ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jim Harbaugh kept his eyes glued to the color-coded depth chart in front of him as he listed the names of players who impressed him during preseason camp.
With MichiganWith less than three weeks until Harbaugh’s first game, Harbaugh’s tunnel vision is in full force. Anyone seeking clarification on their ongoing standoff with the NCAA or any other non-football topic can fall in line with everyone else whose requests will have to wait until January.
“My wife asks me to do things during these days, during these weeks,” Harbaugh said. “I’m doing my best, but it’s really locked in on this football team.”
News broke Saturday that Harbaugh would likely coach this team in September after all, as the NCAA Committee on Infractions indicated. rejected a negotiated resolution this would have included a four-game suspension for Harbaugh arising from his alleged failure to cooperate with an investigation into his program.
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Jim Harbaugh, NCAA Negotiated Resolution Not Approved by Infractions Committee
Derrick Crawford, the NCAA’s vice president of hearing operations, released a statement Saturday confirming the basis of the investigation, which involved allegations of illegal training activities and prohibited contact with recruits during the off period of COVID-19 – “not a cheeseburger,” like Crawford Put it.
The statement was the most in-depth comment yet made on a matter that has been going on behind closed doors for more than two years. Harbaugh declined to comment on reports of his impending suspension. at Big Ten Media Days but said he had “no reason to be ashamed” and appeared keen to respond to the allegations at the appropriate time.
When asked Tuesday if he could respond to the NCAA’s statement, Harbaugh responded briefly without comment. Unlike three weeks ago, when Harbaugh expressed a desire to “lay it all out,” he seemed uninterested in discussing anything other than the task before him.
“We’re up there as coaches, looking at yesterday’s film and, tomorrow, preparing the scenarios and trying to make this the best day of camp,” he said. “That’s where I’m thinking.”
Here are five takeaways from Harbaugh halfway through preseason camp.
Michigan had a “dynamic” first scrimmage
It’s not unusual for the first scrimmage of preseason camp to have some rough edges as players leave the practice field and enter Michigan Stadium. Something about being inside the Big House can leave a young player’s head spinning, Harbaugh said, but that wasn’t the case in the first scrimmage of 2023.
“It wasn’t like that at all,” Harbaugh said. “It was the same vibrant energy and execution. I even commented to the team afterwards, I’ve never seen anything like it.
A fuzzy team would have no shortage of distractions, from the buzz of the national championship to a #2 pre-season ranking to current NCAA issues at Michigan. Harbaugh said the team’s focus hasn’t wavered, and people who have observed Michigan’s practices have told him the same thing.
“We’ve had general managers,” Harbaugh said. “We brought in scouts. One in particular, who attended our meetings and training, said: “It’s dynamic. » It’s my word. I can’t get that word out of my head.
A “secret plan” for the return match?
Can a player be considered a secret weapon if coaches openly describe him as such? Either way, don’t be shocked if the quarterback Alex Orji gets a chance as a kick returner at some point in the season.
“He has a chance to be maybe one of the best kick returners of all time,” Harbaugh said. “He just started doing it.”
Orji gained a place on List of Bruce Feldman’s monsters with some of the team’s most impressive testing numbers, including a vertical jump of 41 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 6 inches. He competes with Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle And Jayden Denega to be Michigan’s backup quarterback, and the Wolverines are looking for other ways to get his athleticism on the field.
One of those ideas is to use him as a kick returner, although Harbaugh will need to be convinced that Michigan is safe from hurting its backup QB.
“We need to improve our kickoff blocking before we accept Alex Orji returning kicks,” Harbaugh said.
It doesn’t appear Michigan has settled on a punt returner to replace AJ Henning, but the Wolverines have no shortage of candidates. Among the names mentioned by Harbaugh: Mike Sainristil, Kalel Mullings, Tyler Morris And Donovan Edwards.
The Michigan poster is…
Speaking of List of monstersdefensive tackle Kris Jenkins came in at No. 6, the highest of any Michigan player. It was a big week for Jenkins, who also received an “EUTM” helmet sticker from Harbaugh as the player who best embodies the mantra of “enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”
“I looked at every player, every coach, and even myself,” Harbaugh said. “By the power vested in me, the person emblematic of humanity’s unknown enthusiasm for the year 2023 is Kris Jenkins.”
The buzz around Jenkins and the rest of Michigan’s defensive line continues to grow. In goal-line and short-yardage scrimmages in recent days, Michigan’s trio of Jenkins, Mason Graham And Kenneth Grant had a slight advantage over the Wolverines’ offensive line, Harbaugh said, even though the game was close to a stalemate.
“As good as the offensive line was, the defensive line probably got the better of them,” Harbaugh said.
Walker’s injury is not long-term
Amorion Walker is suffering from an injury that forced him to use crutches last week, but Harbaugh said the second-year cornerback — another List of monsters honored at No. 12 – should return in four or five days. In his absence, the first cornerback group included Will Johnson, Josh Wallace And Keshaun Harris with Sainristil with nickel.
Ja’Den McBurrows and Myles Pollard are in the mix, and Harbaugh had good things to say about the freshmen Jyaire Hill, Cameron Calhoun and DJ Waller. The Wolverines have considered moving Sainristil outside, but the best-case scenario is someone else wins the second cornerback job so Sainristil can stay in his familiar position.
“I think we’re at our best if he’s at nickel,” Harbaugh said.
For Harbaugh, the future is now
With Michigan’s infraction case still unresolved, Harbaugh’s future will be an unresolved topic during the 2023 season. This is nothing new at Michigan, but this season presents a unique confluence of circumstances: a team with national championship aspirationsplus the possibility of significant sanctions for Harbaugh in 2024.
Predicting what Harbaugh will do is a fool’s errand, but he has had conversations with the NFL teams over the past two offseasons and would have incentive to do so again if he thinks sanctions are coming. Winning a national championship and thumbing your nose at the NCAA on the way out would be the most Harbaugh-esque ending imaginable.
Michigan has to get there first. Looking ahead to the 2023 season, it’s hard to say whether the lack of resolve helps or hurts Michigan’s chances of achieving its ultimate goals.
A four-game suspension would have been disruptive, but it also would have allowed Michigan to put its NCAA woes in the rearview mirror before the biggest games of the season. Unless the school imposes a suspension itself or reaches a last-minute deal with the NCAA, this matter is likely to drag on through the season and beyond. This could make for some great drama, but only if the Wolverines don’t let themselves be consumed by it.
It all starts with Harbaugh, who plans to respond by staying true to the family mantra.
“Attack every day, attack today, with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind,” Harbaugh said. “I live with it every day, and it’s been good. It worked.
(Photo: John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
