There’s no way around it. Aside from finally winning a game against arch-rival Ohio State, Jim Harbaugh hasn’t been anywhere close to being what many believed he would be when he accepted the keys to the kingdom up in Ann Arbor. No matter what any Michigan fan, player, or interested observer will tell you, going 1-5 against Ohio State, winning the Big Ten just once, and having a dismal record in top ten matchups and in the postseason, isn’t anywhere near what the program signed up for.
Look no further for proof than seeing Harbaugh’s contract restructured and his compensation significantly reduced last year to know exactly how those in charge at Michigan felt about his performance on the field.
It’s one thing to think that as an Ohio State fan, it’s another to hear someone no longer in the program say as much, and that’s exactly what we have from a surprising source, none other than former national title-winning Buckeye head man, Jim Tressel.
Tressel appeared on a podcast with 1 Star Recruits for a wide-ranging interview that eventually touched on what kind of job he felt Harbaugh has done at Michigan on a scale of 1 to 5 (one being the worst and 5 being the best). Now, if you know anything about Tressel, he rarely says anything to rock the boat and has a way of answering questions without really answering them. It’s what got him the nickname “The Senator” during his time in Columbus.
But, I guess when it comes to talking about the rivalry between OSU and TTUN, the gloves might come off a little. Here’s what he had to say about the job he believes Harbaugh has done at Michigan:
“Because of his lack of winning in The Game (Harbaugh is 1-5 against Ohio State) and lack of winning in the postseason, that makes it tougher to have a win-loss legacy,” Tressel said. “I really don’t know what his legacy is with his student-athletes and what the relationships are and so forth. And that’s the ones that last the longest anyway. The public is going to assess – as they should – the win-loss records. But the impact that you have with your students, that’s really what your record is and honestly I’m not sure what those relationships are. So, I guess I’ve got to give him a 1 star on the win-loss thing.”
Ouch. Of course, we’ll never really know some of the behind-the-scenes interactions Harbaugh had with players, coaches, and fans, but it’s hard to argue against what Tressel said about the man that has somehow conditioned a fanbase to lower expectations going forward.
Good thing I guess the scale didn’t go into the negative numbers.
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