Many thought it was a long shot that Mike Hart would ever join Jim Harbaugh’s staff, but he has, and he’s already making an impact.
But why now?
That’s the question we were asking when Harbaugh added him to his staff this year following Hart’s ascension up the coaching depth chart (so to speak) at Indiana. He was much more than the running backs coach when he left — he was the Associate Head Coach, and nobody at Indiana had anything but great things to say about him.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Hart and Harbaugh got into it when Hart was a Michigan captain. Harbaugh had some words about U-M’s academics (back when he was head coach at Stanford), Hart responded with “he’s not a Michigan Man” …
Now, the two of them are together trying to fix the program they both love. This is the second time (at least) Harbaugh’s kicked the tires on bringing Hart home, and he’s a perfect fit. We are NOT in the camp of wishing every former U-M great back to coach, but Hart and Ron Bellamy were great hires. They’re relentless workers, genuinely care about the university, great recruiters … and there’s nowhere else they’d rather be.
Hart admitted as much in his introductory podcast with former Michigan All-American Jon Jansen.
“This is home,” Hart said. “This is obviously where I want to be for a long time. I’m just excited to be here and excited to get to work with these guys, because there’s a lot of talent on this team. I’m just really looking forward to … getting this thing back on track.”
That’s where it gets interesting, because there’s no guarantee anymore that Harbaugh will be here a “long time.” Athletic Director Warde Manuel made it clear 2021 is not a make-or-break season for the coach — ‘given the contract, I am willing to be patient,’ he insisted in March, though he added, "Jim and I understand we need to win’ — and it’s unlikely he’d pull the plug after a year given the changes and contracts.
“It’s not a short-term play for me. We’ll see how the season plays out and make decisions accordingly,” Manuel said. “This is something we both want to work, so there’s no minimum or maximum number of wins — I don’t interact with my coaches in that way.”
But again, he wants to win — he needs to win — now more than ever. It’s going on a ridiculous 17 years since the Wolverines won a conference title in football, and no matter how much success the other programs have had (and it’s been a lot. The department is strong in so many areas), football pays the bills and is often viewed as the “front door of the University of Michigan” due to its prestige and visibility.
Last year it looked like a broken-down storm door creaking in the wind, and while some will say COVID was a factor, that doesn’t explain the mass transfers and yes, broken culture.
That fix is where it begins, and Hart and Bellamy are great starts. They come from the Lloyd Carr accountability tree, a link to the championship past, and regardless of what you think about the former coach, there’s no denying his team’s culture was a strength.
We’ve heard stories about it this spring, and guys like O.C. Josh Gattis have raved about it.
“Mike Hart has been a tremendous asset for us,” he said. “He’s a guy who is going to be a head coach one day. You see his demeanor and leadership, his no joke approach, especially with players and holding those guys accountable. He’s really providing another alpha male presence on the other side of the ball.
“Mike will speak his mind. He will address the guys in the right way and get the best out of them. That’s what we need for these guys.”
Hell … yes.
And if they lose a few guys because of it, so be it. Yes, you need top-end talent, but if they’re not about winning for the program as much as they are improving their own brands, you’re better off without.
Carr knew that well. Granted, a lot has changed since the “you don’t like it, here are your transfer papers” days, but we’ll never forget the meeting he had with Chris Perry’s mom after the running back’s sophomore year. Perry didn’t like blocking too much, didn’t care to be told he needed to and was threatening to leave.
Carr brought his mother in, explained the situation with transfer papers on his desk … and let Mom do the work. She straightened her son up, he became a Doak Walker-Award winning back and the Wolverines won the Big Ten title in 2003 while riding him.
It’s a bit different these days of course, for a few reasons. One — a lot of parents are worse than the kids. If Jimmy doesn’t play right away, they want him somewhere else. They might well lose another to the portal in the next few days in exactly this scenario.
Two — the program hasn’t won a title since 2004. It’s harder to say ‘if you don’t like it, get out’ when you don’t have the power of great culture and winning to back you up.
That’s the catch-22. It’s why you’re hearing reports of promises being made to players to stay, etc., and it’s really hard to win that way.
In that respect, Hart is part of the solution. He’s a take-no-crap kind of guy, as we all know, who loves this place as much as anyone and has the pedigree. We believe him when he says he’s going to be here a long time, and we trust those of our colleagues (and his) who say he’ll be a head coach down the road.
Anyone who knows us understands we’re not about bringing Michigan guys back for the sake of having a ‘Michigan Man’ in the building. We’ve watched guys like John Beilein and Bo Schembechler, two of the most ‘Michigan Men’ there were, come from the Ohio State and LeMoyne trees, respectively.
We were wary about basketball coach Juwan Howard, in fact, given his lack of experience. That one has worked out better than anyone could have hoped so far.
But Hart? He checks all the boxes beyond his love for this place. He was Indiana coach Tom Allen's Associate Head Coach for a reason. He’s a tireless worker, doesn’t suffer fools, has an edge and understands culture.
We’re going to be keeping a close eye on him over the next several years. You probably should, too.
But why now?
That’s the question we were asking when Harbaugh added him to his staff this year following Hart’s ascension up the coaching depth chart (so to speak) at Indiana. He was much more than the running backs coach when he left — he was the Associate Head Coach, and nobody at Indiana had anything but great things to say about him.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Hart and Harbaugh got into it when Hart was a Michigan captain. Harbaugh had some words about U-M’s academics (back when he was head coach at Stanford), Hart responded with “he’s not a Michigan Man” …
Now, the two of them are together trying to fix the program they both love. This is the second time (at least) Harbaugh’s kicked the tires on bringing Hart home, and he’s a perfect fit. We are NOT in the camp of wishing every former U-M great back to coach, but Hart and Ron Bellamy were great hires. They’re relentless workers, genuinely care about the university, great recruiters … and there’s nowhere else they’d rather be.
Hart admitted as much in his introductory podcast with former Michigan All-American Jon Jansen.
“This is home,” Hart said. “This is obviously where I want to be for a long time. I’m just excited to be here and excited to get to work with these guys, because there’s a lot of talent on this team. I’m just really looking forward to … getting this thing back on track.”
That’s where it gets interesting, because there’s no guarantee anymore that Harbaugh will be here a “long time.” Athletic Director Warde Manuel made it clear 2021 is not a make-or-break season for the coach — ‘given the contract, I am willing to be patient,’ he insisted in March, though he added, "Jim and I understand we need to win’ — and it’s unlikely he’d pull the plug after a year given the changes and contracts.
“It’s not a short-term play for me. We’ll see how the season plays out and make decisions accordingly,” Manuel said. “This is something we both want to work, so there’s no minimum or maximum number of wins — I don’t interact with my coaches in that way.”
But again, he wants to win — he needs to win — now more than ever. It’s going on a ridiculous 17 years since the Wolverines won a conference title in football, and no matter how much success the other programs have had (and it’s been a lot. The department is strong in so many areas), football pays the bills and is often viewed as the “front door of the University of Michigan” due to its prestige and visibility.
Last year it looked like a broken-down storm door creaking in the wind, and while some will say COVID was a factor, that doesn’t explain the mass transfers and yes, broken culture.
That fix is where it begins, and Hart and Bellamy are great starts. They come from the Lloyd Carr accountability tree, a link to the championship past, and regardless of what you think about the former coach, there’s no denying his team’s culture was a strength.
We’ve heard stories about it this spring, and guys like O.C. Josh Gattis have raved about it.
“Mike Hart has been a tremendous asset for us,” he said. “He’s a guy who is going to be a head coach one day. You see his demeanor and leadership, his no joke approach, especially with players and holding those guys accountable. He’s really providing another alpha male presence on the other side of the ball.
“Mike will speak his mind. He will address the guys in the right way and get the best out of them. That’s what we need for these guys.”
Hell … yes.
And if they lose a few guys because of it, so be it. Yes, you need top-end talent, but if they’re not about winning for the program as much as they are improving their own brands, you’re better off without.
Carr knew that well. Granted, a lot has changed since the “you don’t like it, here are your transfer papers” days, but we’ll never forget the meeting he had with Chris Perry’s mom after the running back’s sophomore year. Perry didn’t like blocking too much, didn’t care to be told he needed to and was threatening to leave.
Carr brought his mother in, explained the situation with transfer papers on his desk … and let Mom do the work. She straightened her son up, he became a Doak Walker-Award winning back and the Wolverines won the Big Ten title in 2003 while riding him.
It’s a bit different these days of course, for a few reasons. One — a lot of parents are worse than the kids. If Jimmy doesn’t play right away, they want him somewhere else. They might well lose another to the portal in the next few days in exactly this scenario.
Two — the program hasn’t won a title since 2004. It’s harder to say ‘if you don’t like it, get out’ when you don’t have the power of great culture and winning to back you up.
That’s the catch-22. It’s why you’re hearing reports of promises being made to players to stay, etc., and it’s really hard to win that way.
In that respect, Hart is part of the solution. He’s a take-no-crap kind of guy, as we all know, who loves this place as much as anyone and has the pedigree. We believe him when he says he’s going to be here a long time, and we trust those of our colleagues (and his) who say he’ll be a head coach down the road.
Anyone who knows us understands we’re not about bringing Michigan guys back for the sake of having a ‘Michigan Man’ in the building. We’ve watched guys like John Beilein and Bo Schembechler, two of the most ‘Michigan Men’ there were, come from the Ohio State and LeMoyne trees, respectively.
We were wary about basketball coach Juwan Howard, in fact, given his lack of experience. That one has worked out better than anyone could have hoped so far.
But Hart? He checks all the boxes beyond his love for this place. He was Indiana coach Tom Allen's Associate Head Coach for a reason. He’s a tireless worker, doesn’t suffer fools, has an edge and understands culture.
We’re going to be keeping a close eye on him over the next several years. You probably should, too.
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