Continuing our coach debate series, let’s examine two veteran coaches who have come very close to winning it all but haven’t quite scaled the mountain yet: Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh vs. LSU’s Brian Kelly.
The case for Harbaugh:
Everyone’s favorite khaki pants aficionado has turned a corner in Ann Arbor, making it to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances. And perhaps even more important to the Maize and Blue, he has beaten Ohio State in consecutive seasons as well. This has also served the program well on the recruiting trail, as they have picked up a lot of steam, most notably five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis. The offensive line continues to be excellent, and they can bully almost everyone they play against.
The case against Harbaugh:
This man is still batting his eyes at the NFL every offseason, and it’s tiring. Additionally, the Wolverines have had a ton of staff turnover, some of which have been because of some more than questionable off-the-field problems. It hasn’t come back to bite them yet, but it more than likely will.
The case for Kelly:
Kelly wins everywhere he goes – from Grand Valley State to Central Michigan to Cincinnati to Notre Dame to LSU. He’s got a recipe that works no matter where he is. Now he has the most talented athletes he’s ever coached in Baton Rouge. But he even surprised even the most ardent Tigers fans by going 10-4 and beating Alabama in his inaugural season. LSU looks primed for an even bigger 2023 as well.
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The case against Kelly:
A lot of Kelly’s schtick is, for lack of a better term, awkward. The Irish-Catholic Bostonian still doesn’t seem like the right cultural fight in Baton Rouge. And while he’s been doing a great job in the portal, the program as a whole still needs to prove that they can recruit year in and year out with the likes of Georgia and Alabama if they’re going to be a serious contender on an annual basis.
The verdict:
Kelly proved a ton during his first year at LSU – while the cupboard wasn’t bare by any means, it was not that of a 10-win team in the SEC West. So while Harbaugh has made huge strides in the past couple of seasons, the upside of Kelly’s Tigers teams is undoubtedly higher, so because of that, I’ll take Kelly by a nose here.
