Jim Harbaugh Using Bye Week To Get Better Before Second Half Of Season

Michigan is sitting pretty at 6-0 and No. 8 in the AP Poll heading into their bye week, but head coach Jim Harbaugh isn't using the off week to celebrate.

Instead, Harbaugh is using the week to get better before the Wolverines embark on the second half of the season. Michigan will face No. 10 Michigan State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 6 Ohio State over the next month, and the results of those games will dictate how far the team advances this season.

“A good time to get some guys rested and healed up,” Harbaugh said to the media on Monday.

Michigan has sustained just one major injury thus far, losing senior receiver Ronnie Bell for the season due to a knee injury. While fellow receiver sophomore Roman Wilson was held out of the 32-29 victory against Nebraska, Harbaugh said that he doesn't believe it's a long-term injury, noting that the bye week will help.

Elsewhere, Harbaugh will be hitting the recruiting trail, looking to improve the 2022 class that ranks 16th in the nation. Recruiting has stalled at Michigan in the past few years, but as Harbaugh said, only one thing can help.

“It’s a good opportunity to spend more time than I normally would in a game week, to catch up,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, there’s ‘22s — and then there’s ‘23s. There’s always so much there. Getting ready for the future opponents also. Multi-tasking. Nothing helps recruiting, by the way, better than winning. So we’ve got to keep a huge focus on that.”

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Nick Geddes is a 2021 graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. A life-long sports enthusiast, Nick shares a passion for sports writing and is proud to represent OutKick.