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With a Saturday that was reserved for Michigan football’s annual tilt against arch-rival Ohio State, given that The Game was canceled, the FOX Sports crew spent a lot of time talking about the Wolverines and the current issues in Ann Arbor.
Bruce Feldman updated Jim Harbaugh’s contract situation with a big caveat, while the rest of the crew debated whether or not Harbaugh is the long-term answer for the maize and blue.
Brady Quinn
Former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn started the panel off by saying that it’s time for the Wolverines to cut bait and move forward, because of one particular issue in Ann Arbor since Harbaugh arrived in 2015.
“I don’t think so,” Quinn said. “I don’t think so anymore. On the way in, he looked like the right fit, but unfortunately, with the way things have gone, I don’t know he’s the right fit right now. He hasn’t proved, from what they were before with Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez — he’s averaging about nine wins per year — they’re getting more talented, they’re getting more draft picks. But they’re not getting the wins against Ohio State, they’re not getting the wins against the Top 25 teams, bowl wins, things of that nature. And really, reaching expectations.
“Bottom line is, the expectations for Michigan are way blown out of proportion anyway. This is a team that hasn’t been able to compete for national championships like Ohio State. But the singular issue and why I say he’s not the right fit anymore is we always looked at him as a guy who could develop quarterbacks. You go back to his NFL time, you go back to his time at Stanford with Andrew Luck, for example — he was a guy who could develop quarterbacks. This team has not had elite quarterback play since he’s been there. This team has not had a quarterback drafted, a quarterback that went to Michigan, that was drafted in the NFL, since Chad Henne in 2007. Jake Rudock was drafted, but he didn’t start there — started at Iowa. So, the most important position, the one that I think, when you’re looking at draft picks, moving onto the next level, because they impact the game more than anybody else, it’s the quarterback spot. And unfortunately, he has not developed that spot and he has not been able to recruit to that spot.
“Maybe Cade McNamara is that guy, I just don’t know if he’s gonna be there with him for the tenure.”
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Reggie Bush
Former USC Trojans running back Reggie Bush — who hasn’t exactly been a fan of the maize and blue, even in the better years — took umbrage with Harbaugh’s comments to the media compared to what’s actually happened on the field.
“A lot of success is tied to the head coach and the quarterback relationship,” Bush said. “I always go back to the question: has Jim Harbaugh captured the faith and trust of the university, of the fanbase and of the players? Because after the loss to Indiana, his quote was, ‘We are close.’ The issue is: that game wasn’t close! They got whooped 38-21. And then, if you’re a player and you’re listening to this, ‘OK, my head coach says we’re close.’ Then the next week you play Wisconsin — you get blown off the map, 49-to-11. Now I have to question the coach’s intentions, the coach’s — if it’s matching up with what he’s saying — if it’s matching up with the locker room.
“So I go back to that question: has he captured the faith and trust of those people? Because it’s very important for what the coach is saying to match up with what he’s doing.”
Matt Leinart
Bush’s former teammate, Matt Leinart, took a different view, noting the good things Harbaugh has done in Ann Arbor.
He points out that Harbaugh has the exact same record as Dabo Swinney did in Clemson’s first five years — with 47 wins, three 10-win seasons, one top 10 finish and zero wins in five tries against the Tigers’ rival in South Carolina.
“Sometimes there’s fatigue on both sides and maybe it’s time for a change,” Leinart said. “But you have to look at — for me, I look at the positives. He took over a program and made it better than it was before. There aren’t a lot of coaches that have had success against Ohio State in the last 20 years. I think Michigan’s beaten them twice in 20 years. So if you judge him by, ‘Hey, did you beat Ohio State? Did you win a Big Ten Championship?’ No, he’s failed at that. I think the bigger picture is the expectation. You mention he’s averaging about 9-9.5 wins per season and if you look at him compared to some of these other great coaches in the last five years, just look at this with Dabo Swinney in his first five years: it’s identical! He never beat his rival in South Carolina. I get Clemson and South Carolina may not be as big as Michigan – Ohio State, but sometimes it takes more time and patience, which, we know patience is lacking in college football these days.
“Recruiting — he’s recruited well. I think you look at draft picks, since 2016, the same as Clemson. More than Notre Dame, Georgia, Oklahoma. He’s doing a lot right.”
Urban Meyer
Perhaps the most notable voice is that of Urban Meyer.
Naturally, Meyer’s insight is unique in that, when in the game, he’s arguably, at worst, a top-two coach in college football, and has faced off against Harbaugh directly. While the younger panel says it’s time to move on, Meyer says Michigan shouldn’t necessarily — it should retain Harbaugh and reevaluate the things that aren’t working in the program.
“Yeah, I have a much, much different perspective, because I’m older than you guys,” Meyer said. “I grew up in the 70s, 80s and 90s. In the 70s, it was about even — I’m talking about the rivalry. 80s — about even. In the 90s, the Wolverines are 7-2-1. So that’s 17-11-2 for the three decades prior to the last 20 years. So I refuse to accept that anyone says that anyone says they can’t compete with Ohio State. I refuse! Don’t ever lower your standards. If you’re a leader and you’re a graduate of the Wolverines, do not lower your standards!
“I made the comment — is Jim Harbaugh a good coach? He’s a heckuva coach. He’s won 70% of his games in the NFL. I made a comment — you blow it up. I didn’t say change coaches — blow it up. Find out — evaluate your recruiting strategies. Evaluate your player development and get that right. Do not lower your standards, I’m telling you — do not do that. Because that’s a tremendous history in that organization.
“Get it right!”
To boot, Meyer takes issue with Bush’s comments about what Harbaugh says in the media, noting that what’s said to the media doesn’t really matter. What matters is what happens behind closed doors.
“I think that’s very overrated,” Meyer said. “I was very cautious talking to the media, because, in all respect, that’s what we do now. You know what matters? Is that locker room. That’s all that matters. And — fix problems, fix problems. Go find a darn quarterback and maybe — this kid (Cade McNamara) looks pretty good.”
Watch the entire segment below:
Is Jim Harbaugh the right fit at Michigan?@Brady_Quinn, @CoachUrbanMeyer, @ReggieBush and @MattLeinartQB share their thoughts on #BigNoonKickoff pic.twitter.com/0WH7y64uOs
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 12, 2020