Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith has thoughts on Jim Harbaugh's potential departure from Michigan, the missed opportunity Midwest programs had to keep two standout defensive linemen home and Notre Dame's hot start to the 2025 class.
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1. IT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING RIDE IF THIS IS THE END FOR HARBAUGH
When Jim Harbaugh was hired at Michigan ahead of the 2015 season most sportswriters (myself included) thought it was only a matter of time before he won a national championship. The Michigan Man coming home to restore his alma mater to glory after having success everyone he’s been was easy to picture.
Despite going 20-6 his first two seasons there were a lot of questions early on about if Harbaugh could lead the program back. There were five-straight losses to Ohio State. That’s brutal for a Michigan coach. The COVID year was a disaster for the program.
Then everything flipped. Harbaugh revamped his staff, his philosophy in recruiting and on the field. The program has a newfound identity of being tough and physical with an impressive ground game. Even with the winning, the program hasn’t been drama-free.
Just this season he was suspended three games for recruiting violations committed back in 2020. Then he was suspended for another three games for the sign-stealing scandal. There seems to have just always been something going on with the Michigan program.
Harbaugh is one of the more interesting characters in sports. College football needs more characters. The sport would be missing something if he bolts to the NFL.
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2. MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR MIDWEST PROGRAMS
After spending the week in San Antonio for the All-American Bowl there has been a thought rolling around in my head ever since I made it back home.
Are we going to look back in a few years and be shocked that no Big Ten program or Notre Dame was able to keep five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott and four-star defensive end Marquise Lightfoot home?
Both players are signed with Miami and will lead the charge for a very good class with some standouts on the defensive side of the ball. Scott was good in San Antonio and moves very well for his size. He lined up at a traditional defensive tackle spot but also showed the ability to pass rush in more of a defensive end spot.
Lightfoot might have been the rising star of the week. He flat out dominated the competition all week and then showed it in the game too. He’s a twitchy athlete off the edge who can still add weight. Lightfoot might see some time in pass rush situations as a true freshman next season.
Scott was committed to Ohio State so Ryan Day’s program thought it had it figured out. When we hear these two names called for the NFL Draft one day we will wonder how they ended up in South Florida.
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3. NOTRE DAME'S HOT 2025 START
Don’t look now but coach Marcus Freeman has the Fighting Irish off to a hot start for the 2025 recruiting class. Notre Dame is not normally known as a program that starts really fast in recruiting so this has my attention as we turn the page to focusing more on the cycle.
The class has added a pair of four-stars since the calendar turned to 2024. Defensive end Christopher Burgess Jr. and Connecticut defensive back Ethan Long gave the class a boost but it was already the No. 1 class in the nation before those two joined.
The early evaluations for the class are strong. Eleven of the 13 prospects in the class are rated as four-stars or higher. The Irish also already have their 2025 quarterback in Mississippi four-star Deuce Knight.
It’s early of course, but the Irish are one of the few programs outside the South capable of going wire-to-wire as the recruiting champs.
