Upon Jim Harbaugh's decision to accept the head coaching position at Michigan late last December, Sacramento Bee San Francisco 49ers beat writer Matt Barrows wrote a brilliant guide for what those who cover the Wolverines could expect from their new subject.
"An innocuous query about the weather, for instance, could trigger a florid quote from Admiral William Halsey. And yet a routine question about a running back’s knee injury may cause your Harbaugh to wince, pause and grimace as if a malodorous scent has wafted into the room," Barrows wrote in his piece, titled "Congratulations on the purchase of your new Harbaugh!" "Your Harbaugh’s default in this instance is: 'We don’t really talk about that here' or 'I can’t get inside his body' or 'He’s working through something.'"
Treating Harbaugh like an appliance, Barrows went on to warn that the new Michigan head coach would fail to change his attire, run hot and cold in his relationship with the media and profusely praise his players, even when it may not seem warranted.
Through the first six months of Harbaugh's reign in Ann Arbor, it's been hard to view Barrows' guide as anything but accurate. And with Big Ten media days getting set to emanate from Chicago on Thursday and Friday, the rest of the college football world will soon learn what it's like to be a part of The Jim Harbaugh Experience.
For even those who have followed the Wolverines from afar this offseason, Harbaugh's Michigan press conferences have been can't-miss events since his return to his alma mater. That was evident on the eve of spring practice last February, when the former Wolverines quarterback compared spring football to various holidays and religious experiences.
"A lot of people think January 1st is the start of the new year, and those that believe in Christianity and espouse Catholicism believe that correlates with the birth of Christ, but we in football treat the first day of spring practice as the new year," in an answer that would instantly go viral.
"It’s like your birthday, it’s New Year’s [Day], it’s Thanksgiving. You’re thankful you can participate in football. It’s like Christmas—you have this gift. It’s a family reunion. It’s all those things all rolled into one. It’s a happening. It’s like the first day of school. You lay your clothes out the night before and pack your lunch box tight and you head off to school. Everybody knows that feeling."
Whether it's his unique analogies, making a joke about tripping on his way up to the podium or invoking the constitution when speaking about fan expectations, it's rare that a Harbaugh meeting with the media occurs without an unexpected story being gleaned from at least one of his unique answers.
After all, not many coaches have compilations made of their "funniest press conference moments."
But for as entertaining as Harbaugh can be to cover, he can be equally as frustrating.
Such was the case following Michigan's spring game on April 4, when his answers weren't always compatible to the questions he was posed. Asked by one reporter if he knew who his five starting offensive linemen for the season would be, Harbaugh jumped at the chance to answer what he viewed as a "yes or no" question.
"Yeah, I've got a pretty good idea," Harbaugh responded.
"Will you share them?" The reporter pushed.
"Yeah," Harbaugh said with a smile, before immediately searching for his next question.
And then, of course, there was the infamous interview with ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd, which Cowherd cut short due to Harbaugh's perceived lack of engagement. The criticism from the awkward encounter grew so loud that the Wolverines head man even took to his Twitter account to offer a response.
But while Harbaugh's answers may not always suffice for some interviewers and listeners, that doesn't make him a poor subject—far from it.
In fact, there may not be a more interesting target representing his school in the Windy City this week, even with Ohio State's Urban Meyer, Penn State's James Franklin and Michigan State's Mark Dantonio all in attendance. It's just that simple questions won't typically do the trick when talking to Harbaugh, which could make his media appearances on Friday all the more fascinating.
Because with Big Ten media days garnering more attention than they have in recent memory, Harbaugh will find himself as Friday's most in-demand participant. With hundreds of reporters in attendance, the former 49ers head coach will be engaged in endless interactions, which could make for several memorable outcomes as he navigates his way through the media's inquiries—both basic and complex.
But regardless of whether reporters find themselves satisfied, Harbaugh's answers will undoubtedly be entertaining and should make for interesting stories. Not since Meyer in 2012 has a Big Ten media debut been this anticipated, as everything Harbaugh does in Chicago on Friday could be considered newsworthy.
And for those taking part in it for the first time, believe me when I say that the Harbaugh experience is one to look forward to.
Just as long as you know what you're getting yourself into.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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