College football needs more coaches like Jim Harbaugh.
Fresh on the job, the new Stanford coach has been unafraid to express his opinions. When he shares his thoughts, he stands by them. The subjects of his comments may disagree with what he says, but in this day of coaches changing their stances, his free-flowing approach is admirable.
Media and fans have seen Les Miles soften his harsh words about USC’s strength of schedule and longtime college coach Nick Saban, who as the Miami Dolphins coach denied his interest in the Alabama opening, then took the job.
Harbaugh is different.
He drew attention within the Pacific-10 Conference in the spring when he declared USC coach Pete Carroll was entering his final year in Los Angeles.
The former NFL quarterback said he gained the information from someone on the USC staff and stood firm when Carroll, upset, responded, knowing full well the devastating impact that information could have on recruiting.
Harbaugh irked Carroll some more at Pac-10 media day when he called USC’s current squad the best ever.
Notice this time, Harbaugh looked past USC’s vaunted 2004 combo of Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart that steamrolled through college football en route to a 13-0 record and title game demolition of Oklahoma, and praised a current USC team with plenty of fresh, unproven talent.
Even his college alma mater has drawn Harbaugh’s attention.
He criticized Michigan’s academic standards and said his former school accepted borderline student-athletes and pushed athletes towards easier majors than the regular student population.
This statement drew an understandably negative response from Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, but drew an even harsher response from star running back Mike Hart. Most college athletes would shy away from such strong words, but not the talkative Hart.
“That’s a guy I have no respect for,” Hart said. “You graduate from the University of Michigan, and you’re going to talk about your school like that, a great university like we have? To say that we’re not true student-athletes? I don’t know if maybe he wants to coach here and he’s mad because he didn’t get a job. … He’s not a Michigan man. I wish he’d never played here.”
The vicious responses hurt Harbaugh, who said he had positive intentions in mind, and was taught to speak his mind by former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler.
Me? I’m all for a coach who is willing to go outside the standard coaches speak and take a stand. It shows a coach who is confident in who he is and what he has accomplished.
It’s this kind of enthusiasm that can invigorate a program, which is what Stanford needs after the Walt Harris era. Players need reasons for optimism. Harbaugh, much more outspoken than the reserved Harris, gives them an emotional lift.
The Cardinal needed a coach who is going to grab headlines and make recruits start to look at the program, even now, in the beginning stages of Harbaugh’s rebuilding program when losses are more common than wins.