Say what you will about Jim Harbaugh's quirks and his unorthodox approach to the relentless grind of being a college football head coach.
He's as authentic as any individual in the industry, and during his podcast interview with former Wolverine Jon Jansen, the eighth-year head coach pulled back the curtain before the start of spring practice.
"If I had to boil it down to one thing: This is a ball team. ... Think about that favorite team ball you've ever been on, and that’s what it was in 2021," Harbaugh told Jansen. "I see the continuation of that."
Michigan's football program is preparing for its spring practices to begin ahead of the annual spring game on April 2 at Michigan Stadium before the summer break.
The Wolverines played two quarterbacks in 2021: Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy. Both of the signal-callers return in 2022, making it the most anticipated quarterback battle of the Harbaugh era.
McNamara, a rising senior, was the unquestioned starter for the Wolverines with 327 passing attempts compared to McCarthy, a rising sophomore, who totaled 59.
McCarthy has a higher ceiling and more skill, however, McNamara led Michigan to its first Big Ten Championship since 2004. Despite his limitations, his record (12-2) and accolades in 2021 speak for themselves.
Though, an argument can be made for both following a national semifinal game against Georgia in which McNamara had his worst showing and McCarthy commanded the offense for the majority of the second half.
While that game ended an undeniable season on a sour note, it opened up the door for McCarthy to be the guy in 2022.
"Like you do at any position, we’re going to play the best players. And the question comes back: 'well, how do we know who the best players are?' They play the best ... it’s really that simple," Harbaugh told Jansen when asked about the quarterback race heading into spring. "One can be clearly the starter, or, like the way we did it last year where they’re splitting time, or, one more than the other, or, one the full way."
"It comes to a point where we all look and go, 'yeah, we know who (will start). ... clearly he’s the best player at that position.'"
Whoever the quarterback is, he'll have an opportunity to throw the ball to an uberly talented wide receiver room that returns each player from last season.
"If you’re a quarterback looking at the receiver room, picture this: they’re all back, including Ronnie Bell," Harbaugh emphasized. "Every single quarterback is going to have a bunch of great targets to throw to."
The encouragement surrounding the wide receiver room doesn't stop there, though, as the position group has a new coach and three freakish additions from the incoming freshman class, according to Harbaugh.
Ron Bellamy, who coached safeties in 2021, will coach the receivers in 2022. As a former wideout for the Wolverines from 1996-1999, Bellamy is viewed as an upgrade from Josh Gattis, whose offensive coordinator duties left the position room without a dedicated position coach the past three seasons. Additionally, Bellamy is a favorite within Schembechler Hall and is perceived as a lock to succeed in his new position.
The former West Bloomfield head coach will have three freshmen wideouts to work with. Despite the number of returners, the trio could make noise as true freshmen simply due to their skill-set.
"I’m just gonna say it: there are three freak shows that are incoming freshmen in Darrius Clemons, Tyler Morris, and Amorion Walker," Harbaugh said. "(Walker) is really doing some incredible things. He ran a 6.25 3-cone the other day, and a 43-inch vertical jump. All three of those receivers are outstanding."
In order to get anywhere close to the success the program experienced in 2021, it will need a group of leaders. Last season, upperclassmen like Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Ross, Andrew Vastardis, and Brad Hawkins engineered a shift in the culture of the program.
Can the Wolverines find another group of leaders like that?
"Every year is a new year. That leadership of 7-to-8 guys was the reason that we were where we were, and why we had the season we had in 2021," Harbaugh recalled to Jansen. "As (strength & conditioning coach) Ben Herbert will tell you, there are eight leadership spots that are void. You’re looking around, and there are 18-to-19 guys who could fill those shoes. The players understand that. You watch them go about their business and you know they understand it."
As Harbaugh stated, he sees this group as a continuation of the foundation built by the Big Ten Championship team from last fall.
"Like I said before to darn near every single guy, you keep doing what you’re doing. It’s really good. It’s working. And don’t fall in love with your stuff. And if you want to get a little bit better, work a little bit harder. Just keep her going," Harbaugh said. "I see over 100 examples of that daily when I’m walking in the weight room, or see them out on the field training, going about their business, taking care of their business."
"I catch them doing right all the time. It excites the heck out of me."
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