Jim Harbaugh On Urban Meyer: 'Controversy Follows Wherever He's Been'

Kawakami asked Harbaugh about critics discussing the fact that Michigan has not beaten Ohio State or won the Big Ten in his tenure. Harbaugh said he’s fine with the criticism.

“You welcome the accountability,” Harbaugh said on the podcast. “All you can be judged on is your record, what you record is overall, what your record is within your conference and what your record is in head-to-head matchups with teams that you play. I think you’ll find that Ohio State is the only team that has a better record than us, better conference record than us, and has the better overall head-to-head matchup with us. Our goal, we have two: win multiple championships and run a first-class program … It’s been good, but now we want to put it over the top.”

On the topic of Ohio State, Kawakami asked Harbaugh his thoughts on Urban Meyer retiring. Harbaugh had a simple answer.

“Urban Meyer has a winning record, a phenomenal record everywhere he has been, but also controversy follows wherever he’s been,” Harbaugh said.

With Meyer gone, Michigan is the favorite to win the Big Ten. Harbaugh thinks this could be his best team at Ann Arbor.

“Potentially it is,” Harbaugh said. “It has the license and the ability to be. We have big goals and great aspirations. That’s what we’re doing. We’re focusing on the process. Everything begins with those goals. Then you choose to focus solely on the process of how that will achieve you those goals.”

One key part of why Harbaugh is so high on this team is the coaching staff. He said he really likes the group he’s put together at Michigan.

“I really feel that coaching staff wise, we are in the best position that we have been in since we’ve been here at Michigan. Just really high energy, in Josh [Gattis’] case really an expert in the spread offense, the up tempo. Got a great defensive coordinator in Don Brown.”

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With Gattis as the offensive coordinator, Harbaugh said the offense will be a lot different this season.

“It’ll be a different feel, it’ll look differently than the way it has in the past,” Harbaugh said. “It will be a lot more shotgun and it’ll be more up tempo offense in terms of no huddle. Those will be the big things. More run-pass option, RPO’s. Just feel that, especially with our quarterback Shea Patterson and Dylan McCaffrey, really Joe Milton and Cade McNamara and really most of the quarterbacks that are coming out today, they’re operating a lot out of the shotgun almost exclusively.”

Heading into his fifth season with the Wolverines, Harbaugh reflected on how long he has been at Michigan.

“I feel like the days are long, but the years are short,” Harbaugh said. “When you start looking back on it in terms of years, you definitely look back on it as it [has] passed by really fast. People probably look at it the same way.”

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