How Jim Harbaugh’s uncertain future impacts Michigan recruiting

The unknown future of Jim Harbaugh is hanging over the program in Ann Arbor in more ways than one, even with them coming off a national title just last week. However, one area that The Wolverine’s Clayton Sayfie believes its impact is being overblown is out on the recruiting trail for Michigan.

Sayfie commented on the issues with recruiting for the blue & maize during ‘Andy Staples On3’ on Monday. He gets that not being certain of where your head coach stands hasn’t helped the Wolverines in recruitments lately. To him, though, it’s just what they have to deal with considering who they hired back in 2015.

“I do understand. Sure, would recruiting probably be a little bit better if he didn’t do this? Absolutely. But it’s also, partly, the price you pay when Jim Hackett, Michigan’s former interim athletic director, went and pried a guy out of the NFL that was coaching in a Super Bowl a year and a half earlier,” Sayfie said. “That’s kind of what the deal is here.”

Sayfie also just doesn’t see it as too big of an issue for Michigan. The Wolverines are clearly talented based on their success from the past few seasons. With that said, it has been less about top-notch talent and more about making the most of the prospects that they do get.

“A counterargument, a little bit, to what you said is a lot of the guys that did win them this national championship? A lot of them were Top-100 guys,” said Sayfie. “Not saying that they have the five-stars that Alabama did. But that sweet spot for them has been kind of the No. 75 to No. 150 type of kid – like a Blake Corum. Then they develop the hell out of them.”

If you look at the past five classes and their upcoming one, Michigan has finished anywhere from 7th to 18th. That’s according to On3’s Industry Team Rankings. The past cycle and current one have been a clear drop off at 18th in 2023 and 15th in 2024. Still, it’s not as if the Wolverines were consistently in the top-five either. Most of their title team came from the cycles from 2019 to 2022 where they finished at No. 7, No. 10, No. 14, and No. 9 respectively.

There are several reasons why Sayfie doesn’t feel like Michigan is recruiting to their potential. The doubt around Harbaugh’s future is likely part of that list. Even so, it’s not the sole reason and it certainly isn’t one that has hurt the program too much.

“I think NIL is a bigger factor than the Jim Harbaugh flirtations,” Sayfie said.” I think all of it is kind of a perfect storm for them that they have taken a step back a little bit in recruiting.”

“More so 15 to 20ish is where they’ve been finishing the last couple of cycles. And, really, that is not good enough,” said Sayfie. “I don’t know that’s the correlation here, necessarily. Or if that’s the full reason that they’ve been behind in some other areas like that.”