ESPN Analyst: Timing Of Harbaugh Hire Leaves Staff Scrambling To Recruit
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Nearly a month passed between the firing of former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke and the hiring of new Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, and the time the university took in making that transition will likely take a toll on how successfully Harbaugh can recruit this year, ESPN national recruiting director Tom Luginbill said in a teleconference Monday.
"The position that Michigan was currently in with their roster, where they were at, considering how late in the game they made the hire, I didn't expect Jim Harbaugh to just come on in and light the world on fire," Luginbill said. "I think going forward is what we need to track and gauge as far as his approach and where he's going in his recruiting efforts because right now they're just scrambling.
"He's coming out of professional football for several years, getting acclimated," Luginbill continued. "I'm sure he probably had to take the NCAA recruiting test before he could go out on the road. I think it's a unique and difficult set of circumstances and one that he's going to try to weather now, get a couple of components in and then worry about the long-term side of things after signing day."
While Harbaugh might not get the most desirable players this year in terms of talent, Luginbill expressed confidence that all the players Harbaugh does land will possess another important attribute.
"The one thing I do know, and in visiting with him a few weeks ago, he is going to recruit toughness even if it means at some spot the talent might not be quite what he wants it to be," Luginbill said. "A hallmark of his teams has been toughness, so whoever signs in this class, I guarantee you they're going to have an element of that."
Michigan fans will not have to wait long to find out which players Harbaugh's inaugural recruiting class will include; national signing day is Wednesday.
