Analysis: What Michigan Is Getting In Running Backs Coach Mike Hart
Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh hired former Maize and Blue star Mike Hart to coach the running backs.
A former college and NFL running back himself, Hart was a four-year starter for the Wolverines from 2004-07, and set the school record with 5,040 yards on 1,015 carries and 41 rushing touchdowns. He holds the Michigan record with 28 career 100-yard rushing games and his 117.2 rushing yards per contest is tops in school history. As a receiver, Hart added 67 receptions for 566 yards and scored two touchdowns.
It's safe to say Hart knows the ins and outs of the position, especially after coaching it the last several years at Eastern Michigan (2012-13), Western Michigan (2014-15), Syracuse (2016) and Indiana (2017-20). He also served as the associate head coach under Hoosier head man Tom Allen this past season.
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Under Jay Harbaugh this past season, Michigan relied on rotating its running backs heavily, giving the top four players at the position almost equal opportunity at times.
There was no rhyme or reason for the rotation on many occasions. For example, redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins was the team's leading rusher, but he received just one carry in the Wolverines' loss to Wisconsin, one week before he toted the rock 21 times for 111 yards and the game-winning touchdown against Rutgers.
After speaking with TheHoosier.com's Paul Gable, it doesn't appear that Hart will have a wonky rotation as long as he's in charge of the running back room.
"Coach Hart had a philosophy of wanting to run the football with the hot hand, regardless of who that may have been," Gable said.
The last two seasons, that hot hand was largely Indiana standout Stevie Scott, who was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree in both 2019 and 2020. Scott earned 156 of the Hoosiers' 278 total carries this past campaign, and churned out 586 of the club's 1,016 total yards on the ground for the year.
"Stevie Scott and [freshman] Tim Baldwin are two players who have flourished under Hart's coaching at Indiana," said Gable.
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