Everything Jim Harbaugh said on Inside Michigan Football pre-ECU
On facing a real opponent this week and the excitement the team has
Always excited for the opener. Attacking it with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, Jon. Team is ready. Team has really put in the work all offseason. Been a really productive training camp and now you're just excited to go watch the guys compete.
On how he's handling the challenges of his suspension
Handling it like I would if I was going to be there right now. I don't know what it'll be like on Saturday other than I'm coaching the team every single day. As I told somebody, my wife has been getting calls, what are you going to do for the three-week vacation? What are you going to do with the three-week vacation Jim is getting? She laughed. I'm coaching every day except for on game day. I don't know how I'll feel personally. I'm excited for the team. I'm excited for the coaches. Kirk Campbell is going to call the plays on offense. I'm excited for Jesse Minter to show his talent in managing the game. All of our coaches, well-documented what a wonderful job they do.
On any bits of knowledge he'd tell the assistants before coaching their first game
Have at it. After these first three games, nobody is going to be able to say that again. That Jay Harbaugh, or Mike Hart, or Jesse Minter or Sherrone Moore haven't had head coaching experience. It's a tremendous gift and I think it's great for our football team. I just watch how they approach it exactly how you think they would. They are getting so prepared. This is the biggest game, kind of. That's been really good for our team. Watched them, I told them all, I wouldn't say a dramatic difference because they're already at such a high level, I just know what it's going to be like when it's their week and their day—they're going to coach great. They will coach their tails off.
On Ben Herbert and Jack Harbaugh's titles
Not a new title for my dad, he's been in this role, assistant head coach, for, really since I was nine years old, five years old. Ever since I've been in football. At Michigan, he's had that title. Associate head coach, that's new, that's Ben Herbert. Everybody is in 100% agreement with that one. Everybody knows, of course, that's the way it should be. I was going to do that anyway. Everybody is fired up about it. It's had a great positive effect on the team.
On what Kirk Campbell brings to the offense
I think the biggest one is the way he's preparing the quarterback. I've been watching him since spring. In those meetings, in terms of the reads, the game plans, how the quarterback manages the game and how he thinks about it, it's so detailed, it's so good. I have no doubt—everything is memorized, the plays are memorized and he spits them out really good. Everything is cool, calm, customer. I've been watching it on a daily, weekly basis. He's ready to go.
On J.J. McCarthy's progression as a leader
He's so terrific at so many things. J.J., watching him this entire offseason, it's everything that he wants to get better at. I see the growth in every single area. Athletically, arm talent, accuracy, decision-making, he's working on all of those. Leadership is off the charts. He's continuing to be a tremendous leader by example. Also, a tone-setter. Also an igniter. He makes great decisions. Follow him anywhere and I suggest everybody on the team do the same.
On the offensive linemen and the Michigan Method
All four (tackles) have been great, Trente, Karsen Barnhart, the two new guys LaDarius Henderson and Myles Hinton at tackle. All four have been great. There's been days, weeks, boy, Karsen Barnhart, he's been the best tackle. Look at him, he's like a Swiss army knife the way he goes in at left guard, right guard, right tackle. He's played all of those positions except center this camp but he's capable of doing that. Myles Hinton is coming on like gangbusters. There are days where he looks like the best, the whole week he's looking like the best. Trente and LD, both of them, so athletic the way they move and it's good. Now you've got to see it in the games. We'll see who plays the best in the ball games. That's the Michigan Method. Who gets the starts? The best players. How do you know who the best players are? You have to play the best.
On the running backs
It doesn't get any better. I know that. How excited we all are that Blake chose to come back for the 2023 season. Seeing him back to true form, before the injury, that we expected, we thought he would. He did. Donovan has gotten so much stronger and he looks like he's ready for a breakout season, which he had last year. Even more good things to come. Just looks that way and setting up that way. I don't know how it gets any better than those two.
On the running back depth
It's deep. Blake and Dono and then Kalel Mullings is probably the third back right now. Again, that's going to sort out. Benjamin Hall is right there with him, so is CJ Stokes. There's a guy, Henry Donahue, downhill Donahue, has had an incredible camp. Leon Franklin, Danny Hughes is back. He was injured. Tavi Dunlap, he is working through something right there at the end of camp, hopefully we can get him back soon because he was shining in the first week. This is the guy, Tavi. Did not fumble one time all camp. I think we might've had a fumble or two the entire camp. I can't recall one coming from a running back. You talk about there's a real tone set there, a real respect. The guys know the level they have to play to. Donovan Edwards, Blake Corum, Blake and Dono, have set that bar. I just see all those backs really stepping up to that.
On whether he wants to be more explosive in the pass game
I want to be 50-50, I really do. Like a good fastball and a good curve. If it can come down to that, and we've had that in years past, then that would be perfect. It's always going to hedge to whichever is better. Even though the two complement each other, there's always going to be one or the other that you hang your hat on. That could be the passing, couldn't have a better quarterback throwing it. We love our receivers. Cornelius Johnson, Roman Wilson, the freshmen are dynamite. Tight end, Cole Loveland is a special, special player. AJ Barner has really come on these last few weeks of camp. It could go that way. Right now, I don't know which the 51% will go to. It likely doesn't come out 50-50 but it could come out 55-45 one way or the other, we'll see. Right now, they both look capable of not just relying but thriving on either one of those.
On the players who stepped up in camp
Two right off the bat, Tyler Morris and Peyton O'Leary, they had stepped up. They were stepped up and then halfway through camp, they were working through something. They hopefully will be back close to full strength this week, if not week 1 or 2. We'll see. Cristian Dixon has had a really good camp because he's been there every day, he has not missed a day. He has been out there. We call it TED, there every day. There's a real talent to be in there every day. Joe Taylor continues to do a great job on special teams. Been outstanding. Jake Thaw has had a really good camp. The freshmen, can't wait to see what they can do. They have the license and the ability to make big plays, to be consistent, to be starters and that's in no particular order. That's Karmello English, that's Semaj Morgan and Fredrick Moore. Kendrick Bell has been doing some receiver as well. He's been going back and forth quarterbacking and receiver. So he's not there with Fredrick Moore and Semaj and Karmello yet.
On what the possibilities of the defense
I love them. I'm not going to anoint them the best ever, they've got a chance. They sure have the ability and the license to go out and do it. I'm super excited about them. Really inside, when you look at the nose tackle position, Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham, Cam Goode, Trey Pierce has really come on, Reece Atteberry has moved over to defense, he's doing a heckuva good job. The edges, four starting edges, Michigan Method, engaged and rotation, however you want to call it. Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, Josaiah Stewart, Derrick Moore. Moore, McGregor, Stewart, Harrell, it's deep, it's good. They really complement each others style really well and they fit perfect and Jesse has done a tremendous job of fitting their skillset into the scheme. It's really good. Linebacker, we're deeper. Junior Colson, Mike Barrett back, both are starters. Mike Barrett has had a heckuva camp, you could see that. You could probably tell that after he was voted captain, right? Really good. Ernest Hausmann and Jaydon Hood has really come on. Jaydon Hood has come into the (foreground) and he's playing really good football. You feel deeper there. Micah Pollard, outstanding. Christian Boivin, not only a good linebacker but a good special teams player. Real core guy for us. Then we've got some good young players as well in Joey V, love Joey V. Great special teams player and hopefully he's going to have a big year. Good amount of depth at the linebacker position.
On moving Reece Atteberry to defensive line
There's another case where that was player-driven. Coach, I played defensive line in high school, see some of the depth where it is on the offensive line, he wants to contribute and he wants to get on the field. He wants to play. It's just been a daily (rise) of how good he's doing from Mike Elston. Picking everything up immediately. One meeting, hey, you're going to play defensive line then the next day in practice, he picks it up like a sponge. That's been good.
On Amorion Walker's development
Going good. He's been working through something all camp. Just getting him back healthy is what we're hoping for and looking for. I talked to Clink, Coach Clink did some recruiting there in getting Amorion. I think he was planting seeds every single day. That one wasn't driven by me. All of a sudden Amorion came up and said I'd like to try defensive back and Clink, gosh darn Clink. Ultimately, would love to see Amorion play both sides of the ball. Corner and wide receiver. Mike's been doing great, Josh Wallace has been a great addition to the team. A real penchant of getting his hands on the ball and cause fumbles. I'm hoping that, and I know it will—if it shows up in practice, it's going to show up in the games. He's been outstanding. Will Johnson, another great player. Keshaun Harris has had another great camp so has Ja'Den McBurrows. A bunch of young guys. Myles Pollard, Jyaire Hill, Cam Calhoun just to name a few. Secondary-wise, been a little banged up. Working through something both at the safety and corner positions. Still going to wait and see what that looks like for Saturday. Nothing long-term, there's none of the six-month variations of injury. At safety, both Makari and Rod have both had some things that they are working through. Keon Sabb has gone straight to the top. Amazing player who has really come into his own. He did last year on special teams. We didn't play him enough, in my opinion, at safety but he's gotten a ton of reps. Starter-quality player, no question, so is Quinten Johnson. We're lucky that both Keon Sabb and Quinten Johnson are starter-caliber players. Brandyn Hillman, good name to keep an eye on. Zeke Berry as well. Those are your safeties. Kody Jones, doing a good job at safety as well.
On special teams
A lot of great core players from the special teams are back. The kickers and punters, James Turner is going to be doing the kicking. Field goals. Tommy Doman is going to be the punter. Will Wagner is going to be the snapper. That's the group going in. We'll see who eventually is going to be the kickoff guy. Could be Tommy Doman, could be Hudson Hollenbeck. Experienced snapper back. Will Wagner, Greg Tarr. It's an operation, the whole field goal unit. James Turner is talented, he can put them through the uprights. Gets a good snap, gets a good hold. He's extremely accurate, that's what we've learned watching him play college football but throughout this entire offseason and in camp, he's been really accurate. Tommy Doman has got the leg, and we thought Brad Robbins could kick some bombs, then you watch Tommy bomb them and it's incredible. You watch the young punters, it's all about the rhythm, it's all about the timing for them. They've got to be in that good rhythm. When it's there, it's a pro leg all the way.
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @lucasreimink
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram