Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh likened the narrative that he's on the hot seat to World War II propaganda machines, in that those "jive turkeys" — a term the head man has used for adversaries in the past — are trying to get him to give up after posting a 2-4 season last year.
Instead, he's continuing to climb and isn't planning on turning back any time soon. Harbaugh, who holds a 49-22 overall record at Michigan in six seasons, appears to be as motivated as ever.
While he had to have seen some of the outside noise to even make the aforementioned comparison, he doesn't listen to it or subscribe to the narratives. Neither, apparently, do his players.
"I kind of take some [Harbaugh's] principles, because he has such an attitude where he just doesn't care what people think of him and what people think about our team," junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. "I'll see stuff on social media, and I'll be a victim sometimes of looking at stuff that I shouldn't. I think he's such a rock in the sense that he doesn't let any of that stuff affect him. That's what I see in him that I implement in myself."
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This offseason, Harbaugh signed a contract extension that saw him take a major pay cut, replaced six assistant coaches and revamped his recruiting department.
He's excited to be back, and insists the changes he made have already been beneficial. The players are adamant about it as well, and they can't wait to show the general public that 2020 was — in their mind — a fluke.
"I’m going to be honest with you — all the outside noise is outside noise for the reason," redshirt junior Josh Ross said. "We know what’s going on inside our building. We know how we’ve changed. We know how we’ve gotten better. We know how we’ve grown. And everybody is going to see that when the season comes.
Added Ross: "This is my fifth year. I’ve been here for five years. I’ve seen so many phases of our team, so many different dynamics, so many different players — a lot of differences throughout my career. Listening to the outside noise is the absolute worst thing I can do — even if it’s positive, even if it’s negative — because at the end of the day, you put that work in, you do it and you’re the only one that’s going to make the situation better."
"Trust" was a big word during Big Ten Media Days. Harbaugh talked about the trust amongst the coaches and between the staff and the players. They certainly trust their head man, too, no matter what the outsiders say. On top of that, they've taken responsibility for the bulk of the shortcomings, even though Harbaugh says he wants people to come after him, not the players, when the results aren't up to snuff.
"He knows the formula. Harbaugh is a great coach. He knows the formula; he knows how to win," Ross said. "He knows how to do that.
"One thing that I feel like rolls under the rug a little bit coming off of last year is, not only did we need to revamp — I know there was a lot in the coaches’ eye — but us as players, we gotta do this. We’ve got to change our environment. We’ve got to be better leaders. We’ve got to be more accountable. We’ve got to be more, and better — we’ve got to do that ourselves. The coaches can’t do it for us."
During his podium session at Big Ten Media Days, Harbaugh made waves by saying Michigan is going to beat Ohio State, "or die trying." Ross, Hutchinson and redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins were in the building, and loved the comments from their leader. They say a team takes on the personality of its head coach, and that appears to be the case in Ann Arbor in 2021.
"That's the mentality right there," a fired up Hutchinson said when asked about Harbaugh's remarks. "I mean, I've invested so much of my energy — mental energy, physical energy — into giving this all that I've got. ... I'm willing to die for this, I swear. I want it more than anyone, I promise you that."
"That’s motivating. We’re gonna get there, or we’re going to die trying," Ross added. "That’s our motive. We’re about to grind. We’re about to scrape and claw and scratch, and everything we need to do. I love it. For him to say that, I just love it."
It would be naive to say that frustration within the fan base hasn't reached a high point during the Harbaugh Era. The Wolverines haven't won the Big Ten since 2004, and haven't knocked off Ohio State since 2011. The faithful is starving for a title, but that hunger doesn't match that of the team they root for, the Wolverines say.
"We want to win. Just as bad our fans want to see us win, we want to win even more because we’re actually there playing," Ross insisted.
"We’re actually out there going and grinding for our alumni. I’ve got so many friends now like Josh Uche, Khaleke Hudson, David Long, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cesar Ruiz — all these guys I’ve played with, some of my closest friends. And it means the world to me to make them proud of us."
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