Michigan football: Aidan Hutchinson discusses Jim Harbaugh's coaching style, Ohio State win, bulletin-board material

When it comes to the 2021 season, Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh will give praise to defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. In turn, Hutchinson raves about the head man in what he did, spearheading a turnaround job for the ages. Both were crucial characters.

Michigan was 2-4 in 2020, a season riddled with opt-outs and injuries, before making wholesale changes to the program and posting a 12-2 record the following campaign. The Wolverines won the Big Ten for the first time since 2004 and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time.

In an appearance on ‘The Marty Smith Podcast,’ Hutchinson was asked to describe being in Harbaugh’s “arena” from a player’s perspective.

Michigan third-year sophomore running back Blake Corum said earlier this offseason that Harbaugh sometimes only cares about football, and Hutchinson also highlighted the coach’s obsessive and competitive nature.

“I think Coach Harbaugh is so wired for football,” Hutchinson told Smith and co-host Wes Blankenship. “I think he is built for football, and he loves the game so much and he’s so competitive in that aspect — obviously, playing the game for 15 years and then coaching as long as he’s been a coach. He loves the game, and he’s wired for it.”

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Harbaugh’s ways can rub people the wrong way, he’s admitted in the past, but that players wind up appreciating what was done, especially in cases in which the hard work leads to success and championships.

“I think this year, especially, he really cares for his players,” Hutchinson continued. “Let me put this the right way, he’s not the most vocal about it, but you can tell he does really care. How he structures his schedules and how he runs the whole building is for us and to put us in the best position to succeed.

“Practices — they aren’t very easy. Stuff isn’t very easy at Michigan — he doesn’t make it that way — but the reason he does that is to get the most out of us. Although it might not be that fun, it does pay dividends for us in the long run.”

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Michigan ‘Set The Standard’ In 2021

Harbaugh has long said football is “not a fun sport,” but that the struggle becomes enjoyable and the wins provide satisfaction. From all accounts, Michigan players found a great deal of pleasure last season.

The Maize and Blue took down arch rival Ohio State for the first time in a decade, beating down the Buckeyes, 42-27 at The Big House. That win and its impact wasn’t just felt for that weekend or the season … it changed the program going forward, Hutchinson explained.

“In terms of Michigan football, I think we set the standard and we showed all those young guys and all the guys that are on the team now that it’s possible,” Hutchinson said of the win over Ohio State. “For a long time, not many people thought it was possible, and we finally did it and we showed everyone that these guys aren’t unbeatable.

“Just for college football and the state of Michigan, I thought it’s so important, and it really kept that rivalry alive — because I know it was really one-sided for a very long time. Hopefully, after last year’s game, the boys can bounce back and do it again in the Buckeyes’ stadium.”

Michigan can really put some pressure on Ohio State — which hasn’t beaten its rival since 2019 — with a win in Columbus this coming November.

The Wolverines used bulletin-board material — like Ohio State head coach Ryan Day saying he was going to ‘hang 100’ points on them — to spur them on last season. The Buckeyes are attempting to do the same this offseason, which Hutchinson weighed in on. He’s not quite sure Michigan has provided the same kind of fuel its rival did a year ago.

Michigan sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy said all he and his classmates know is beating Ohio State. Hutchinson argues that’s merely a fact and not a shot.

“I think the media portrayed it a little different of a way,” Hutchinson said.

“I saw Ohio State had put it up in their football center. I kind of forgot the quote, but I remember reading it and saying, I don’t think it’s something that you put up on your board. Something you put on your board is, ‘We’re going to hang 100 on you,’ what Ryan Day did. But what J.J. said, I was like, they’re stretching it a bit, for sure.”