Jim Harbaugh was hailed as a conquering hero in Ann Arbor after spurning the NFL to be Michigan’s next head football coach. However, his enthusiasm may be tempered after reviewing his roster and finding a crucial lack of experience at the quarterback position.
“I want to win on the practice field, the classroom and the community. We want to win on fall Saturday afternoons, and we have great expectations for that,” said Harbaugh at an introductory press conference. “We’ll have great expectations for the first team meeting and the first week of winter conditioning. I can’t wait.”
The hard work now begins for Harbaugh. Brady Hokedidn’t fail for a lack of effort. His teams struggled because of an inability to develop and protect its quarterbacks.
Harbaugh will need to prove he can do better or risk failing to meet the expectations of Michigan fans who expect a quick turnaround.
In the NFL, Harbaugh had the luxury of having an experienced starting quarterback when he came in at San Francisco. It gave him time to draft Colin Kaepernick and mold him to fill the starting role.
At Michigan, Shane Morris (43-of-87 for 389 with five interceptions) has the most experience, but he is yet to throw a touchdown during his career.
Morris has started two games, a bowl contest his freshman year and the Big Ten opener this season versus Minnesota. His concussion injury versus Minnesota resulted in a national controversy. Morris will get a fresh start under Harbaugh.
Harbaugh will need to evaluate the quarterbacks currently on the roster (Morris, Wilton Speight and Russell Bellomy) along with incoming freshman Alex Malzone to find the best fit.
During his career, the former Stanford coach has shown a preference for a mixed offensive attack, but a lack of offensive consistency made it open season on Michigan quarterbacks under Hoke.
Details of his hiring revealed that his contract, while lucrative, is less than earlier reported. Harbaugh wanted to make sure that he had a healthy budget for his assistant coaches.
Harbaugh’s experience will help cultivate his quarterbacks, but he’ll need to find a top assistant to develop the offensive line. Brady Hoke was soundly criticized for his loyalty to offensive line coach Darrell Funk as quarterback Devin Gardner scrambled for this life. Gardner took a beating during his final two seasons that greatly hampered his development.
Michigan does have two key building blocks returning next season in center Jack Miller and offensive tackle Mason Cole. Both helped the Michigan running attack make strides toward the end of the season and should adapt to whatever system Harbaugh installs.
The running back position is the next layer of defense for the quarterback position. Michigan is expected to have great depth next season, with De’Veon Smith, Derrick Green, Ty Isaac, Drake Johnson and Justice Hayes all expected to return.
The ability to pass protect may be the determining factor when it comes to which player starts next season.
Harbaugh must also decide whether to retain running back coach Fred Jackson, a stalwart on the coaching staff who has survived the retirement of Lloyd Carr and the dismissal of Rich Rodriguez.
Michigan once had a reputation for developing NFL quarterbacks. That needs to be true again to make Harbaugh's homecoming successful.
Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand
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All season statistics from mgoblue.com, official University of Michigan athletic department web site.
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