Jim Harbaugh Still Tight-Lipped About Starting Quarterback, Depth Chart
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Jim Harbaugh isn't spilling his secrets just yet. Since Utah – Michigan's first opponent – isn't releasing its depth chart until Monday, Harbaugh is doing the same.
So, Michigan fans likely won't know who the starting quarterback will be until they trot onto the field in Salt Lake City.
"I was informed that … Utah would be sending us their official depth chart on Monday, and in the interest of fair and healthy competition, we will be sending our depth chart on Monday, too," Harbaugh said at a Wednesday press conference.
Harbaugh's availability was the first since he announced he and the team would be going down into a "submarine" before the season started. It was an effort to keep the team within its own bubble, especially on the heels of summer, when the NCAA regulates how often the coaches, players and staff can all congregate together.
"In college football, August is not that time period," Harbaugh said. "You can be together all day every day, so hourly, daily, weekly. … I think we did maximize every hour and every minute. … We really enjoyed each other's company in a football fashion."
The "submarine" plan was most likely in an effort to keep the players away from the Michigan mania that has built over the course of the offseason. With Harbaugh stepping in as head coach (and doing everything from praising Judge Judy to hanging out at an ultimate Frisbee practice), things got weird fast, and college football fans haven't been able to get enough.
But now, actual football and Harbaugh's debut are fast approaching. And the new head man is still playing it all close to the vest.
When asked about his three running backs, Harbaugh declined to say anything specifically that would give Utah an idea of who would be playing what role come day one. He wouldn't (publicly) name a starting quarterback. And he even waffled on whether or not the official depth chart released Monday would have actual rankings of players, or just an "or" between names.
But even amidst all the secrecy, real football is coming: Thursday's press conference was officially one week away from Michigan's opener in Salt Lake, next Thursday at 8:30.
"They (Utah) are a confident team, and they should be," Harbaugh said. "Is that overwhelming? I asked our team the same thing and the answer's no. You want to be at that table. You want to be at the big boy's table. … There's another table – it's over there in the kitchen for those who aren't seated at the big person's table, and if someone wants to go over there, no one's going to be upset with them, but this is what we signed up for."
