Terry Foster: The Wolverines Want To Be A National Power
By: Terry Foster
@terryfoster971
I sometimes listen to Paul Finebaum on the way home after work.
I am not going to call him an SEC apologist, but he is an SEC man.
Now he is being called out by University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh who Finebaum accused of "cheating."
Here is the background: Harbaugh thought he'd hired Michael Johnson, the father of the one of the top dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Finebaum called the hiring "unethical" and he is partially right. However, Harbaugh does not simply have designs on beating Ohio State and Michigan State. He wants to beat Alabama and Clemson and win a national title.
Johnson's high school announced he was leaving for a job at Michigan, but Johnson is now going to the University of Oregon. So does Oregon get blasted by anyone? Let's see. I'm not hating on the Ducks.
Power house schools do similar things. They hire coaches of top recruits. They might even hire parents. It is part of playing big boy football in today's game. If nothing else SEC and ACC schools have geographical advantages over schools like Michigan and Wisconsin.
Here is what SEC Network broadcaster Finebaum said on ESPN's Outside the Lines about Harbaugh.
"He is an evil genius," Finebaum said." "I think he's one of the smartest people I've run into in a long time. Most of what he has done is exactly that, genius. He's going to Rome, I think that's a wonderful thing to do. What it has to do with football, I'm not sure. But his players get something out of it. But this is wrong. It may not be illegal by NCAA standards and bylaws as of this moment but to me it's cheating. It's blatantly disregarding the spirit of the NCAA rule. We all know why he's doing it. This is the same person who last year accused Nick Saban of cheating. He accused Hugh Freeze of cheating and in my mind, and I know you can't prove it and he won't be penalized for it, he's cheating. Why don't we just face up to it? There's no other reason why he would hire this man. It's been done in the past. But it's still wrong. I don't know why the media celebrates Jim Harbaugh for disregarding the NCAA rule book and doing things in my mind are unethical."
How can Harbaugh be disregarding the NCAA rule book if Finebaum admits this is legal?
Currently Alabama is banned from Parkway (La.) High School by Coach David Feaster for what he calls "unethical issues," whatever that means.
The Wolverines don't want to be a regional power. They want to be a national power and this is one way to get there. Harbaugh is a different dude. He does things other coaches refuse to do or would not think to do and it is paying off.
Hiring the parent of a recruit is not against the rules. And attempting to hire Johnson as an offensive analyst makes sense outside the fact his son Michael Jr. is a good football player. First of all Big Mike served as offensive coordinator under Mike Singletary with the San Francisco 49ers and was the San Diego Chargers quarterback coach when Harbaugh played quarterback there.
Johnson recently quit as head football coach at The King's Academy in California where he coached the team to a 24-9 record the last three seasons.
In other words Harbaugh knows he is a good coach and they have a relationship.
So you would think a guy like this could fit somewhere on any college football staff. It is not like the dude is a plumber or a fireman, looking for extra cash. He comes well qualified.
Oregon saw that. Or maybe they are after the kid also.
Let me throw in this zinger. Harbaugh's practices may not be illegal but for years Michigan fans were against things like this. Now their guy is doing it and I wonder how they feel now. But those feelings came under Bo Schembechler when the goal was simply to with the Big Ten title and go to the Rose Bowl.
College football has changed and the Rose Bowl is not the prize it once was.
Harbaugh did not like Finebaum's comments and lashed out on twitter saying: "Pete Finebaum the unabashed SEC water carrier, really needs to get his facts straight. #AlternativeFacts."
Let me watch what I say because I don't want to be accused of being a Big Ten water carrier. Finebaum makes some good points but look who is calling the kettle black. Harbaugh simply brought a slice of southern football to the north.
And it angers and agitates the southern gentlemen. They are screaming at Jim Harbaugh to stay out of their back yard. He is scary and dangerous to the football establishment. Michigan cannot compete with Alabama or Clemson in a big game yet, but he is taking steps to put himself in position to do so.
The only way to keep up with the Jones's is to copy their game plan.
That is what Harbaugh is doing and it rankles the southern gentlemen to no end.