The move that has been talked about for years now has finally happened. The Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan is over. He left his alma mater on top after delivering the university a national championship and now he’s off to the NFL as the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Michigan now turns its attention to finding its next football coach and, as good as the situation is in Ann Arbor, losing a coach puts recruiting in flux. Who should the next head coach call right away after they sign their contract? Let’s take a look.
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MORE: Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan for the Los Angeles Chargers
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When a new coach wants to make a statement about keeping a class together they have to get buy-in from leaders in the recruiting class. Kanka is a rock-solid example of the type of player Michigan covets yearly. Making sure he’s fully on board with the change should be a high priority for the Wolverines' next head coach.
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As we saw at Alabama, things can get tricky with the previous coach’s hand-picked quarterback. Five-star Julian Sayin bolted from Tuscaloosa to Columbus, Ohio. So the new coach getting on the phone or face to face with Davis will be critical. Davis is already enrolled at Michigan but keeping him around will be among the early tests for the new coach.
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The Idaho speedster made a good impression during his time in San Antonio for the All-American Bowl. With more development and getting used to elite competition Bair could be a star in college. His recruitment has come down to Michigan and Oregon with the Wolverines looking like the favorite off a national championship. The new coach needs to ensure the deal still gets closed.
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It’s pretty clear that Graham will be among the players on Michigan's roster that opposing programs will be looking to poach. That’s a reality of college football that the new coach will have to navigate immediately. It will be open season on Michigan’s roster and every program in America wants a defensive lineman like Graham. He might be the best defensive lineman in the country entering his junior year.
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Yes, the 2025 five-star quarterback just committed to LSU. But five-star quarterbacks from inside your state don’t come around often for Michigan. So, it’ll be worth a very early phone call from the new coach to Underwood to build the relationship. Recruiting isn’t even over after a player enrolls at school these days. So there is no reason for the new coach to let a verbal commitment stop him from reaching out.
