The accolades for Jim Harbaugh and the University of Michigan keep rolling in.
Friday, the Michigan head coach was named the AP Coach of the Year after guiding the Wolverines to their first Big Ten title in 17 years all while sitting on one of the hottest seats in college football.
“It’s a tremendous reflection on the entire staff, players,” Harbaugh told AP. “Everybody shares in it. A rising tide lifts all ships.”
Harbaugh entered the season fresh off a massive pay cut from the offseason and unranked with a good assumption from many around college football that he could very well lose his job after 2021 was all said and done. Yet, despite losing to Michigan State for the second straight season, Harbaugh put together a run for the ages snapping an eight-game losing streak to Ohio State in impressive fashion while annihilating Iowa in the Big Ten Championship game. All this earned the Wolverines the two-spot in the final College Football Rankings and a trip to the Orange Bowl to face No. 3 Georgia.
“I love this team. I love this ’21 team,” Harbaugh said. “They’ve got a bounce in their step every day. They’ve got a smile on their face. They’ve worked incredibly hard.”
Finishing behind Harbaugh in the final voting was Cinncinatti’s Luke Fickel (who ironically was at the helm for the Buckeyes the previous time Michigan took down Ohio State), David Aranda out of Baylor, and Michigan State’s Mel Tucker who made a compelling case for himself for the top spot after guiding the Spartans to a 10-2 record and a New Years six bowl game.