Michigan Football: Jay Harbaugh’s Biggest Concern … Who Sits?
Michigan’s running backs all reported to camp in great shape, intent on winning the starting job. They’ve all had great moments, running backs coach Jay Harbaugh said Monday, to the point that his biggest problem is deciding who to play.
Sophomore Chris Evans and junior Karan Higdon got off to great starts in camp and seemed to have built a lead, but fifth-year senior Ty Isaac and redshirt freshman Kareem Walker have both closed the gap.
“The most challenging thing … sometimes you have a bunch of guys who can all run a certain play really well, it’s who do you put in?” Harbaugh said. “We’re really fortunate to have a great group, so that’s definitely a good problem to have.”
The position as a whole has improved dramatically in all areas since spring, he added. But the depth chart … that won’t be public until the Sept. 2 opener against Florida.
“It’s really good,” Harbaugh said. “Everyone looks good, is competing, getting better. A lot of the guys had such strong springs and summers. It’s elevated the guys at the top of the depth chart, the guys at the bottom, the younger guys coming along. Everyone is making everyone else better.
“We’ll see [who starts]. In terms of rotation, we have a lot of capable guys and they all bring a little something different to the table. Not every run or pass concept is best for all of them. There’s going to be a little bit of specialization. As far as how it works out, you’ll find out when everybody else does.”
Harbaugh did break down each of his first four backs:
On Isaac: “He’s just doing everything right. He’s running the ball well, been great in protection, has reliable hands taking care of the ball. He is a little trimmer, is moving more swiftly. I’m excited about him.”
On Evans: “He’s gotten so much more comfortable just trusting his eyes and reading defenses, knowing his responsibility and then on top of that knowing what the offensive line is doing, what the quarterback is thinking, just in terms of where the protection is going and where the weaknesses are. He’s shown a ton of growth … been very, very trustworthy to have in there in all kinds of different protections.”
On Higdon: “Just everything [has improved]. The biggest thing probably is protection. He’s been really, really reliable, and we have some very aggressive, physically capable linebackers. He’s done a great job picking up blitzes, putting his face in there. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s very, very willing. He has natural leverage and can play with some violence. He’s always been able to carry the ball; now he’s doing it with a little more strength and power, too.”
On Walker: “He’s just improved in every regard. He has strung together many, many practices in a row, is healthy, has a better grasp of the playbook. He’s running like a physical presence we need him to be, because he’s a bigger back and can run downhill with force.
“Overall, a tremendous jump this fall. He needed to stay on the field in terms of not getting nicked up, being able to practice, avoid injury. That’s the big thing. Then you start building that trust and confidence. That’s huge. He has a tremendous grasp of the playbook now because he’s been on the field more, so it affects the mental aspect quite a bit.”
The freshmen, O’maury Samuels and Kurt Taylor, might not play, but they’re making strides, too. Harbaugh is pleased with all of them, anxious to see just how good they can be.
“They’ve all improved at the things we’ve asked them to improve on,” he said.
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