Jim Harbaugh's first month
Nick Baumgardner wrote a pretty good article chronicling Coach Harbaugh's first month on the job at Michigan.
He really hit the ground running.
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2015/01/jim_harbaugh_1.html
In his first two and a half weeks, Harbaugh officially hired nine staffers, a strength coach (Kevin Tolbert), hosted a major recruiting visit weekend, put plans together for two more and kick-started his team's offseason training program.
January 30th, 2015 at 10:00 AM ^
January 30th, 2015 at 11:12 AM ^
Such a thing has never been done before in the history of mankind!
January 30th, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
Do you honestly believe that any random new coach walking into the shit storm of a situation we have been in for 2+ years could have attracted the attention (and visits both on and off campus) as JMFH these past 4 weeks?
In a comparable situation 4 years ago, amidst a nasty split with RR, I didn't see Hoke generate this kind of buzz and attention from 4 and 5 stars. What Harbaugh has done in 4 weeks is literally unprecedented.
Whether Clark, Marshall, Weber et al actually commit is beyond any staffer's control. We are talking about 17 and 18 year old kids whose attention span is less than long. The fact that we have a legit shot at all of them come NSD is testament to the abilities of this staff, led by someone EVERY recruit will at least listen to.
The future is very bright, amigos.
January 30th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^
January 30th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^
Who has it better than us? Nooobody!
January 30th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
There is a 49er's "Who has it better than us" towel. I wonder what they are going to do with all of them now?
January 30th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^
But, but... wouldn't any new coach at any university, hired around the same time, have done exactly the same thing?
I think the key difference is, Jim wasn't out recruiting for another school the past 4 years. But to make up for that, he has two defense coaches who have been, plus Jim's rockstar status gives him easy entre into most living rooms.
Gentry, if he pants out to be a good QB, appears to be the highlight for the moment.
January 30th, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^
Those pants will almost certainly have pleats
January 30th, 2015 at 10:11 AM ^
January 30th, 2015 at 10:14 AM ^
THAT is when we'll see how the first month really went.
January 30th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
I grade him somewhere between "Excellent" and "Exceeds Expectations" with the administrative priorities (assembling staff, recuiting efforts and media relations). Our expectations should be more realistic w/r/t Signing Day. Transitional classes are the most difficult. Getting a "Good" or "Satisfactory" evaluation in this measure will depend on whether he signs depth candidates if/when the Big 3 choose elsewhere.
January 30th, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
I'm not sure what grading chart you are using, but this is the traditional one:
O = Outstanding
E = Exceeds Expectaions
A = Acceptable
P = Poor
D = Dreadful
T = Troll
January 30th, 2015 at 11:07 AM ^
bein' Harbaugh
January 30th, 2015 at 11:10 AM ^
It is this first month which helps me remain somewhat excited to see how the class for 2015 shakes out on Wednesday. The energy and drive and the level of organization that has been apparent in the last 30 or so days, which has allowed much more than I expected to get accomplished, is wonderful to witness even from this far vantage point of being a fan and alum of the school. The ceilling seems high again and the atmosphere is, well, youthful and electric in a way that I don't know it has been in a long time.
January 30th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
tone and atmosphere surrounding the program seems to have changed overnight.
I've even allowed myself to feel some cautious optimism about next season. And by cautious optimism I mean we're going to be undefeated.
January 30th, 2015 at 12:27 PM ^
^^^The caution is strong in this one.
January 30th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
Let's face it, bringing in southern and western recruits in the middle of January to Ann Arbor is a tougher sell than, say, driving them around Brentwood or Palo Alto. Ann Arbor is a great college town and UM's campus & academic excellence sells itself, but face it, winter just blows in Michigan...no putting lipstick on that pig. Several of the guys we're trying to flip or nab at the last minute, like Clark, are UCLA recruits (or other academically equivalent universities) not only because they're great athletes, they're also good students. Puts us in a tough situation.
That said, Harbaugh and his staff are doing a fantastic job making lemonade out of the lemons they inherited. This recruiting cycle isn't going to result in a top ten class, it's just a bridge too far. But if we can flip just one or two more guys, like Weber, to fill positions of need, then it builds on a good core of athletes for our really, really impressive staff to work with. We just need to be patient, this is a long term project, but one that actually has a very high probability of success - for a change!
January 30th, 2015 at 3:08 PM ^
That's not always true. Sometimes recruits from warm-weather places are fascinated by the snow. Denard Robinson even tried to bring some home in a ziploc bag. In general it seems like they still really enjoy their visits here even in the dead of winter.
January 31st, 2015 at 2:47 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 30th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
January 30th, 2015 at 4:24 PM ^
"I wouldn't say I've been missing it..."
January 30th, 2015 at 2:24 PM ^
I can't think of one more thing Jim could have done. He has been tirelessly engaged and getting sh*t done from Day 1. Great coaching staff. Nabbed a 4* QB. Highly visible on campus and in the media.
Obviously we would love to have pulled in a few more high profile guys, but there is only so much one person can do to sway a teenager's decision this late in the process.
January 30th, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^
road running no doubt, but this is a long process. With all the fanfare that came with his hiring, you'd better believe State and OSU are licking their chops waiting for a chance to welcome him back to the world of college football. BUT, I wouldn't want anyone else in our corner when those days arrive!!