Former Michigan WR Braylon Edwards says he wouldn't turn Urban Meyer down if Jim Harbaugh leaves

colin gay, the columbus dispatch

Mon, Jan 9, 2023, 10:53 AM·3 min read

Braylon Edwards has no idea who Michigan football's next coach would be if Jim Harbaugh returns to the NFL.

The former Michigan wide receiver and former No. 3 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, on his Woodward Sports radio show in Detroit, said the way the Wolverines are constructed now is perfect for Harbaugh, who built the program as "a Michigan guy" who built the program based on what he learned at quarterback from legendary head coach Bo Schembechler.

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"Jim Harbaugh is the best version of himself that he's ever been. The Jim Harbaugh you se now, except for some of his play calling, Jim Harbaugh is the best version of himself. He's now more open to players, he's now more not about himself and about everything around him. It's not the Jim Harbaugh show.

"I think now that he has that mindset, I think he wants to take that back to the NFL and see will it work this time around."

If Harbaugh were to make that leap back to the NFL, Edwards said he has no idea who would fill the Michigan coach's shoes, even as his co-hosts rattled off names listeners sent in.

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh and Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer shake hands after the college football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Saturday afternoon, November 28, 2015. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Michigan Wolverines 42 - 13. (The Columbus Dispatch / Eamon Queeney)

But when one co-host mentioned former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, Edwards admitted he wouldn't turn Meyer down.

Urban Meyer dominated Michigan when he was at Ohio State

Meyer was perfect against the Wolverines in his time with the Buckeyes, earning seven wins in seven tries against Brady Hoke and Jim Harbaugh and outscoring Michigan 237-189, including three wins at Michigan Stadium.

In Ohio State's history, Meyer has the fourth-most wins, sitting behind Woody Hayes (1951-78, 205 wins), John Cooper (1988-2000, 111 wins) and Jim Tressel (2001-10, 94 wins), before he left the program in 2018, leading the Buckeyes to a Rose Bowl win against Washington.

But as Michigan stands, with Harbaugh still as its coach, Edwards said it will be hard for any replacement to replicate that same level of success.

"How this Michigan team is constructed right now, I can't see another person stepping in and having the same success or being able to say the things he said or being able to be the quirky Jim Harbaugh," Edwards said. "This team was constructed off his name, image and likeness."