Why S&C coach Ben Herbert is Jim Harbaugh's 'X-factor' at Michigan

When Jim Harbaugh praises you, you better cherish the moment because it's not often that Harbaugh will single anyone out and heap praise that he did on strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert on Monday.

When discussing how proud of the team he was after Michigan's victory over Ohio State, Harbaugh praised Herbert for bringing his players to the next level, someone who has been crucial in getting the Wolverines over the hump when it comes to busting narratives.

"To me, Ben Herbert, X-factor in our entire football program," Harbaugh told reporters on Monday. "The level of conditioning, the level of strength, the lesson of mental toughness. That's been the center of it. I would have to give equal amount of credit and gratitude to Ben Herbert. X-factor in this program."

Harbaugh appreciated Herbert so much that he submitted his name for the Broyles Award, an award that goes to the best assistant coach in the nation.

That name was rejected by the committee and Harbaugh eventually chose defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

That gesture alone shows how much Herbert means to Harbaugh and the football program.

What did Harbaugh see in Herbert when he decided to hire him, though?

Well, firstly, it was the stone-cold stare of Herbert upon meeting him during the first interview Harbaugh conducted that helped seal the deal.

"Right from the beginning, the conversation that I had, the level of detail, the expertise that he had, I certainly didn’t know how great he was until, being on the job for a month, six months, year," Harbaugh said. "I think you remember back when we used to give out an award for a staff member, the most valuable staff member of the year. He won that first year that he was here. To me, it was just a combination of never seen somebody that was old school strength coach and a cutting-edge, scientific strength coach. Used to get one or the other. But the absolute perfect blend of, the perfect melding of old school strength coach and cutting edge and in every way, detailed strength coach.

"The first time I met him, I talked to him on the phone and was really impressed. Had it down to maybe three guys that I brought in for an interview. He was the first I remember, in the hallway outside of my office, and like my first handshake with Ben Herbert. It’s unforgettable if anybody’s ever had a first handshake with Ben Herbert. But I mean, he shakes your hand, he kind of leans in. It’s like he’s looking right through your entire soul. I got to the point where ‘I cannot look at you anymore. I must avert my gaze.’ I knew that was the guy right there."

He added:

"The second time after the interview, I mean, I hired him the next day. I don’t think I did any more interviews after that. But the next day, when I greeted him in the morning, it was on, it was a contest. No possible way I’m averting your gaze. He stuck right in there, too. I think I won the second time around. Just never had a better hire in Ben Herbert, and what he’s meant to this program."

And it's not just Harbaugh who appreciates Herbert, either. It's the players, too.

Defensive lineman Mazi Smith, who has been the beneficiary of Herbert's teaching, even went as far to say that the reason he ended up choosing the Wolverines was because of Herbert and his staff.

"Coach Herb is the reason I came here," Smith told reporters on Monday. "Before they got Coach Herb and the new strength staff and weight room, Michigan, to be honest with you, was lower on my list. But when they hired him, I met him and figured out what he was about, I just knew that this was the place I had to come.

"When you talk about that extra toughness and mental edge. He provides all of that but he also provides a physical edge. It's a lot of secrets that he does that I have to keep."

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