I’m still behind Jim all the way—think he was the best possible hire in ‘14, and that the odds of finding some better alternative would be slim. I also think the good results on the field have if anything been undersold, and that with a bit more luck, the narratives you hear about the program at the moment would be significantly more optimistic.
That said, I’m somewhat surprised by the following:
1). At Stanford, Harbaugh’s staff was able to load up on many excellent talents even though Stanford is not a recruiting powerhouse. I’d have expected a few more Richard Sherman and Zach Ertz types by now here. I’m underwhelmed by Chris Evans, Sean McKeon, etc. Are the arguably superior recruiting results at Stanford vs Michigan (when you control for admissions standards and the pull of the respective schools) an outgrowth of small samples and luck? I doubt I’m the only one who thought we’d strike lightning in a bottle a bit more often on the recruiting trail.
2). We’re doing a much better job of scouting and attracting skill position talent under Harbaugh than Hoke, and that matters, but that aside, are we pulling more talent under Harbaugh than the first couple Hoke classes (before the results in ‘13 and ‘14 cratered recruiting)? I’d have expected the Harbaugh brand to make an appreciable difference in reeling in a few more premier talents in each class, but I wonder whether that’s actually been the case, and if not, I wonder why.
3). At Stanford, Harbaugh built an offense that was an efficiency monster passing and running. Given missteps with Drevno and Frey, I’m not surprised that the running game has been a bit behind schedule. And the empty cupboard at QB obviously created some difficulties for the passing game in Harbaugh’s first few years here that limited the ceiling. But I think the pieces were in place this year, and yet the passing game was competent rather than threatening at season’s close. That needs to change in ‘19.
That said, I’m somewhat surprised by the following:
1). At Stanford, Harbaugh’s staff was able to load up on many excellent talents even though Stanford is not a recruiting powerhouse. I’d have expected a few more Richard Sherman and Zach Ertz types by now here. I’m underwhelmed by Chris Evans, Sean McKeon, etc. Are the arguably superior recruiting results at Stanford vs Michigan (when you control for admissions standards and the pull of the respective schools) an outgrowth of small samples and luck? I doubt I’m the only one who thought we’d strike lightning in a bottle a bit more often on the recruiting trail.
2). We’re doing a much better job of scouting and attracting skill position talent under Harbaugh than Hoke, and that matters, but that aside, are we pulling more talent under Harbaugh than the first couple Hoke classes (before the results in ‘13 and ‘14 cratered recruiting)? I’d have expected the Harbaugh brand to make an appreciable difference in reeling in a few more premier talents in each class, but I wonder whether that’s actually been the case, and if not, I wonder why.
3). At Stanford, Harbaugh built an offense that was an efficiency monster passing and running. Given missteps with Drevno and Frey, I’m not surprised that the running game has been a bit behind schedule. And the empty cupboard at QB obviously created some difficulties for the passing game in Harbaugh’s first few years here that limited the ceiling. But I think the pieces were in place this year, and yet the passing game was competent rather than threatening at season’s close. That needs to change in ‘19.
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