8/8/2018 football Edit

Michigan Football News & Views: Jay Harbaugh On The Progress Of The RBs

Austin Fox • Maize&BlueReview

Staff Writer

Jay Harbaugh — along with Don Brown — met with the media this afternoon for the first time during fall camp to talk about how the team's progress has been so far.

In this News & Views format, we discuss the biggest things Harbaugh said today, and analyze what they mean.

News: Both senior Karan Higdon and junior Chris Evans were solid runners last year, but each of them have plenty of room to improve heading into 2018.

Harbaugh: “Their consistency is the best thing about both of them. They both bring it, in terms of meetings and lifts. Their actions are in line with the goals they have for themselves and the goals we have for the team. All the other guys feed off their attitude.

"It’s exciting each and every time those two touch the ball. The cuts they're able to make are even different this year, and that has stood out to me.

"They’re also carrying more weight and more muscle, and they look faster too.”

Views: Both runners have gained significant weight under new strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert.

Evans jumped from 206 pounds last year to 216 this year, while Higdon went from 190 to 202.

As Harbaugh noted, they haven't lost any speed, though, and if anything, have gained some.

Each of them are veterans now and are two of the biggest leaders on offense, with Higdon explaining the leadership role he has taken on at Big Ten Media Days in late July.

The senior running back is a fairly safe bet to be named a captain.

News: Pass protection was a MAJOR issue for Michigan's offense last year (especially from the running backs), allowing a total of 83 tackles for loss on the year, which was 101st in the country.

Harbaugh: “Both [Higdon and Evans] have gotten better at it, working in conjunction with the offensive line to make sure our quarterbacks feel confident. They need to feel like they can step into throws and not be concerned about their backside.

"We’ve seen a huge jump forward in that department. Some of the changes scheme-wise have helped. Guys adding mass to their bodies and improving flexibility has also been helpful, because they’re more confident in their technique now."

Views: Ever since head coach Jim Harbaugh hired new offensive line coach Ed Warinner, a common word that has been used around the program is 'simplified.' Warinner has made the schemes and blocking techniques easier for both the linemen and running backs to understand, and it has paid dividends.

It was obvious players didn't know who to block at times last year, and one of the big reasons Warinner was hired was to shore that up.

We'll find out just how far it has come Sept. 1 at Notre Dame.

News: Higdon revealed at Big Ten Media Days that he would have went pro last season if he would have hit 1,000 yards. He fell just short, though, finishing with 994.

Harbaugh: “We did not talk about it at all. Karan is a guy of strong convictions and he knows what he wants — he wanted to come back.

"Even during the season last year, he didn’t have any interest in discussing it or exploring it — he was focused on the task at hand. Karan knew that it might distract him from what we were trying to do if he would have looked into it.

"You’re getting a highly-motivated guy — he always has been — this year, with perhaps a little more vocal aspect to him.”

Views: Higdon revealing that he was considering going pro caught many people off guard. The thought of the Florida native potentially having an NFL future was nothing but a fantasy as recently as the conclusion of the 2016 season.

He proved it's a real possibility after what he showed on the field last year though.

Higdon is fully expecting himself to reach 1,000 yards this season, and if he does so, will have a realistic shot at getting selected in the 2019 NFL draft.

News: A No. 3 running back has yet to emerge behind Higdon and Evans, though many are expecting it to be sophomore O'maury Samuels.

Harbaugh: “O'maury has taken a big step forward. We’re excited about him, because he’s improved in so many different areas and is playing as fast as he ever has. When he gets close to playing at full speed — which is smoking fast — he’s going to be scary. He’s also 100 percent healthy now.

"Chris and Karan are definitely both the starters — it’s a 1, 1 punch. You want to have another guy who’s ready to roll and can do anything though.

"You also need to have a protection guy who is exceptional at what he does. You’re really just looking for the next-best all-around guy in that third spot.”

Views: We probably won't know who the third running back is until Michigan plays its first game.

Samuels, redshirt freshman Kurt Taylor, junior Tru Wilson and freshmen Christian Turner and Hassan Haskins all have a realistic shot of being the guy. It was actually Wilson who Jim Harbaugh singled out throughout much of the spring though.

A third runner will need to emerge for this group at some point, especially if something were to happen to Evans or Higdon.

News: Michigan's offensive coaching staff underwent a major makeover in the offseason, with Tim Drevno and Greg Frey departing, and Warinner, Jim McElwain and Sherrone Moore being brought in.

Harbaugh: “It's a collaboration on offense, almost like a musical band — you have a bassist, guitarist, drums and vocals.

"We have a lot of guys on offense, so it’s an extensive band. Everyone has to do their part though, and not expand beyond their part.

"When you do that, everyone is in harmony and you get a good final result.

“[As far as who the offensive coordinator is,] that would be a question for the head coach or for Dave Ablauf.”

Views: Harbaugh made an interesting comment when he said coaches shouldn't 'expand beyond their part.' Chemistry was obviously off among the offensive staff last year, and it showed on the field with a high amount of confusion and ineffectiveness among the players.

That seems to have been fixed with the additions of McElwain, Warinner and Moore, but whether or not it translates to production remains to be seen.

An offensive coordinator is not likely to be named — which is completely fine, as long as the offense is effective.

Drevno and Pep Hamilton seemingly split the duties last year, and with the former now gone, the job may solely fall on Hamilton's shoulders this year. Or it may not — nobody knows for sure.

But it's still likely to be at least somewhat of a collective effort.

Notes

• Sophomore fullback Ben Mason was rumored to be practicing on defense in the spring.

“He’s mostly on offense," Harbaugh revealed. "But we’ll look into the defensive stuff a little more soon."

• Harbaugh admitted that junior quarterback Shea Patterson has grown a lot since the spring, and that he's impressed with how far he's come.

“You can tell Shea put in the work in May, June and July," he said. "He’s definitely improved his command of things and his understanding of where the outlets are. The same can be said for all the other quarterbacks too.”