Take Two: Coaching buzz around Harbaugh, Kiffin, Herman

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out a top storyline from the week and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

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Storyline: Jim Harbaugh has already done wonders at Michigan in two seasons and inevitably his name is mentioned every time a new NFL job comes open.

But will Harbaugh ever leave Ann Arbor or does he plan to stay with the Wolverines for the remainder of his career, even if he delivers a national championship or two?

Harbaugh has rebuilt Michigan into a national contender quickly and with that comes recognition by NFL franchises. This week alone he was mentioned with the Los Angeles Rams opening. His name will be floated again.

In typical Harbaugh fashion, he said those rumors were being circulated by Michigan’s “enemies” but didn’t get into specifics.

So the question is: Has Harbaugh found contentment at Michigan or is he still destined to chase the biggest prize of all – a Super Bowl ring?

First take: “Everyone else seems to think Harbaugh is NFL-bound eventually but people in his circle and around the Michigan program couldn’t disagree more. Harbaugh has roots in Ann Arbor and he’s working on putting them even deeper. His parents have a new house on his property, his kids are enrolled in the same elementary/middle school that he attended, and his wife Sarah is active and entrenched in the community. Harbaugh literally lives within walking distance of Bo Schembechler’s house and he’s got the key to Ann Arbor. He’s a great coach and he's had a lot of success in the NFL so any time a job opens up he’ll be mentioned, but he’s at Michigan for the long haul. Anyone who says otherwise is looking for attention.” – Brandon Brown, TheWolverine.com

Second take: “He stays forever. Originally, I didn’t think he was going to leave the NFL to go to Ann Arbor so I was wrong about that. I thought something would be rumored every year. When the Colts got off to the horrible start last year, there was already talk. This year, the Rams, and other jobs will come open and he’ll be mentioned for every one. His responses to it are pretty strong and he knows if he left there, maybe after a national championship or two, that would be acceptable but if he leaves there before that’s accomplished, he will be hated. And I don’t think he wants to be hated at the school he loves. That itch to win a Super Bowl has changed to an itch to win a national championship. Once he has a competitive goal in mind, there’s no stopping him and right now the college football national championship is more on his mind than anything.” – Farrell

THREE-POINT STANCE: Big Ten coaching grades

Storyline: Terrible as a head coach with the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Vols and USC Trojans, Lane Kiffin has somewhat rebuilt his career and reputation during three excellent seasons as the offensive coordinator at Alabama.

Now Kiffin has taken the head coaching job at FAU as the next step to revitalize his status in the coaching profession. If he does well in Boca Raton, and shows that he’s matured as a person and in leading a program, bigger jobs could follow.

But can Kiffin do it? And is FAU even a big enough job to convince athletic directors and presidents in Power Five conferences that Kiffin would be the right face for their program?

The jury is still out but Kiffin is back in charge. Let’s see what happens next.

First take: "The biggest thing seen in coach Kiffin the last three years is just growth off-the-field. He is a great X's and O's guy. Incredible in the film room. I think he needed guidance and help in knowing how to perfectly run a college football program, and nothing is better than the machine running down in Tuscaloosa under Nick Saban. He's spent three seasons as the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator, worked with three different quarterbacks, and had a tremendous amount of success. There is no question he can coach. He just needed to gain more knowledge on how to lead a successful program not only on the football field, but the overall program. He certainly has learned a lot from Saban, and we will see that in the future. Coach Kiffin is still a young guy in this profession. As he continues to grow and top programs see how he handles this job at FAU, opportunities will arise in the future." – Andrew Bone, TideSports.com

Second take: “Kiffin can run a program but I don’t think FAU is really a good measure of that. It’s not at the level we’re looking to see whether Kiffin has changed his ways from Tennessee and USC. He can run that program and he can improve the talent there if he’s successful but it’s not really something that’s going to tell me Kiffin has changed. If he got Houston or was considered for Oregon then he would really know. It’s a good practice run to reform his reputation.” - Farrell

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Storyline: Texas only hired Tom Herman a couple weeks ago but he’s still only landed a commitment from junior college kicker Joshua Rowland.

That could change in a big way Friday morning when five-star offensive tackle Walker Little decides between Texas and Stanford. A commitment of that stature would be huge for Herman and the Longhorns, who only have eight total commits and rank No. 71 nationally.

Herman seems to be taking a smart approach to recruiting, not trying to flood the program with commitments from anyone and instead taking his time, setting up for a big January and then landing top prospects.

There might be a tad bit of nervousness that four- and five-stars aren’t knocking down the door to commit yet. But Texas could put together a pretty impressive class by National Signing Day.

First take: “The first couple weeks on the job for Herman and his staff has mostly been about trying to build quick relationships and set themselves up for success in January more than it has been pushing for commitments. Yes, Texas has only one commit so far under Herman’s watch, but it’s far too early to hit the panic button on UT’s 2017 recruiting efforts. Texas has a chance to pick up a big pledge on Friday from Walker Little and has already put itself in a great spot on some other top prospects, guys like Eno Benjamin and K’Lavon Chaisson, among others. In addition to that, the coaches showed last week, by bringing in a couple surprise visitors who are committed elsewhere, that their sales pitches are working. Now it’s just a matter of closing the deal on some of these guys in January and finishing on a high note.” – Jason Suchomel, Orangebloods.com

Second take: “A lot of these kids were interested in Texas early in their high school careers and then fell off when Charlie Strong was running the program into the ground. He has a lot of room to make up. Do we expect Herman to flip Baron Browning or steal Jeffrey Okudah or take Marvin Wilson at the end? That might be a little unrealistic but Walker Little was a kid who was leaning toward Stanford for some time and they’ve done a great job making up ground. If he does commit, that’s going to send a big message to kids in 2017 and 2018 that Herman’s recruiting will be for real.” - Farrell

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