Dating back to 2014 we have seen enough hyped up offensive coordinators come and go to know you can't rely on them to be the primary reason for success.
-In 2014 Doug Nussmeier was hired from Alabama. Excitement level over the hire was a 10. That season Michigan was 86th in total offense. Hoke fired.
-In 2015 Tim Drevno was hired by Jim. Fans were happy with the hire due to his success with Jim at previous stops, and his ability to develop the OLine. The 2015 team ranked 112th in total offense.
-In 2016 Jedd Fisch took over more responsibility with good success. Jedd then got poached by UCLA, leaving Jim searching for a new OC after just the one season.
-In 2017 Jim hires Pep Hamilton. Fans again loved the hire due to his strong NFL background. Michigan goes 8-5 despite having the #1 ranked defense.
-In 2018 Jim hires Jim Mcelwain and pair him up with Pep Hamilton. They end the year with the 105th ranked offense with the 3rd ranked defense bailing out the team to put together a respectable season.
-In 2019 Jim finally hires a guy that we believe will run a college style offense in Josh Gattis from Alabama. One of the most exciting assistant hires Michigan has had outside of Don Brown. The offense finally cracks the top 50 nationally (49th) with a senior quarterback and at least two NFL WR's on the roster. Strong first year for Gattis.
We know the story of 2020. Arguable as bad as an offense as we saw under Rich Rod in year #1.
The point of all this is that its been a constant change of coaches under Jim Harbaugh. Jim does not control the defense. Jim does not control the offense. Jim lets his coordinators run the offense the way they envision which puts you in a difficult spot every time he fires a coach or one decides to leave (Fisch). If Lincoln Riley, Dabo Sweeney, or Urban Meyer lose a coordinator, you are still going to see a similar offense as the year prior due to them being the mastermind behind the offense. Jim is not recruiting on a level to compensate for that constant change.
Bottom line, whoever Jim brings in as a DC and likely OC, they will just be another experiment until the next change is made. Its unfair to the coordinators to come in and expect them to turn around the program when there are so many other issues within the program they cannot control. The next DC is dealing with a depleted roster defensively. One that Wade Philips or Bill Belichik wouldn't be able to turn into a respectable unit next fall. The next offensive coordinator is needing to hang his hat on a true freshman with extremely average weapons surrounding him? Both side of the ball have too many urgent issues that cannot be fixed in an offseason. Its an impossible situation for whoever is up next, especially with no bowl season or potentially spring ball.
Its the right time for Jim to pursue a new opportunity. His time is coming to an end with no real reason for optimism for the foreseeable future. He can save some face by not coming to an agreement on contract. A luxury he won't have next year if he signs a long term contract.
-In 2014 Doug Nussmeier was hired from Alabama. Excitement level over the hire was a 10. That season Michigan was 86th in total offense. Hoke fired.
-In 2015 Tim Drevno was hired by Jim. Fans were happy with the hire due to his success with Jim at previous stops, and his ability to develop the OLine. The 2015 team ranked 112th in total offense.
-In 2016 Jedd Fisch took over more responsibility with good success. Jedd then got poached by UCLA, leaving Jim searching for a new OC after just the one season.
-In 2017 Jim hires Pep Hamilton. Fans again loved the hire due to his strong NFL background. Michigan goes 8-5 despite having the #1 ranked defense.
-In 2018 Jim hires Jim Mcelwain and pair him up with Pep Hamilton. They end the year with the 105th ranked offense with the 3rd ranked defense bailing out the team to put together a respectable season.
-In 2019 Jim finally hires a guy that we believe will run a college style offense in Josh Gattis from Alabama. One of the most exciting assistant hires Michigan has had outside of Don Brown. The offense finally cracks the top 50 nationally (49th) with a senior quarterback and at least two NFL WR's on the roster. Strong first year for Gattis.
We know the story of 2020. Arguable as bad as an offense as we saw under Rich Rod in year #1.
The point of all this is that its been a constant change of coaches under Jim Harbaugh. Jim does not control the defense. Jim does not control the offense. Jim lets his coordinators run the offense the way they envision which puts you in a difficult spot every time he fires a coach or one decides to leave (Fisch). If Lincoln Riley, Dabo Sweeney, or Urban Meyer lose a coordinator, you are still going to see a similar offense as the year prior due to them being the mastermind behind the offense. Jim is not recruiting on a level to compensate for that constant change.
Bottom line, whoever Jim brings in as a DC and likely OC, they will just be another experiment until the next change is made. Its unfair to the coordinators to come in and expect them to turn around the program when there are so many other issues within the program they cannot control. The next DC is dealing with a depleted roster defensively. One that Wade Philips or Bill Belichik wouldn't be able to turn into a respectable unit next fall. The next offensive coordinator is needing to hang his hat on a true freshman with extremely average weapons surrounding him? Both side of the ball have too many urgent issues that cannot be fixed in an offseason. Its an impossible situation for whoever is up next, especially with no bowl season or potentially spring ball.
Its the right time for Jim to pursue a new opportunity. His time is coming to an end with no real reason for optimism for the foreseeable future. He can save some face by not coming to an agreement on contract. A luxury he won't have next year if he signs a long term contract.
