by Sean Szymczak
The Man
Jim Harbaugh is one of the most polarizing figures in the sport of football. Those that love him will go to war for him. Those that don’t hope he never coaches another game in his career. This polarization existed long before the allegations that arose in October of 2023. There are many reasons for the public’s strong opinion one way or another for Harbaugh. The biggest reason is probably because people generally hate to see others achieve greatness.
Love him or hate him, no one can deny the greatness of Jim Harbaugh the football coach. He resurrected a long dead Stanford football program. He brought the 49ers from irrelevance to back-to-back-to-back NFC Championships. His crowning achievement – the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship – puts Harbaugh into a special class of coaches. After all, his rebuild of the Michigan Wolverines has not been given the recognition it deserves.
This was a program whose blueblood status largely hinged on their unparalleled success before 1950. The Wolverines were an undisputed powerhouse during the 1800s, World Wars, and Great Depression. But their last unshared national championship before Harbaugh was in 1948. Since then, the Wolverines have failed to reach to summit of college football. Even Bo Schembechler – the darling of Ann Arbor and highly regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history – failed to claim a national championship in 21 years.
Bo retired in 1989 and Michigan has been forced to make four head coaching hires before bringing in Harbaugh. First was Gary Moeller who won 44 games in five years. But after back-to-back 8-4 seasons in 1993-94, Michigan moved on and hired Lloyd Carr. That move would deliver a long-awaited national championship to Ann Arbor three years later. But even then, the national title was shared with Nebraska (few would argue the Wolverines were truly better than the Huskers that season).
Carr retired in 2007 following many up-and-down seasons following that 1997 season. Carr won five Big Ten title in 13 seasons but finished with a sub-.500 bowl record. He also delivered 7-5 and 9-4 seasons in two of his final three years. Carr retired in 2007 after a four-season stretch that brought zero Big Ten title, 0 wins against Ohio State, a 1-3 bowl record, and only one 10+ win season.
After Lloyd Carr’s departure, Michigan put on a national showcase for how to fumble hiring decisions. After failing to lure Les Miles away from LSU, the Wolverines brought in Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia. His spread offense meant a complete overhaul of the roster – something that was a much taller task before the transfer portal. That resulted in a putrid 3-9 first season – the worst in Michigan history. After picking up the pieces and putting together a respectable 7-5 campaign two years later in 2010, Rich Rod was fired before he could realize the potential of the roster he had constructed.
Then came Brady Hoke. A ‘Michigan man’ who would return the program to its former glory the old fashioned way. However, his transformation into a pro-style team led to another roster overhaul. One that saw Michigan fall from 11-2 in Hoke’s first year to 5-7 in his last. After four years, Michigan was left with a battered reputation and a porous roster.
Michigan was 46-44 in the seven years between Lloyd Carr and Jim Harbaugh. In that seven year stretch from 2008-14, Michigan had three seasons below .500, earned only one bowl victory, and beat Ohio State one in those seven years. In a lot of ways, that stretch defined what Michigan football had been for a very long time: up-and-down, sometimes great, but never the best.
When Jim Harbaugh took over Michigan in 2015, the Wolverines were not a sleeping giant waiting to be awoken. They were not a recruiting powerhouse that was capable of assembling one of the best rosters in college football overnight. They were not a threat to win the Big Ten.
The Michigan Wolverines had whiffed on two straight head coaching hires. They were only a handful of years removed from the most embarrassing season in the history of their program. They had beaten their arch rival only once in the past fourteen seasons. They were 66 years removed from their last unshared national championship. Michigan needed a knight in shining armor to save a once proud program from melting into perpetual mediocrity.
Jim Harbaugh was that knight in shining armor. And so much more.
Harbaugh went 47-18 in his first five seasons. They finished the season ranked in the top-15 in four of those seasons and reached 10 wins three times. Jim Harbaugh had undoubtedly brought Michigan “back” to what they had been historically. A Big Ten contender, a top-25 team, but not a perennial title contender. Harbaugh easily could have left Michigan in 2019 and be proud of leaving the program in much better condition than he found it.
That is almost what happened too. A disastrous COVID campaign in 2020 nearly cost Jim Harbaugh his job. A 2-4 campaign (remembered most for their 49-11 embarrassment at the hands of Wisconsin) coupled with zero wins against Ohio State in six seasons had Wolverine fans fed up. I don’t think there is a Michigan fan out there that didn’t call for Harbaugh’s job at least once from 2018-2020. They had lost to Ohio State by an average margin of 26 ppg in that stretch.
Despite that, the school gave Jim Harbaugh one more chance. And the rest is history.
You see, this wasn’t an ordinary rebuild. Jim Harbaugh led his Michigan Wolverines from the gates of hell not once, but twice. The first time, he was only able to bring them back to national relevance. An impressive feat, sure. The second time, though, Harbaugh brought Michigan all the way back.
Jim Harbaugh has done something Bo Schembechler couldn’t do. He has done something Lloyd Carr couldn’t do. He has done something no Big Ten team other than Ohio State has done in the past 50 years. Jim Harbaugh has won a national championship for the Michigan Wolverines.
In doing so, Harbaugh has made a strong case to be named in the ten greatest coaches in the history of the sport. He’s up there with the Sabans, Jimmy Johnsons, and Paul Browns. His success at both the college and professional levels can be matched by only a select few.
But as it stands today, one cannot talk about this incredible achievement without mentioning the ongoing cheating allegations. As the NCAA investigation swirls on, time can only tell how this national championship will truly be regarded. Ten years from now, the 2023 national title could be vacated and NCAA sanctions could leave Michigan right back where Harbaugh found it in 2015.
Or maybe the 2023 Michigan Wolverine football team might be remembered as the powerhouse they truly were. Say what you want about how Harbaugh and his staff may have collected opponent signals. Those signals did not bring Blake Corum, JJ McCarthy, Mike Sainristil, Junior Colson, and countless other legends to this school. Those signals did not develop a roster littered with future NFL starters.
The Team
Fans seem quick to write off this Michigan football team as one of the greatest college football teams of all time.
Maybe it’s because of their play style. Smash mouth, line-of-scrimmage oriented, ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’ football seems inferior to the flashy styles of Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Georgia, and a litany of other college programs. At least to the untrained eye. A casual fan takes one look at Michigan and only sees a team that is playing a brand of football that expired 20 years ago.
Maybe it’s because of the allegations that have surrounded the program since late October. Although it seems like a newfound fact that the majority of programs steal signs, the ways Harbaugh and his staff went about stealing signs remains in question. Michigan’s tone-deaf response to the allegations (from the President, to the coaching staff, to the players, all the way down to the fans) certainly did not help in winning the court of public opinion.
Nevermind the allegations for a second. Nevermind people’s feelings. Nevermind how much impact a sign-stealing operaiton actually had on games in which the opponents had likely stolen signals too. Nevermind how this season and this team will be remembered 20 years from now.
Those signals did not develop a roster that is utterly dominant at every single position. If Michigan realized any on-field advantages from their sign-stealing operation, they were long gone by the College Football Playoff. These past two games prove just how dominant the Wolverines really are.
Michigan allowed an FBS-best 9.5 ppg – the least allowed by any team since Alabama in 2011. They didn’t allow a single opponent to throw for more than 275 yards on them – including a Washington team who came into the national championship leading the country in passing offense. The Wolverines held eight of its opponents to fewer than 10 points. Michigan also turned the ball over as well as anyone in college football, averaging close to two forced turnovers per game. By all measures, this 2023 Michigan defense was as good as any we have seen since the BCS era.
Their dominance did not stop on the defensive side of the ball. It may not have been sexy, but the Wolverine offense did their job and then some. They were third in the country in fewest turnovers committed per game which paved the way for them to lead the country in turnover margin. They were also amongst the nation’s best in time of possession and sacks allowed. As boring as their offense may have been at times (see the 30 straight times they ran the ball against Penn State), Michigan was still 14th in the country in scoring offense.
Michigan was completely and utterly dominant on both sides of the ball all season long. It all started at the line of scrimmage – a focal point often neglected in today’s college football. Before anyone points to an easy schedule in September and October to explain Michigan’s season-long dominance, you must recognize the raw talent strewed across this roster. By my estimation, Michigan could have 20 players on NFL rosters next season – split fairly evenly across both sides of the football.
Defensively, the Wolverines possess one of the deepest and most talented defensive lines we have seen in a long time. Kris Jenkins and Jaylen Harrell may be the only two players leaving that loaded position group. Both will be NFL Draft picks this May. LBs Junior Colson and Michael Barrett have been the surest tackling defenders in the country for the entire season. They have been the glue to this all-time great defense and each possess the unique ability to eat up blocks, set the edge, rush the passer, and make open-field tackles. In the back end, future top-10 pick Will Johnson only finished his second year and will return to Ann Arbor in 2024. But Mike Sainristil proved he is much more than a slot corner this season. He has the ability to line up against any position, making him a valuable tool at the next level.
Offensively, the line took a step back after winning the Joe Moore Award in back-to-back years but still proved to be one of the five best units in the entire country. They moved Ohio State, Alabama, and Washington at will when they needed to the most. Blake Corum may not have a long career at the next level given his size, injury history, and workload already on his back, but he should be as any RB in this class through the first few seasons.
Roman Wilson has been a reliable, explosive wide receiver all season long. Cornelius Johnson and the younger receivers never quite developed as hopes, but Wilson has shouldered more than his fair share. AJ Barner (the blocking compliment to TE Colston Loveland, who will likely return next year) has been a staple in run blocking all season long. Both are talented enough to find NFL homes next season.
As for the guy who’s been throwing the ball to Roman Wilson and company…
The Star
Part of what made the 2023 Michigan Wolverines so special is that neither side of the ball relied on a single star. The defense saw the aforementioned Will Johnsons, Mike Sainristil, Junior Colson, and countless others make plays when they needed it the most. Offensively, the dynamic backfield of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards regained their 2022 form late in the season. Colston Loveland and Roman Wilson ended up being the receiver duo the prop up the passing attack. And of course, Michigan leaned heavily on another great offensive line.
But the most important, yet most disrespected, star on Michigan was its quarterback – JJ McCarthy. Even after capping off their 15-0 season, fans couldn’t wait to jump on the fact that McCarthy completed only 10 passes against Washington.
Make no mistake – McCarthy is the most important player to the dramatic turnaround we’ve seen from Michigan since 2021. His arrival on campus aligns perfectly with this recent run of success and it is no coincidence. Sure, he didn’t start in 2021. But he still had special packages which unlocked a new dimension to a Wolverine offense that had staled under Harbaugh. He saw a combined 86 rushes/passes that year and accounted for 7 total TDs.
Michigan is 28-1 over the past two seasons with JJ McCarthy as their starting QB. Many fans believe McCarthy is an average college quarterback with no NFL future. They think he’s been propped up by his surrounding roster. I’ve heard people go as far as saying McCarthy is no better than Kyle McCord.
Let’s get one thing straight: if McCarthy and McCord were swapped, Ohio State would be celebrating their 15-0 season and we’d seriously be discussing the Buckeyes as one of the greatest teams of all time. JJ McCarthy is a great quarterback. From his leadership, to his athleticism, to his arm talent, to his decision-making, McCarthy is everything you could want out of a college quarterback.
JJ McCarthy is an elite decision-maker. He completed 72% of his passes this season despite going up against some of the nation’s best pass defenses in Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, and Alabama. He has an astonishing 52:9 TD:INT ratio as a starter. His ability to read defenses and take care of the ball has allowed Michigan’s defense to play with a different level of tenacity and aggression.
JJ McCarthy has an NFL arm. He doesn’t put up the most impressive stats but that is no fault of his own. Michigan has lacked a room of NFL-caliber receivers and a creative offensive play-caller for years. So McCarthy has owned his role as game manager (an important role that has been twisted into an expletive in today’s media) in order to maximize Michigan’s potential as a team. Don’t believe in his arm talent? Go back and watch the Ohio State film from this past season. McCarthy won that game with his ability to throw accurately down field and on the run. He had devastating, back-breaking completions against good coverage that had no business being caught thanks to his pinpoint accuracy.
JJ McCarthy’s mobility would allow him to operate essentially any offense asked of him – another aspect that makes him incredibly dangerous. Yes, he isn’t asked to do too much in Michigan’s offense. And yes, that will probably affect his ability to adapt quickly to the NFL. But as far as evaluating McCarthy as a college quarterback, there isn’t anything he can’t do.
McCarthy will never be remembered as one of the most prolific college quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Vince Young, or Sam Bradford. He won’t be remembered as one of the most exciting quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Johnny Manziel, or Cam Newton. He probably won’t even be remembered as one of the winningest quarterbacks like Kellen Moore, Tim Tebow, or Colt McCoy. That can be blamed on the aforementioned public perception of Michigan’s offense. But that is not fair.
JJ McCarthy was the difference in Michigan being able to get over the hump and finally win a national championship. He is the leader of this football team and the greatest quarterback in the history of the program. He’s been nothing but reliable, accurate, and versatile since stepping into the role of starting quarterback.
Reading the box score isn’t enough to appreciate what JJ McCarthy has meant to the Michigan football program. On any given play you can count on the veteran to make the right decision – the best quality a quarterback could possibly have. He may not be a future NFL franchise quarterback, but that is not a prerequisite to being a great college quarterback. Besides – I wouldn’t bet against JJ McCarthy.
The Legacy
It’s impossible to predict how the 2023 Michigan Wolverines will be remembered in 10, 20, 50 years from now. Will the sign-stealing allegations haunt this team forever? Will Michigan lose out in comparisons to other championship teams because they are one of the few great defensive-oriented teams we’ve seen in modern college football?
Michigan beat an undefeated Ohio State team. They won the Big Ten. They toppled the mighty SEC. They turned the clock to midnight on college football’s cinderella. They won all 15 games – only three by a single possession. They will challenge the record of 15 players being drafted to the NFL in a single season in the 2024 NFL Draft this May. When all is said and done, we will look back at this roster and only then realize how special this team truly was.
I don’t think this edition of the Michigan Wolverines will be remembered for being as dominant as they truly were. I don’t think people will want to entertain a discussion about how this defense would be a nightmare matchup for that magical 2019 LSU offense. I don’t think people will talk about this Michigan team as the one that finally retired the greatest college coach in history.
A legacy is impossible to define in the moment. It must be put to rest before taking its final form some years later. When we look back at the 2023 Michigan football team, one can only hope they are remembered for what they really were: great.