One of the supreme knocks against Jim Harbaugh since landing in Ann Arbor is that the former NFL head coach won't captain the Michigan ship long enough to justify the hype. Despite all statements to the contrary, Harbaugh has been unable to shake this narrative based on his personality and previous coaching mobility and, once again, this topic has popped up on a national scale.
This time, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports had this to say in an interview with CBS Sports Radio's Gio and Jones:
"His shelf life at any given place is about four years. His act wears thin about four years in. I just don't see him as a lifer at Michigan. I may be wrong. But sooner or later, he's going to have to start beating those teams. Specific to this year, Michigan has to go to Michigan State, to Ohio State and to Iowa. So anyone thinking they're going to win the Big Ten or get to the playoff, that's three pretty big acts to do on the road."
While there is something to the thinking of Harbaugh "wearing out his welcome" at an NFL level when dealing with professionals who can stay beyond four seasons, things are very different in college. Players cycle through the program and, more importantly, coaches can run the ship with full autonomy in a way that Harbaugh deeply enjoys.
Moreover, Jim Harbaugh is a "Michigan Man" in every sense of the word. If this was not his alma mater and a place in which the head coach was wildly passionate, this angle would make a great deal of sense, but given the enthusiasm (trademark: Jim Harbaugh) he displays on a daily basis in Ann Arbor, it would be a stretch to think Harbaugh will be gone after four seasons.
Only time will tell, but the narrative surrounding Jim Harbaugh and burnout persists.
