WHY NOT TO FIRE JIM HARBAUGH

Sierra Taylor

MAR. 6 -- After a disappointing 2017 season it is no surprise that fans of the Michigan Wolverines are calling for change. The maize and blue fanbase seems to be divided over the way in which to correct the program. Many see Jim Harbaugh as the issue and have called for an end to his tenure as head coach. Among those is former Michigan wide receiver Amani Toomer. Toomer has very publicly expressed his distaste for Harbaugh and has stated that Michigan simply deserves better. Toomer claimed, “[Harbaugh's] somebody who's given us nothing, but 'Oh, we're going to Rome. Oh, we wear Michael Jordan shoes. I don't care. I want to beat Michigan State, I want to beat Ohio State. That's the passion that I have for the program." Amani also asserts that Harbaugh has failed in changing the culture of the program. What Amani fails to recognize is that if Michigan were to fire Jim Harbaugh the culture of the program would have to reset… again.

Harbaugh inherited the Wolverines at a major low point in its history. To return the strength of Michigan football to its former glory will undoubtedly take more than the three years Harbaugh has been given. Culture does not change overnight. It takes years to truly make a change in an organization. Most importantly is that there is no better person than Jim Harbaugh to change the culture at Michigan. His larger than life personality and eccentric behavior gives Michigan Football the character and personality it needs to reestablish itself as a top program in the country. And let’s not forget that Harbaugh’s name is a huge attractor for recruits. And many of Harbaugh’s recruits haven’t gotten a chance to take the field or haven’t yet matured into their prime. To all those calling for Harbaugh’s head, I instead call for patience. Anyone who knows anything about Michigan fans knows that is a laughable request but nonetheless, I am arguing that patience and faith in Harbaugh could bring the Wolverines their next National Championship.

With the resignation of Offensive Coordinator, Tim Drevno, Friday February 23rd, Harbaugh has an open door to improve his offense. Drevno had been with Harbaugh since he coached at San Diego in the early 2000’s. Many have claimed that Harbaugh’s loyalty to Drevno has doomed the team to offensive failures and a lack of creativity. After all, the 2017 Wolverines had a 3rd ranked defense and an unranked offense. Clearly defense is not an area the Harbaugh staff is struggling in. It is also important to remember that the cards Drevno and Harbaugh were dealt this year were less than favorable with injuries plaguing their quarterbacks.

All in all, many of the grievances Michigan fans have expressed are either being fixed or are out of the control of Jim Harbaugh. Granted this last season was disastrous, fans should remember back to 2016 when we were on the doorstep of the National Championship. The fourth year is known to be a turning point or many college coaches. And with two of Harbaugh's top 10 recruiting classes coming into play, next season should be a turn in the positive direction.

Sources:

Seidel, Jeff. “Michigan Football's Jim Harbaugh Hasn't Accomplished Anything Yet.” Detroit Free Press, 2 Jan. 2018, www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/jeff-seidel/2018/01/02/michigan-wolverines-football-jim-harbaugh/994081001/.

Peterson, Chris. “Michigan Football: Why Are Fans so Divided on Jim Harbaugh?”GBMWolverine, FanSided, 24 Dec. 2017, gbmwolverine.com/2017/12/24/michigan-football-fans-divided-jim-harbaugh/.

Skiver Jan 2, 2018 , Kevin. “Ohio State Legend Cris Carter Rips Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh after Outback Bowl.” CBSSports.com, 2 Jan. 2018, www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ohio-state-legend-cris-carter-rips-michigan-coach-jim-harbaugh-after-outback-bowl/.

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Lenzi, Rachel. “Michigan Football: Why It’s a Bad Idea to Fire Jim Harbaugh.” Land of 10, www.landof10.com/michigan/why-bad-idea-fire-jim-harbaugh.