Ohio State football: Jim Harbaugh's act has grown sad

Jim Harbaugh is at it again. Once again, he took another of his “third base” shots at Ryan Day. After finally getting a “win” over the Ohio State football team in 2021, Harbaugh said some people are born on third base and think they hit a triple.

This was in obvious reference to Day inheriting an elite program built by Urban Meyer, while Harbaugh felt he had taken over a program in shambles when he was hired at Michigan. During an interview at the NFL league meetings, the Chargers’ head coach said about his new staff,

"“Everyone in that building, no one was born on third base. Everyone had to work their way to first.”"

- Jim Harbaugh

Harbaugh’s act hasn’t just gotten old, it has become very sad. The level of arrogance one must possess to continue to make statements like this after you’ve been accused of overseeing the worst on-field cheating scandal in the 150-plus-year history of college football is mind-boggling.

I don’t doubt he firmly believes Michigan turned the corner because of his coaching prowess and not the fact he cheated at recruiting, cheated on the practice field (and lied to the NCAA about both), and cheated during games. This isn’t message board troll stuff. The NCAA has said they can prove Harbaugh was cheating. When his program couldn’t match up with the elites in college football, he resorted to blatant rule-breaking.

His attempted digs at Day become far more ridiculous when you compare their coaching resumes. After his playing days at the University of New Hampshire finished, Day began his coaching career as their tight ends coach in 2002. He then spent three seasons as a grad assistant with a couple of programs, before becoming the receivers coach at Temple in 2006.

It wasn’t until 2012 that he became a coordinator and three more seasons before moving to the NFL as a quarterbacks coach with Philadelphia. Day spent two seasons in the NFL before joining Urban Meyer’s staff at OSU in 2018. Harbaugh’s first coaching job was as an assistant in the NFL. Two years after beginning his coaching career, San Diego University hired him as their head coach. Never a grad assistant or a position coach at a mid-level college program. Never even a coordinator.  So, who exactly started on third base?

He cheated and ran, but still feels the need to denigrate a former opponent. Is it because Day and the Buckeyes are getting so much attention because of their potential for the upcoming season? No, I don’t think so. Harbaugh is simply sad and petty. Actually, when you come right down to it, I think Jim Harbaugh is just plain pathetic.