Kirk Herbstreit Wonders Aloud: If Jim Harbaugh Can’t Win At Michigan, Who can?

Expectations for Jim Harbaugh were to lead Michigan into the college football playoff, but Kirk Herbstreit claims they shouldn’t give up on the coach. After the first five seasons under Harbaugh, the team still searches for not only how, but who can get them over the hump.

“I think the expectation were so high for him when he came in,” ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbsreit said. “I know I was incredibly excited, because when I was in high school Jim Harbaugh was the starting quarterback at Michigan he had a flair about him, and an arrogance about him as a player that was incredible. It was a gift.”

Herbstreit claimed before Saturday night’s Clemson-Miami game that Harbaugh would bring a “new war” to Michigan-Ohio State. While Michigan piled up a 74-18 record, they haven’t scratched the win column against the Buckeyes (0-5).

Kirk Herbstreit was asked this week about Jim Harbaugh’s tenure so far at Michigan. Admitted that expectations were high, and he still needs better QB play.

But, “If Jim Harbaugh can’t win at Michigan, who can?” https://t.co/WJsqG9aMhX

— Aaron McMann (@AaronMcMann) October 10, 2020

“I just would always think, with all due respect to Brady Hoke and others, that if Jim Harbaugh ever came back to Ann Harbor and brought that flair and arrogance with him, I mean, sky is the limit,” Herbstreit said. “It just hasn’t played out the way that I–and I’m sure Michigan fans envisioned.”

“I don’t buy into the fans that think, ‘Let’s get rid of him’, or ‘He’s on the hot seat’, or ‘we need to bring in somebody else’. If Jim Harbaugh can’t win at Michigan, who can? I don’t know how you would ever want another coach to coach there other than Jim Harbaugh.”

“Are they close? Yes. Is it frustrating? Obviously. Do they want to beat Ohio State? Yes. Do they want to get into the playoff? Absolutely.

Michigan isn’t a contender this year either, so the question becomes: why aren’t they contending? Fans usually can handle losing as long as they can pinpoint the the source of WHY they’re falling short.

“I still think he’s building a program,” Herbstreit claims.

This is technically true as Michigan breaks in a new starting quarterback and four first-year starters on the offensive line. This is the final year of Jim Harbaugh’s seven-year contract with absolutely no hardware to show for it.

If Jim Harbaugh wants to get the Wolverines over the top, he needs to bring a quarterback to the next level. He’s yet to do that and that’s in large part why they brought him on board.

Herbstreit’s final point was that Michigan lost four offensive linemen in the 2020 NFL Draft, but all contenders have this problem. Part of building a program is accounting for what’s being lost to the NFL. Looking forward to seeing what type of investment Michigan AD makes in Harbaugh after his up and down tenure so far.

Stay tuned.