How Jim Harbaugh Revived the Michigan Football Program
An inside look into what happened to transform Michigan football
—By Andrew Ahn
“Those Who Stay Will Be Champions.” A revered mantra instilled by legendary former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler became the centerpiece of ridicule and mockery from the University of Michigan fanbase, many demanding head coach Jim Harbaugh to be fired immediately following Michigan’s embarrassing 2-4 Covid 2020 season. Much to the fans’ dismay, Harbaugh was retained but led an charge towards one of Michigan’s most historic seasons ever, winning the Big Ten Championship and qualifying for the College Football Playoff Orange Bowl, silencing critics and rejuvenating a disappointed, miserable Michigan fanbase. In just 8 months, Harbaugh had done the unthinkable, pulling off the ostensibly impossible task of reviving what many considered an unrevivable football program. How was Harbaugh able to right the ship?
A year to forget
According to Luke Smous, a former student assistant for the offensive line/manager for the University of Michigan football team from 2019-2022, players were “embarrassed, felt shameful for their performance and were ready for redemption.” Michigan football players and head coach Harbaugh heard the criticism from the media and fans alike, getting shredded by national football pundits such as Paul Finebaum and Shannon Sharpe. When talking about University of Michigan football, the winningest program in college football history, an ignominious 2-4 season left much to be desired and many looking for drastic change, starting with the head coach. So, when Jim Harbaugh was retained by athletic director Warde Manuel, he understood that extreme change was necessary to revitalize a reeling Michigan football program, starting with a massive overhaul of his staff.
Necessary changes
The University of Michigan has and always will be famous for its storied and cultured football program, but something about the structure had to change. Jim Harbaugh, after signing an extension with the University of Michigan, started making sweeping changes to his athletic staff. He opted for a younger, more energetic staff, who could better relate to the student athletes. Smous noted that a lot of the older coaches “while super knowledgeable and experienced, were more stubborn and stuck in their ways, unwilling to adapt to the newer times which made it hard for them to personally relate to the kids. A lot of the players felt like they couldn’t walk into their coaches’ offices and talk about stuff outside of football, which led to sort of a disconnect between coaches and players.” Without a strong coach-athlete bond, many players were less inclined to play hard for their coaches, which created a culture without strong camaraderie, and by extension of that, without strong team synergy. Smous also felt that while offensive line coach Ed Wariner (during the Covid year) was “an amazing coach who understood technique and leverage better than anyone, he was also very strict and was a super serious and stern guy,” which made many of the offensive linemen afraid of playing too aggressively and making mistakes, limiting them from playing freely with full intensity. The older coaching staff also had problems recruiting rising stars due to the generational disconnect.
Recognizing these problems, Harbaugh hired many younger assistants and a new defensive coordinator, which Smous believed was the primary reason Michigan football was able to have such a successful season. Despite what the previous, older/more experienced staff was able to do, Harbaugh understood that a new era was underway now that students could transfer schools without penalty, as witnessed by the creation of the transfer portal. The student experience became more highly valued, and staff with the ability to relate to the younger generation and understand their needs beyond football became the first priority. In this shift, Harbaugh brought in Mike McDonald (defensive coordinator), Ron Bellamy (safeties coach), Steve Clinkscale (secondary coach), and Biff Poggi (associate head coach), all of whom, aside from Clinkscale, were unproven but young, hungry, and passionate individuals yearning for an opportunity to showcase their talents at one of the biggest stages in all of football, whether collegiately or professionally.
Poggi, in particular, was highly praised by Smous, who explained that “he became Harbaugh’s right-hand man, really having a bigger impact on the culture than people outside the building know. While he was a more behind the scenes guy, his impact on the team’s success was huge, as players felt that they could come to him for anything as he viewed players, staff, and us student managers all the same.” Rather than treating certain players better than others and offering preferential treatment to some of the “star” players, Poggi became a father-figure for players and staff alike on the Michigan program. He even went so far as to take out the student managers for dinners to acknowledge their hard work, something previous coaches had not done. According to Smous, “Biff always had his door open for anyone to talk to him, whether that be football, classes, or social life, which I think really made the football players feel comfortable around him, whereas with the previous coaches, they were oftentimes hesitant to approach coaches about anything besides the Xs and Os.” Clearly, Poggi was integral to creating a more inclusive, welcoming culture in Michigan’s football program.
In addition to Poggi, Smous emphasized the importance of moving Coach Sherrone Moore from coaching tight ends to the new offensive line unit. After this shift, Smous noticed completely different attitudes and demeanors from the linemen, whom he had worked with for 4 years. As Smous explained, “Man, Coach Moore, what can’t he do! He’s just such a lovable, relatable guy who the linemen felt much more comfortable around. He can be tough at times, as he demands excellence from his players, but isn’t afraid to effuse praise as well. Just the total package, who I can see being the head football coach at decent Power 5 program elsewhere.” This relationship built between the younger coaching staff and the players paid off almost immediately. Smous witnessed the players begin to believe in their coaches, and fought for their coaches in every practice and every game after forming stronger bonds with the changed coaching staff.
A different Harbaugh?
Along with hiring a younger, more energetic staff to adapt to the times, Smous also noticed that Harbaugh was much more energetic, who would coach his heart out at each practice and strategy session. During the COVID year, Coach Harbaugh was noticeably reserved, completely the opposite to who he is at his core. Smous reflected on this change, stating “you know, I think that the losing and the outside noise/criticism really got into the players’ heads, leading to a more fractured locker room which was reflected by our poor record that year. Players were already down enough due to the situation regarding COVID, and the losing only made the culture that much worse within the locker room.” The following year, however, Harbaugh seemed much more enthused and ready to prove his doubters wrong. Harbaugh created the “Beat Ohio Drill,” an intense workout with music blaring, to motivate the players to beat Ohio State, helping unify the group. The players bonded more through these adrenaline-pumping workouts, which Smous noticed as almost immediately. “I’ve been doing this for 4 years, and this was, by far, the most close the players were. Everyone loved each other and played heard for one another, caring about each other’s successes and feeding off them, which was really a cool sight to see.” Finally, Smous talked about how some of the veteran players created a player-led senior leadership board, hosting weekly meetings to plan movie nights and team dinners following practices and games, which Harbaugh would accommodate for in their practice schedule. This really highlighted the closeness of the group and the camaraderie of the 2021-2022 team.
Ultimately, Harbaugh and the team accomplished a fairy tale feat following the disastrous COVID season. When I asked Smous about what his predictions were for the following year, and whether Harbaugh could potentially do even better than the historic year he just had, he simply laughed and replied, “Just wait and see. All I’ll say is that I think Michigan football is under good hands with Coach Harbaugh leading the way.”
Featured Image: Joyful U-M students following Michigan’s win over Ohio State in the Big House. Photo Credit: Andrew Ahn