Counter Point to the Prevailing Board Views re: Our Head Football Coach and AD

“Jane, you ignorant slut!”

For the last couple of weeks, there have been countless posts about our head football coach and our AD. These seem to be the consensus views on this Board:

1. It is essential that M offer an extension to JH because of 2024 recruiting. 

2. All this NFL talk re: Harbaugh was nonsense. 

3.  An extension with more $$ & a larger buyout will insure JH will stay at Michigan after this year. 

4. Everything is the AD’s fault. 

IMO, there are serious flaws with the logic and reasoning on all four points. 
 
1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the extension JH signed last year go past the 2024 season? Furthermore, the damage to 2023 & maybe, 2024 recruiting is not a result of a contract issue. It is the direct result of JH’s dalliances with the NFL the last two years  

2. All of the reporting re: JH having interest in the NFL the last two years was accurate. He did fly to Minnesota, interview, and said that he would have accepted the HC position if offered. This year, he spoke with Carolina, then, Denver, and, then, inexplicably, after stating that he was staying, welcomed the Denver owner to AA for a face to face meeting and interview. 

3.  A contract extension with a larger buyout will have zero impact on JH’s decision to leave for the NFL. An NFL team that really wants him will have no problem forking over the $$ to get him. And don’t come back with some suggestion of a ridiculously high buyout amount. JH won’t sign that. No top college head coach would. 

4. The situation over the last two years was entirely JH’s fault. JH has not only entertained NFL offers, he has been dishonest throughout the process. He had that Albom interview after the Vikings turned him down saying he was here to stay and forever done with the NFL. That turned out to be patently false.

He then sent out that tweet after talking with Ono and a week later, met with the Denver owner. Once again, he was dishonest. If his tweet was the truth, all he had to do was tell the Denver owner no thanks, don’t come to AA, I’m staying at Michigan, I’m not going to talk with you. BUT HE DIDN’T DO THAT! His actions completely undermined the credibility of his earlier tweet.

As for our AD, this idea that he mishandled, mistreated and “insulted” JH is totally hogwash.

Fact #1-In any of the big time programs we compete with, JH would have been fired either before 2020 or shortly thereafter. You think Ohio State would have retained a head coach who was 0-5 vs us, 3-3 vs MSU, 1-4 in bowls and zero B1G championships? All of the other top Power 5 schools would have fired a head coach with that record.

Our AD should be commended for sticking with him, while formulating a reasonable revised contract that was heavily performance based. He accomplished something no major program AD has done recently. He got the head coach to take a pay cut, but gave him the opportunity to make the same amount of $$ with incentives. And, he, unlike all the “experts”, accurately gauged the lack of NFL interest with JH at that time. I would argue that he lit a fire under JH. JH has certainly been a different coach since then.

JH has been an outstanding coach the last two years, resulting in the best back to back seasons since the days of Yost and Crisler. And, not to take anything away from the 1997 NC team, but, if the last two teams played under the 1997 rules, they would have been 11-1 & 12-0 playing Utah both years in the Rose Bowl, who they probably would have beaten, and, at worse, been #2 both years with the possibility of a co-NC one or both of those years. Both years would have ended on a positive note with a bowl victory  

But both years, JH ruined the off season and recruiting by his NFL dalliances. And, even if the NCAA situation is total BS, it was certainly not a result of anything the AD did or didn’t do. One more headache JH has added to the mess. All of this together, all 100% the direct results of JH’s actions, have negatively affected recruiting. 

And, sadly, this will go on every single offseason until JH ends up back in the NFL. What the AD should be doing now is assessing potential HC replacements for the inevitability of JH’s departure.

I am happy he is here for at least one more year. This may be the most talented team we have had since 1997. We have a legitimate chance at a NC and when I look at the other contenders, I think we should be the favorite. I look forward to another 13-0 season, a win in the semifinal and an appearance in the NC game. Then, we can say goodbye to JH when he most certainly finally returns to the NFL, thank him for the greatest three consecutive years of Michigan football in over a century, and, then, we will find out whether our AD can make the right decision for his successor. GO BLUE!!