Jim Harbaugh May Revive Dormant Michigan Quarterback Factory

Apr 4, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is seen during the Spring football game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

One of the things that Jim Harbaugh has become known for over the past few years is how good he is at identifying and developing quality quarterbacks both in college and the pros. By far his best work came at Stanford when he recruited a young kid out of Washington D.C. named Andrew Luck and turned him into the 1^st overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

Since then Luck has become a three-time Pro Bowler. Now Harbaugh returns to the college ranks, leaving some wondering about what he could possibly do for an encore. There was a time from the 1980s through the early 2000s period that the University of Michigan had become somewhat of a factory for producing quality quarterbacks.

Jim Harbaugh

Pro Bowl (1995)
44-19-1 record
5-3 in the playoffs
26,288 career passing yards

Elvis Grbac

Pro Bowl (2000)
40-30 record
16,774 career passing yards
99 touchdowns

Brian Griese

Pro Bowl (2000)
45-38 record
19,440 career passing yards
119 touchdowns

Tom Brady

10x Pro Bowler
4x Super Bowl champion
160-47 record
53,258 career passing yards
392 touchdowns

Having somebody with Harbaugh’s reputation could be the awakening of a sleeping giant. Michigan has produced a quality quarterback prospect since the year 2000. That falls right in line with their slow, steady decline from perennial national title contender to Big 10 ragdoll. The first step in turning things around is fixing the most important position on the field. If Harbaugh has a hold of those deep program connections, it could turn into a stampede of quality signal callers trotting through Ann Arbor.

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