'Great Chess Move': Why Mike Hart Will Boost Michigan's In-State Recruiting
There has been a negative perception surrounding the Michigan Wolverines' in-state recruiting efforts in recent years under head coach Jim Harbaugh. While co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sherrone Moore, a star on the recruiting trail, has spearheaded the program's midwest recruiting, the Wolverines have not dedicated a recruiter to specifically handle efforts in Detroit and the state of Michigan.
'The best players in Michigan go to Michigan' has been a mantra, and true at times. But with the new hires Harbaugh has made on his assistant coaching staff, it appears that it has a great chance to become a reality once again.
This month, Harbaugh hired Mike Hart, the Maize and Blue's leading rusher of all time, to coach running backs, sending shockwaves throughout the Michigan community. Since his NFL playing days were over, Hart has excelled as a coach at Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Syracuse and, most recently, Indiana, where he was promoted to associate head coach in addition to his duties leading the Hoosiers' running backs.
The Michigan legend was the talk of the Sound Mind Sound Body College Evaluation camp held in Wixom, Mich. Jan. 18. There is belief that Hart can bolster the Maize and Blue's in-state recruiting efforts in a big way.
"Super exciting. It’s going to provide a direct link from the city to Ann Arbor once again," Harper Woods high school head coach Rod Oden said. "We haven’t had that in a couple years. As of right now, I don’t even think they got a coach assigned to our area.
"Mike’s one of us, which means everywhere he’s been, he’s always recruited the city; we trust him well enough to send our most prized possessions to him. We want to get Michigan back to where it once was, and I think he’s one of the guys that can continue to grow that relationship. We’re super excited to have him back."
Hart has recruited and landed players from Oden's squads everywhere he's coached — at Indiana, Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan. The relationships Hart builds during the recruiting process don't end on signing day or when the players reach campus, Oden said, they continue on throughout their careers, regardless of position.
"He maintains an authentic relationship. He’s a straight-shooter," Oden said. "He’s going to tell the guys exactly what they need to hear, not only what they want to hear. And I think that total transparency is what makes him a good fit for us.
"A lot of times, our guys go places and think that it’s going to be how it is when they were recruited. Mike kind of gives it to them straight from the beginning. And if you notice, the guys that he’s recruited are not in the transfer portal and things like that, because they understand exactly where they’re going and exactly the relationship he’s going to maintain with them, even though he doesn’t coach their position.
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