Well I believe every single word Gregg Henson writes about Michigan. Harbaugh is clearly waiting out Drevno to take a coaching promotion elsewhere, but there’s only one staff to fill in the NFL, and he’s not going to be a Colt.
Jim Harbaugh's continued faith in Tim Drevno causing major problems at Michigan
It has not gone bad yet at Michigan but it could soon, multiple sources close to the program say, and the trouble points back to offensive coordinator Tim Drevno.
Jim Harbaugh has a credibility problem. He has a credibility problem with his players, his assistants and his bosses.
The credibility issue stems from Harbaugh’s unwillingness to get rid of Tim Drevno, who doubles as the offensive line coach, or at the least keep him away from the offensive line and play-calling duties. Sources said nobody inside Schembechler Hall can understand how Drevno remains employed.
Harbaugh is a loyal person and Drevno has been with him since their days at FCS member San Diego, but Drevno’s performance at Michigan has been subpar and isn’t going unnoticed. Players and other assistants are said to be dismayed that a guy who has generated so few results can keep Harbaugh’s confidence.
One source told me to look no further than the Greg Frey debacle for evidence of Tim Drevno’s negative impact on the program.
Frey, a renowned offensive tackle guru, was hired last year to work his magic on Michigan’s tight ends and tackles. But when fall camp started, Drevno (who was working with the interior lineman) told Frey, in so many words, “I’ll handle the offensive line.”
Harbaugh didn’t step in to correct the situation.
Frey consequently left the program following the season to join Willie Taggart at Florida State. He will be the lone offensive line coach at FSU, which is his alma mater.
Another insider said Michigan’s decision to move Drevno onto the field late last season was because he and passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton didn’t see eye-to-eye, which is also the reason that former quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch made a lateral move to join UCLA’s staff for the 2017 season.
“Drevno doesn’t get along with anybody, he’s paranoid, and doesn’t trust or earn trust,” my source said.
I’m also told by multiple sources that Harbaugh is suffering from a crisis of confidence because of his inability to make the correct moves to catapult Michigan into the national title race. Sources said the 2017 season was a wake-up call for Harbaugh, who is said to be a “different person now” but one who still hasn’t dealt with the “Drevno issue.”
“If Harbaugh can get his offensive coaches in line, he can save this thing, but until he does, they will continue to struggle,” another insider said. “There are players in that locker room who don’t even know who their position coach is yet and that is a huge problem.
“Players, coaches, administrators and donors are losing confidence in Jim because he hasn’t made the right choice on ‘Drev.’ He’s losing confidence and control because of one guy.”
One former player said Harbaugh “could fix this problem by moving Drevno as far away from the offensive line as possible and naming Ed Warinner the offensive coordinator.”
Warinner was hired as a “senior offensive analyst” in January — and he received a two-year contract that pays $250,000 a year.
Warinner was Minnesota’s offensive line coach in 2017. Before that, he spent five seasons at Ohio State. He was Ohio State’s co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach from 2012-2014, the offensive coordinator/o-line coach in 2015 and the OC/tight ends coach in 2016.
“Look, there are three reasons last season went bad – the offensive coordinator, the defensive coordinator and the strength coach,” one insider said. “I can tell you the defensive coordinator and the strength coach weren’t the problem. All you have to do it watch the games to know where the breakdown is happening.”
Harbaugh chose to fire strength coach Kevin Tolbert, but sources say the players are upset about the move because they see Tolbert as the scapegoat for Tim Drevno’s bad offense.
“Pep Hamilton is another issue altogether,” the same source told me. “Pep is well-liked, but he isn’t like Jedd, who was a much better relationship-builder than Pep. Hamilton came in with all this NFL shyt and didn’t take the time to talk to his players and learn about them, which explains the QB disconnect.
“Wilton Speight got along so well with Jedd Fisch that he wanted to follow him (as a grad transfer) if he got a college job, but since Jedd landed with the Rams, Wilton has no place to go. It’s no coincidence that Speight’s best season was under Jedd Fisch.”
While not all is lost – yet – it certainly appears that there have to be changes to this coaching staff and its handling of the talent on the roster. Keep an eye on any staff shuffling, as there are certain to be some interesting reassignments in the coming days.
No, the Harbuagh Era hasn’t gone bad just yet. But you will have a good idea where it is headed soon.
