Hoke and Harbaugh talk on ESPN Radio
I know a couple of folks here listen to Colin Cowherd, so I expected to see this as a thread. In his final 15 minutes, he discussed the tension between the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh, and how JH could choose to leave at the end of the season. That combined with a season similar to last years (which I don't think will happen....of course i didn't think last year would happen either) then Hoke could be replaced. I love Brady Hoke, as a person, a coach, and a representative of the school. I have met him, talked to him on the phone (yes I was giggling the entire time), and heard his recruiting pitch. I would settle for Lloyd Carr numbers for 15 years as long as he is at the helm. However...I think it is unanimous that Jim Harbaugh is an upgrade. Personally, I would have mixed emotions about him as a coach. It's hard for me to picture anyone else being a better guy for Michigan, than Brady Hoke.
edit: MOD please move to Board
August 21st, 2014 at 4:20 PM ^
So much so, in fact, that it wasn't until I read your post that I realized it wasn't.
In fairness to myself, I just skimmed the op when I saw where he was taking the topic and thought I just missed the link.
It would have been a pretty cool radio conversation to hear.
August 21st, 2014 at 6:30 PM ^
That's what I thought, too. Imagine my disappointment
August 21st, 2014 at 3:45 PM ^
I would also wait until after this year to say that Harbaugh is an upgrade. You can't evaluate a coach after 3 years. Remember when MSU fans said that Beilein couldn't/never made it to the final four. For all we know, Hoke could turn into our Beilein. It doesn't seem like many people like JH wherever he goes.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:03 PM ^
Beilein is our Beilein.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
I thought Beilein was our Bo.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:09 PM ^
O Beilein! My Beilein!
August 21st, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^
If the 49ers don't win a Super Bowl this year, Harbaugh's probably going to end up splitting from the team because there are major contract differences there (he wants a lot more money).
it seems very unlikely that he'd want to go back to college and be Jim's little brother, as it were. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dallas throw a whole bunch of money at him to bring him there. I genuinely don't think that any college team is going to be able to provide him with the kind of environment he wants (specifically, one where he can make a run at winning a Super Bowl).
August 21st, 2014 at 4:00 PM ^
That is not going to happen, not while Jerry maintains operational control. While the words look similar, Harbaugh is a martinet, not the marionette Jerry desires from a HC.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:06 PM ^
His coaches have to have strings for him to pull and I doubt Jim will let him call plays and pick all the players. Stephen Jones had to stop his dad from drafting Johnny Football this year.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:01 PM ^
That would be a titanic clash of egos. (or is it egoes?)
August 21st, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
my egoes
August 21st, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
but I think Harbaugh and Brandon would be a pretty big clash of egos too.
August 21st, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^
the sentiment the OP has of Harbaugh is unanimously shared by others.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:03 PM ^
Look, I get you. Hoke really is a great guy and a fine representative of our university. But his job is to come in and win football games, namely beat our rivals and win conference championships. He hasn't shown an ability to do either of those things, and if he can't, he should be replaced. I want him to be the guy. I really do. But I refuse to settle for mediocre 8-4 seasons as being sufficient for a place like Michigan.
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August 21st, 2014 at 4:12 PM ^
Can we stop with the "picture of how far Michigan football has fallen" hyperbole? It's so tedious.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:15 PM ^
Averaged over 9 wins per season. He finished outside the top 20 in the final polls exactly once in his career, which happened to be in the only season he didn't win at least 8 games (the injury plagued 2005 season). He won 9 or more games 10 times in 13 seasons.
Lloyd was a very, very good coach.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^
August 22nd, 2014 at 9:17 AM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 4:04 PM ^
out of a peanut butter sandwich."
August 21st, 2014 at 4:06 PM ^
Cowherd haters hate! He is the speculation king and the king of speculative ideas that can never be proven.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
I'd still take Jimbo if he wanted to come back to AA and not think twice. With that said though it isn't going to happen and for right now at least it's up to Hoke to shut this talk down by doing something he hasn't done in his head coaching career and that is consistent winning.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:10 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 4:11 PM ^
I think it's interesting that this topic keeps coming up. I'm not sure why anyone thinks Harbaugh would ever land back here. I think he would see this as a step down after coaching in the NFL - just seems like that kind of guy. He bad-mouthed us infamously with the "steering athletes to the easier classes" thing. And he seems like a mercurial head case. Since Bo died, it's been a roller coaster, and I think people around here have little patience for drama. I'm shocked by little; Harbaugh coming back would completely shock me.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:15 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 4:36 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 4:31 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 7:10 PM ^
I'm a firm believer that the truly elite coaches are not perfect. There aren't many elite coaches, and if we can get one whose imperfection is being too blunt, we would be stupid (but loyal!) to pass it up.
August 21st, 2014 at 9:19 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 9:21 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 10:18 PM ^
if you're saying Harbaugh = Bo, then chances are Michigan loses the Sugar Bowl.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
Harbaugh will be the coach of Michigan next year but only because we are about to go 15-0 in 2014; therefore, Brady Hoke will be headed to the NFL........... and yes, Urban Meyer from 2012 was my source.
August 21st, 2014 at 5:15 PM ^
This is huge news. That there are still people who listen to Colin Cowherd and take what he says seriously.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:27 PM ^
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August 21st, 2014 at 5:04 PM ^
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August 21st, 2014 at 5:27 PM ^
Why is it funny? Beilein and Dantonio were different coaches in their first three years then their next 4 years. It's not like Hoke has had a full cupboard just like Beilein and Dantonio didn't have a full cupboard and didn't have full results.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^
The only way this would happen is if Hoke shits the bed in 2014 AND 2015 (I can't see David Brandon not giving him at least five years) and Jim Harbaugh wins the Super Bowl this year (preferably in a rematch against his brother). Hoke would be out and Harbaugh would have achieved the one goal that kept him tied to the 49ers despite their increasingly toxic relationship, opening the door for Harbaugh to return to his alma mater.
Having said that, it's not gonna happen. That ship has sailed.
August 21st, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^
Yeah, I think there is a subset of people who would love to see Harbaugh at UM, but I'm not one of them. The guy is kind of a jerk, and not the type of jerk who apparently is still tolerable because he wins. He's better in the pros, and considering the number of veiled shots he's made at UM I don't think it would be a good match.
August 21st, 2014 at 5:02 PM ^
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August 21st, 2014 at 5:05 PM ^
from the start of the season and you want to bring this up?? Just. Soo. No.
August 21st, 2014 at 5:14 PM ^
It isn't that I dislike Harbaugh exactly. But knowing what I know now about both Hoke and Harbaugh, I would choose Hoke 10 times out of 10. Hoke's character, his concern for his players, his goals as a coach, make him the perfect coach as far as I'm concerned. There may be a few better coaches out there in terms of X's and O's. But I don't care. Hoke is here for the long haul. He has surrounded himself with a great staff. He knows the game well enough to coach aggressively.
Here's where I believe Hoke strongly trumps Harbaugh, and where Hoke is better suited to the college game than Harbaugh. I strongly believe Hoke will do much better than Harbaugh with stellar recruiting. Look on the front page: Iman Marshall wants to take an official to Michigan. Our biggest problem in recruiting this year is that we won't have enough room for all the 4 & 5 star players who want to commit here! Maybe in the NFL, it is only about winning, but not in college. I actually believe that over time, Hoke's methodology is going to work to perfection.
My son will never play Div. 1 football. But from his time in football over the last 5 years, I have seen good coaches and bad. I would much, much rather my son play for Hoke than for Meyer, or Saban, or Brian Kelly, or Harbaugh.
August 21st, 2014 at 7:24 PM ^
He's a good recruiter, but he's not outstanding. He's been outrecruited by OSU every single year. He routinely has the third or fourth best class in the Big Ten. He's gotten some good players (Peppers is probably going to be an all-time great), but let's not kid ourselves here, he's not a better recruiter than Kelly or Urban. He's had two good classes and in both years OSU did better.
August 21st, 2014 at 8:47 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 9:26 PM ^
August 21st, 2014 at 10:52 PM ^
Hoke and his staff are doing and admirable job recruiting given the circumstances. Every class they have recruited has had better average quality than the previous even without the benefit of great seasons. Next, from his three classes (2012, '13, '14) just two players are no longer on the roster (Chris Bryant and Csont'e York). Do you know what that means? That means he is not only recruiting better athletes, he's recruiting young men of higher character and academic standing.
It also means his average class size will be smaller because they realize less attrition than the Ohio States and Alabamas. Since sporting media gives more weight to the size of the class rather than the quality of class, Hoke's Michigan classes, over the long term, probably won't be ranked as high as others, simply because they won't have the numbers. I dunno, but something tells me there is some advantage to that.
August 21st, 2014 at 11:29 PM ^
But realize that the teams you mentioned have pretty much dominated college football the last few years. I also didn't say he's a bad recruiter. He's basically driving a Ferrari and hitting the gas on straightaways. Recruiting is the thing he's best at, but it's also fairly clear that he's not the best recruiter in the Midwest.
August 22nd, 2014 at 9:39 AM ^
Go back and look and see how many guys have left the program each year. the had two (no I'm not looking it up) in the last two cycles and they were 3/4 stars.
August 21st, 2014 at 5:16 PM ^
Ah, Colin Cowherd, who loves win at all cost coaches despite their moral questionability. He claims Ohio is still a 10 win team which isn't impossible but claims Michigan is "done." I think it's amazing how analysts look at the previous year in their predictions even though many of the teams have high turnover. Let's just say I won't be surprised to see Ohio take a step back offensively and State take a step back defensively. If Michigan can become great defensively and the offense progresses over the year it could be a special season.
August 21st, 2014 at 5:25 PM ^