How Michigan football ‘bet’ on itself all the way to a national title

HOUSTON — It’s fitting, really, that Michigan football's 2023 catchphrase became “bet” as it weathered the storm of public scrutiny and doubt.

Because thats exactly what U-M did all season, it bet on one another.

Frankly, it did so long before the Wolverines sent out the cryptic social media post in unison on Nov. 10, in the moments after their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, was suspended for the remainder of the regular season by the Big Ten for violating its sportsmanship policy regarding U-M’s sign stealing scandal.

Athletic director Warde Manuel bet on Harbaugh, who bet on offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh and running backs coach Mike Hart during the first of his three-game suspensions, and bet on the players they recruited, who then bet on themselves to return with the hope and vision of Monday always at the forefront.

Michigan defeated Washington, 34-13, to cap its perfect season — which included wins over Michigan State and Ohio State, a third consecutive Big Ten Championship and the first Rose Bowl victory in a quarter century — with its first national championship since 1997.

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“Our players came up with this ‘Bet,’” Harbaugh said on ESPN shortly after U-M's Rose Bowl matchup vs. Alabama was announced. “I even had to look up what it means. But what it means to me is ‘Bringing everyone together,’ and that’s what our team has done. So, bet.”

When the U-M players originally sent out the message the night before they played in their first top-10 matchup of the season, they knew it would draw attention. In their mind, the message they sent was to continue with the one-track mind toward a national championship and not let anything — not even what they perceived to be an ill-timed suspension — get in the way.

“It wasn't proving others wrong, “Minter said in the locker room.  “We wanted to prove us right.”

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However it was Manuel, who often stays out of the limelight and occasionally offers little more than necessary statements to address the plethora of scandal which has befallen his athletic department under his watch, who made the first bet.

That was in the winter following a 2-4 football season in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. It was Harbaugh’s sixth year in Ann Arbor and the Wolverines appeared no closer to beating Ohio State than when they arrived.

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Michigan lost eight straight against the Buckeyes, including its last two by a combined 52 points, but had U-M not opted out of its 2020 game against OSU after a COVID-19 outbreak within the locker room, that season appeared to be headed the same direction.

But as Manuel insisted Monday evening, as he stood and overlooked a confetti-filled field from the southeast corner of the NRG Stadium turf, he always believed in his former teammate.

“If they stopped believing in him then that’s on them,” Manuel said of naysayers. “But I never did … I believed he was the right man to lead the University of Michigan.”

For the first time publicly, Manuel admitted Harbaugh came to him with a plan that day, one that included a vision for the future of the program. A source with knowledge of that specific conversation told the Free Press earlier this fall of the multi-point plan, which included not only a renewed emphasis on recruiting, but a commitment to a new defensive scheme that could keep up with the elite offenses off the new age.

“We talked through it, he was great,” Manuel said. “Listen man, I’ll save it for the book, I don’t remember right now. If I ever write book, I’ll save it for the book. But whatever he said, I believed and it showed up. It was a great conversation, that’s what I remember.

“Look at what we did the last three years, look what we did this year, even through more scrutiny. Jim, the staff and the student athletes, their character, their perseverance, it all speaks for itself today.”

It took players making a rather sizable bet, as well, to make Monday happen. Earlier in the week, Hart stated he thought it was “crazy” of Blake Corum to return for a senior season rather than get his money in the NFL given the current running back market.

Even someone like slot corner Mike Sainristil would’ve been a mid-round NFL selection last year — the same could likely be said for offensive lineman Trevor Keegan and lineman Michael Barrett, certainly for defensive lineman Kris Jenkins and offensive lineman Zak Zinter — but instead the six came back and formed the leadership unit that propelled the team forward.

And don’t forget J.J. McCarthy’s bet, either. He may have been one of the first to call his shot, when he sent out a social media post telling Michigan fans to “take three deep breaths."

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“I want all Michigan fans to do this,” it read in part. “Have faith. Faith that every single coach, player and employee in that building is doing everything they possibly can to be great.”

Since that time Michigan is 40-3 and 27-1 in games started by McCarthy. U-M was seemingly stuck in purgatory — elite defense, impressive line, talented running backs and decent weapons outside, but no quarterback that can unify everything and put it over the top.

McCarthy didn’t chase the bright lights of transferring to another powerhouse program. He settled for passing the ball approximately 22 times a game, and got the moment he’s long desired as he sprinted to the sidelines after Monday's game, and embraced his parents before kissing his long-time girlfriend, Katya, in the first row of the stands.

“I love you so much,” McCarthy repeated to his family. “We did it. We really did it.”

There were many more metaphorical bets made along the way. Transfers who joined from coast-to-coast this offseason, trusting a culture they didn’t help create, but bought into full-force all the same.

Coaches who passed up jobs with higher status elsewhere because they felt the hunger that existed within the walls of Schembechler Hall. Even Harbaugh handing off the keys to multiple coaches to express his belief in each of them in the non-conference portion now seems to be another example of a bet that paid off.

All season long, in his own unique way, Harbaugh pleaded that everybody on the outside get a chance to see his team in the light he does. One built on complementary football, with the balance of light-hearted energy with no-nonsense focus and a singular, solitary drive.

After the dream was fulfilled, the trophy had been passed around, kissed, held, posed with and cherished, there was only one thing left to say.

Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him at @realtonygarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Michigan football ‘bet’ on itself all the way to a national title