crowd wanted him fired for that season (OSU or not), and another wanted to give him more time (knowing he would've lost to OSU).
And what you just said above is pure conjecture. I could actually argue that another loss could've forced those same changes.
January 9th, 2024 at 4:31 PM ^
Hiring Mike Hart was definitely a boost
January 9th, 2024 at 4:41 PM ^
I would add something about the dynamic of two brothers, Jim and John. I can imagine John suggesting that to contain OSU’s pro-style offense, Michigan needed a pro-style defense, and specifically the one the Ravens run. That shift from Don Brown’s cover zero/man to the amoeba was huge. And, oh, take Mike MacDonald for a year and see how you like it.
January 9th, 2024 at 5:33 PM ^
Great points. I'm sure that contributed to MHJ's comments about the complex coverages we ran. Because I'm pretty sure they were NFL-style coverages.
January 9th, 2024 at 8:21 PM ^
Drevno, Durkin, Fisch, Zordich, Frey, Hamilton, Brown, Mattison, Partridge, Partridge, Warinner, Washington, Gattis, McDaniels, Nua, Campanile, Jean-Mary, Shoop ... I think Jim had been trying "wholesale coaching staff changes" since the day he got here. Three years ago, somebody flipped a switch and he started hiring a lot better, particularly Sherrone Moore (there is absolutely nothing in his CV that would make you think he would be Jim's heir apparent).
January 9th, 2024 at 10:05 PM ^
Don't know why but I reread some game columns from 2020. Wow. It's really amazing that they turned it around and a real testament to the players. Just amazing.
January 10th, 2024 at 1:11 AM ^
The #1 turning point is firing Don Brown and changing the defense. Going from growing Carlo Kemp in DT to guys like Mazi and Kenneth Grant has helped me forget the terror of Wisconsin gashing us at will. OSU had Don Brown figured out I still feel for Brandon Watson. Ben Mason/Jess Speight in the rotation replaced by Cam Goode/Rayshaun Benny done deal
Bringing in guys that love Michigan Football. Mike Hart, Bellamy, Ellston, Newsome, Denard. Hard for Brain Jean-Mary or Anthony Campanile to explain the OSU game. Guys who love the school are going to out recruit guys just passing through.
Hiring Clink such an upgrade over Zordich. Had to bring a guy from Kentucky who was out recruiting us in Michigan and Ohio. Go back and watch that 2020 IU game where Penix gashed the secondary and guys just looked lost.
Rebuilding the culture after 2020. Aidan Hutchinson is Mount Rushmore of Michigan football for this. I don't think you get Michael Barrett for a 6th year, Corum coming back, or Trente Jones as an all BIG 10 caliber guy as your 6th lineman who gets snaps on Jumbo packages without the culture change. Harbaugh recognizing changes needed to be made, new coaches, Biff Poggi are all big parts of this.
Recruiting/Development/Ben Herbert
You see this in the rankings. Michigan just seems to pass on some big local recruits. They get passed over by others but there lots of under the radar guys who the coaches liked better than the rating services. Jenkins, Rod Moore, Kenneth Grant, Barrett, Sanristil, Zinter, Harrell...None of these guys were a top 300 recruit nationally. Coaches see something and are factoring in attributes the recruiting services are not.
NIL - Lots of criticism on these sites about not paying guys out of HS. Michigan seems to have taken a different approach and pays the guys who produce to stay. I think Michigan had the oldest team in college football this year. It makes sense to pay your starting guards to stay another year over a 5 star WR who won't see the field their Freshman year and then transfer out.
January 10th, 2024 at 6:28 AM ^
On oldest team, this does seem to be a significant part of being able to build a team that is successful with less than spectacular recruiting success. I believe this was part of Dantonio's success at MSU, having a lot of older/5th year players. The Washington coach in a postgame interview specifically mentioned the number of 6th year players and the effect the COVID year had to allow those players to remain, and how that wasn't going to happen again - it was like he knew a window that allowed UW to compete had closed.
I think it is hard to understate how much 23-24 year old players against 18-19 year old players is an advantage. You don't get that with the 5* that tranfer after their 1st year or even the high 4* / 5* that leaves after 3 years. But, mix in those guys with a solid base of upperclassmen and transfers in their 4th or 5th year who are looking for solid coaching and a winning culture, and I think you have what you need to beat the recruiting champions. I think it's a lot harder and more difficult to achieve, but that's why I think Harbaugh has proven he is an all time great. He changed when what he had wasn't working. That's the sign of a great leader.
January 10th, 2024 at 12:07 PM ^
Having the "oldest / most experienced / most developed by Herbert and the position coaches" is huge, huge, huge. This is a fantastic point.
A corollary to that is the collective that was formed in-between '22 and '23 to try to get players like Zinter and Keegan and Corum to stay one more year. Relating to the above point, I imagine this had a big impact as well.
January 10th, 2024 at 7:50 AM ^
Mentioned a couple times in this thread but worth repeating - Aidan Hutchinson's impact on Michigan and T144 specifically can not be ignored.
That man is a freak of nature and born a Wolverine. Wearing 97, beating Ohio, almost winning the Heisman - all create symbolic links back to the 1997 National Champions and put Michigan back on the map.
And let's give a tip of the cap to the man that inspired him - the original 97 Chris Hutchinson. Without the original "Hutch" there is no Aidan. 1993 Rose Bowl Champion over Washington. Played for Bo. Michigan Man. The circle is complete.
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