Aidan Hutchinson describes seeing a 'different side' of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh

Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was around the program for four years, a lifelong fan before that, with his dad, Chris, being a former All-American and team captain himself. Hutchinson and head coach Jim Harbaugh have had a strong relationship and went through ups and downs with their team during the Heisman Trophy runner-up’s four years in the program.

But in 2021, there were more ups than downs, with both finally leading the Wolverines to a win over Ohio State, the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff. Hutchinson served as the Michigan team’s fearless leader, while Harbaugh — who took his fair share of criticism in the prior offseason — ran the show overall. Their bond grew as the team stacked up wins and ultimately put together a special season.

“We had a few moments in games where we were just grabbing each other and screaming face to face,” Hutchinson said on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast. “There were some clips where we were just going, ‘Ahhhhhh.’ It’s just unbelievable.”

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Just about every notable player who comes through the Michigan program under Harbaugh and is interviewed after their time in Ann Arbor gets asked for their favorite story about the head coach. Hutchinson gave a funny account that happened on multiple occasions, and it gave a glimpse into Harbaugh’s personality.

“The Harbaugh that we get is like … pre-practice, I go out there in our weight room, just warming up, and he’s out there, no shirt, khakis on, just ripping squats,” Hutchinson said with a laugh. “He doesn’t give a shit what you say or what you think. He does his own thing, and that’s what I love about him — he has no shame in doing that, just ripping squats in khakis and just doing his thing.

“That’s Harbaugh, and if you’re not with him, you better get out of the way.”

That last sentence is well-known for those who follow Michigan. Harbaugh does things his way — a bit different — but has seen success everywhere he’s gone. He hadn’t won big at Michigan until 2021, though, and that gave Hutchinson and his teammates a look at what Harbaugh and his program — the energy, the juice — were like when the Wolverines were on top.

“He was on a high, I think,” Hutchinson said. “I saw it a little bit after the Ohio State game, but it was mostly after we got the job done in Indy, where you could finally take a breath and you get a little break.

“We walked into some team meetings sometimes and he’d just be like, ‘And we’re Big Ten champs, baby!’ The whole room would just go crazy and stuff like that.

“So he was feeling himself, for sure. But that’s a Harbaugh I haven’t seen, so being able to see that side of him where it’s like, finally we get some frickin glory and we can just have some fun in victory, I’m glad I got to see that for my last year with him.”

Harbaugh won AP Coach of the Year honors but routinely deflects the praise and calls what Michigan did in 2021 a “great team effort.” The Wolverines are hoping to carry on the momentum from last season into the 2022 campaign, with a championship standard having been set by the coaching staff, as well as Hutchinson and the other leaders.

Michigan Is ‘Built To Beat Ohio State’

There’s a theory in the Michigan program — if the Wolverines are good enough to beat Ohio State, they’re good enough to beat every other team on the schedule. That’s why the Maize and Blue prepare 365 days a year for ‘The Game.’ It was certainly true this past season, with Michigan getting tripped up once in a close, controversial game before playing the Buckeyes.

Ohio State has been the class of the Big Ten and operating on another level for well over a decade, but Michigan — for various reasons, including putting more emphasis on the rivalry, according to Hutchinson — was able to knock the Buckeyes off their perch in blowout fashion last season, 42-27.

“That was the mindset, because Ohio State was always the top dog, and word for word — if we’re built to beat Ohio State, who’s going to be able to beat us?” Hutchinson said. “Obviously, Georgia was a great football team…

“No one was satisfied from any win, because we all just wanted to beat the frickin Bucks. That was the last thing we all wanted to do, and we did it.”