Jim Harbaugh singles out Grant Newsome for in-game diagnosis – ‘As good as I’ve ever seen’
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh consistently praises his coaching staff for the job they do, and it seems clear it’s the best he’s had at U-M. He spent a good part of his postgame press conference talking up his staff and their impact on a team that hammered Indiana, 52-7, after a slow start Saturday.
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Former offensive lineman Grant Newsome might still be playing in the NFL if he hadn’t suffered a career-ending injury several years ago. Harbaugh has since taken him under his wing. With the head coach’s tutelage, Newsome has become one of the top young coaches in the country in Harbaugh’s opinion.
“Grant Newsome … pretty well documented all his players are playing really well,” Harbaugh said. “He’s in the box and he is diagnosing defenses like somebody that’s been coaching for like 20 years. It’s that good. It’s better than anybody that’s ever been up there.
“He’s telling us exactly where the shades are aligned, what we should be running. He’s giving coverages, fronts … it’s just as good as I’ve ever seen it from a coach coaching from the press box during the game today.”
His tight ends, too, are playing at an elite level. Sophomore Colston Loveland is a possible first round NFL Draft pick. He had a 54-yard touchdown against the Hoosiers and has been outstanding. Indiana transfer AJ Barner is pancaking people and has become an outstanding blocker.
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“They were already really good, right?” Harbaugh continued. “Colston Loveland, he’s just a freak of an athlete. He’s a once in a generation guy, too, at the tight end position. AJ Barner was already a really great blocker, and now he’s elite. I think he’s the best in the country blocking at the tight end position.”
That comes down to coaching, Harbaugh said. Newsome has gotten the best out of them, including Max Bredeson as a lead blocker. He’s been devastating.
But it’s Newsome’s eye for breaking plays down that has really gotten Harbaugh’s attention.
“There’s something special about the way he’s diagnosing things from the sidelines or the press box,” Harbaugh said. “It’s well documented what I think of him and where he’s going. It’s all the way to the top of this profession. I just want to point that out. I’ve never seen anybody better pre snap diagnosing defensive fronts and coverages and blitzes. All of it.”
Michigan fans hope he’ll be doing it in Ann Arbor for a long time as he continues to climb the ladder under Harbaugh.
