One Jim Harbaugh assistant coach gem is hiding in plain sight
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has assembled a staff some feel is his best yet in Ann Arbor. His offensive coordinator (sole now) and offensive line coach, Sherrone Moore, is a “rising star,” according to Fox analyst Joel Klatt (and just about everyone else), having led the Wolverines’ lines to back-to-back Joe Moore Awards. Steve Clinkscale as corners/co-DC is one of the best position coaches in the country, Mike Elston as D-line coach is a luxury … the list goes on.
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For the last two years, Harbaugh has relied on his brother, John Harbaugh, and his expertise to help him with his defensive coordinators. It’s been a mutually beneficial relationship, with Mike Macdonald on loan for a year before going back to John’s Baltimore Ravens, where he’s now D.C. Jim said he could have just as easily hired Jesse Minter from the Ravens, and he ended up with him after Macdonald left.
Listening to his brother has rarely steered him wrong, Jim said.
“Nobody does it better than my brother,” Harbaugh said. “It’s every year. They always pick in the late 20s, they’re always in the playoffs … always got a great team. How do you do that? We try to do a lot of things similar. We aspire to do that.
“We watch the Ravens all the time. We like to think of Michigan and the Ravens as one.”
What many forget is that one of his other assistants — his own son, Jay Harbaugh — also cut his teeth in Baltimore. He was an offensive quality control coach from 2012-14 before Jim brought him to Michigan as tight ends/assistant special teams coach. And while some viewed it as a “nepotism” hire, he’s proven to be anything but.
The younger Harbaugh is now on his third position group, coaching safeties and learning from Clinkscale after coaching running backs. He’s been the special teams coordinator since 2019, and his unit has been one of the best in the country each year. The Wolverines have finished top 20 nationally in kickoff coverage in four of his seven years. His special teams were the most efficient in the country in 2021 according to Football Outsiders after finishing as high as No. 2 in 2019, and he’s “the smartest coach in the building” per tight ends coach Grant Newsome.
“He’s the best in the nation to my eyes,” Michigan receivers coach Ron Bellamy said of Harbaugh’s special teams coaching.
Last year, Jim Harbaugh stopped short of heaping too much praise on his son. He won’t anymore.
“A month or two ago I threw out the reluctance [to praise him]. There is no more reluctance in talking about Jay Harbaugh,” he said. “Jay Harbaugh is a phenomenal coach. I almost feel like he’s going by me, and I feel great about that. I feel so good about that.
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“He’s a tremendous coach, teacher, and recruiter.”
The latter is where he’s really started to turn heads. He’s identified some under the radar players and gone after others who might have been tough pulls for others.
Not for him. His ability to relate to the younger players has made him one of the best recruiters on staff.
“Some of the best players, he’s found them, recruited them, brought them here to Michigan,” Jim Harbaugh said. “Hassan Haskins, Colston Loveland. I could go on and on. Blake Corum. So many guys that are on our team. That whole tight end room, most of the running backs, and other positions, as well.”
It seems only a matter of time before he ascends, perhaps even as a head coach. There was even some talk in the offseason he might rejoin the Ravens. But he’s back for another year, and Michigan is lucky to have him.
“Just in every way, he’s a great coach and I’m proud to say even better person,” Jim Harbaugh said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
