What Jim Harbaugh said in Monday press conference before Northwestern

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For the first time, this upcoming weekend’s game against Northwestern will be a trophy game. A new trophy was created to honor George Jewett, the first Black player in college football, who played at both Michigan as well as Northwestern.

In his weekly press conference, head coach Jim Harbaugh discussed the trophy, what he’s seen from Northwestern, the team not looking ahead to Michigan State on Oct. 30, what he looks for in multi-sport athletes, an injury update on a variety of players, the defensive resurgence, and a whole lot more.

Here is everything he had to say on Monday.

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“Yeah, all are progressing. And it’ll be day-by-day. But progressing.”

On staffer Jim Plocki's contribution over the years

“He’s a great guy. His value at it in every way towards our program. Longtime strength coach. Right now, some of that — he’s a fighter. We were all supportive the way he attacked his cancer treatment and is cancer-free right now. Tremendous story. Someone we all see, he’s a face we see every day. Greets everybody as we come into the building, keeps us safe. Does a lot of different jobs to keep us on track and pointed in the right direction.”

On the new George Jewett trophy for the Northwestern game

“We’re tremendously proud and excited that we’re playing for a trophy. Just the magnitude of the trophy and the life of George Jewett. That was someone who was the first African American player at the University of Michigan in 1890 and the 1892 season. A halfback, a fullback, had all the kicking duties for the team. All while pursuing a medical degree here at the University of Michigan and then eventually went to Northwestern in 1893. The first African American player to play for Northwestern before he went to medical school. Then became a doctor.

“What now is the Big Ten, the first African American player to play in what now is the Big Ten. It is great significance — first trophy in (FBS) history that is a trophy for an African American student-athlete. It has tremendous depth to it and we’re very excited to be playing for this trophy. It’s a combination — something significant. Not disparaging other trophies but this is of great and high significance.”

How did the trophy come to be?

“I believe it was something that the school presidents and athletic directors came together and realized the significance of the idea, of the gravity of it, of the magnitude of it. That’s where it started: Warde and athletic director from Northwestern got together and then formed it. It’s a beautiful trophy. Showed it to our team. The base spins — can we show the way the base spins? That one won’t do it? It’s exciting.

“The added personal — right from the beginning when I heard the idea of the trophy — the grandson of George Jewett was Coleman Jewett. Coleman Jewett was a beloved and great assistant principal. My brother John and I were going to Tappan Junior High School — I think later became principal. He was that great mentor, teacher, educator at Tappan here in Ann Arbor. Also, George Jewett attended Ann Arbor High which is now Ann Arbor Pioneer. Great significance personally and also to be able to be a coach in this game.”

On RJ Moten and two-sport athletes

“Knew it (the recruitment) very good. The process of somebody playing two sports in college, is that what you’re asking? Yeah, I think there’s a potential there. It certainly makes going to the baseball games a lot of fun, or the track events, or the wrestling matches, or the players (that) play volleyball.

“It’s something that you seek out, you try to find the player that’s good in multiple sports when they’re in high school. Most great athletes are good at multiple sports. Specifically, as a safety to have played baseball, to be able to track a ball as a centerfielder would, that’s exciting. It’s exciting that you could be recruiting a safety that has those baseball skills to use their feet and their speed to get under and track a ball. That’s huge. Just about every sport, you could look at every sport and say it’s got a relation to football. Wrestling, another obvious one, where you love their work ethic. Wrestlers work their hardest to get the least amount of credit, but they also have tremendous balance and move low and quick.

“Name another sport: basketball — you love guys with the ability to be a point guard. Distribute the ball, quick hands, have the defensive skills in their hips and their balance. Don’t really care about the 3-point shooting as much as you do the athletic ability. Every sport — has a direct correlation back to football. Love the kids that play soccer. Can run and have eye coordination. Eye-hand coordination in basketball, can pass, have spacial awareness — really good for quarterbacks, tight ends. Can a tight end go up and rebound a catch? Does he have that type of ability? Receivers, running backs, DBs have either run track or played basketball, played baseball. Those are always really good things and it always caught my mind, I remember Bo Schembechler used to say, ‘Every American boy should play soccer until the eighth grade then he should play football.’ A lot of truism to it.

“But yeah, a safety that plays baseball, that gets you super excited.”

What has he seen from Northwestern and how does the team avoid looking ahead to MSU?

“I agree, the team has been very locked in. Daily, weekly. I think I’ve really continued to be pleased with is how they attack every single day. They didn’t practice Friday, they didn’t practice Saturday. They came back Sunday and we had as good a practice in terms of guys moving around, knowing what they were doing. Locked in, focused as I’ve ever seen a team come back after a two-and-a-half day break. That was really exciting.

“As far as Northwestern, continually — you just see the Northwestern team, they just get better every single week. This year, last year, the year before that, the year before that. When you play Northwestern in the middle of the season, later in the season, they’re really formidable.”

On playing J.J. McCarthy as much as he can and how that's determined. Is it a set plan or spur of the moment?

“Both, but there’s definitely a set plan that’s developed during the week. He’s repped in practice and situations planned for him to go into the game. That’s growing.”

How has his philosophy evolved when it's come to playing freshmen vs. redshirting?

“It’s evolved somewhat when the rule changed to they could play four games and still redshirt as opposed to one play and burn the shirt. It’s been a huge evolvement there. So you’d like to play as many guys in four games as you possibly can. As far as a philosophy of whether you redshirt a guy or not redshirt a guy, it’s still pretty much the same. You know a guy is gonna get better at football by playing football and the players that are physically, mentally ready to play in their true freshman year, if they can be a starter or they can be a backup, significant contributor on special teams, when they fit that criteria, then, in my opinion, it does help them play as a freshman. If they’re not, and that role of they’re only going to get in if it’s a lopsided game one way or the other, then we wouldn’t want to go past four games.”

On David Ojabo's development

“Yeah, he’s very much an ascending player in terms of an outside backer that can rush the passer, put pressure on the passer, make the ball come out quicker, and also create turnovers. He’s starting to have a real knack for coming up with that. He’s, before our eyes, evolving into that prototypical edge pass rusher that makes the ball come out quick, makes the quarterback come off his spot, creates turnovers. Can also make tackles, can also hold a point, can also drop into coverage. He’s doing very well.

“Jaylen Harrell — the same. He’s an ascending type of player.”

On evaluating the offense and the deep ball

“Like everything, you want to keep getting better. I think right now, our offense, our defense, our special teams are good. Probably equally as good in terms of the lines, the two lines. We felt our offensive line was going to be a strength for us and I see our defensive line equally as good at this point. The way Mazi Smith, Chris Hinton are playing — obviously Hutchinson, Ojabo — and a group of players that are playing — much like our offensive line, pretty good starters and guys that are gonna have to play. Really good backups, too, and they always play, on the offensive and defensive line.

“Also see room for improvement, too. Skill players on defense, guys like Dax Hill and Brad Hawkins, Vince Gray and Gemon Green, DJ Turner, RJ Moten — and there’s a whole group of skill players that are playing good, just like our skill players on offense — Cornelius Johnson, playing very well; Roman Wilson, Daylen Baldwin, Mike Sainristil — whole group that’s doing extremely well. Same with the running backs — Hassan, Blake. All playing well, group of tight ends really playing well, inside backer group. Josh Ross — I feel like they’re equally as good and equally all have room for growth, too, all in things we can get better at.

“Same on special teams. It’s been really good and we see some ways that we can improve, as well. And I see guys hungry to do that. Hungry to want to do that, get as good as they can at football.”

How do new assistants entrench themselves to help build a new culture?

“I don’t have a great answer for you.”

What did he see in his self-scout this past week?

“Um, we came up with stuff! Just different areas. On special teams, we think we’re really close and could really improve our return game, especially kickoff return. Like that. Just places where there’s some meat on the bone. I see that on offense, I see that on defense. Kinda equal. Kinda equal where it’s been really good and there’s some room to get better as well.”

Is there an area on offense?

“Not really, I really don’t want to say. If there’s some small competitive edge there of me not saying exactly what we’re gonna do this week, there probably is. I’ll just hold those cards closer to the vest, just in case. It seems like there might be.”

Why the defensive line is playing better

“I think there’s some guys that have really leveled up. Mazi Smith, Chris Hinton — both those guys are coming off their best game of the season and there’s a lot of growth. Talked early before the season, that’s a position that we needed some guys to ascend, rise up, and they have. I would just say it that way. Like I said earlier, going into the season, we were looking at the offensive line being a strength for the team. Guys have stepped up and I feel like our defensive line, we’re getting push, we’re getting tackles. We’re playing good, could play better — always find ways to get better. Seemed like running back, we really thought that would be a position of strength going into the season and do we have enough at linebacker, we have some inexperience there? Josh Ross has improved, played better and played really good. And then, you’ve got the young linebackers that are starting to really look the part. Junior Colson is starting to look like a prototypical or typical backer, MIKE backer. So does Nikhai Hill-Green, Kalel Mullins — doing really good things. That’s another position that’s kinda getting close to what our running backs are doing. And the tight ends.

“It’s good. Want to keep going, want to keep it going. Also keep getting better, you know? Want to keep getting better, not worse.”

When he brought in Josh Gattis in 2019, was it to simplify the offense to younger players?

“Uh, no. No, I don’t think that was a factor. The younger players playing earlier? No. Explain that one?”

College offenses simplify the terminology to get younger players on the field earlier, compared to West Coast offenses

“Yeah, I don’t know if it’s easier. That’s a good question, too. I wouldn’t make that general statement that it’s easier because West Coast has more words. You’re going into a huddle and you’re pretty much telling everybody what to do. Yeah, it could be 16, 17, 18 syllables at the most, it can be a lot, where the signal system or the play now is like five words. Doesn’t necessarily make it easier. Which is easier, for everybody being told exactly what to do or memorize this word that really, you’ve gotta remember four other things for one word. One word means a play, but that’s telling three or four people what to do.”

But they could have just one read

“Yeah, we don’t have many of those. Don’t have too many of those. It’s the same — it’s a lot of the same plays. RPO — some of the RPOs, he’s definitely an expert at those. It’s been great to learn those and some quarterbacks are really suited for that. Anyway, it’s probably a longer discussion than needed.”

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