Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will never be free of criticism for his recruiting tactics, so it is no surprise that some jumped all over one decision that Harbaugh made earlier this week.
On Monday, it was announced that former NFL and college coach Mike Johnson Sr. would like be joining Michigan's staff in a yet to be named role.
Head football coach Michael Johnson has resigned and is taking a position on staff at the University of Michigan. Good luck coach!! #GoBlue
— TKA Athletics (@TKA_Athletics) February 13, 2017
Johnson has nearly 20 years of coaching experience, including stints as the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers and UCLA. However, what mostly raised eyebrows is that Johnson's son — Michael Johnson Jr. — is the No. 1 dual threat quarterback for the 2019 recruiting class, prompting many to believe that the move was made just to encourage the young recruit to commit to Michigan.
The NCAA is the height of hypocrisy: Jim Harbaugh Hired The Parent Of A Top Recruit Again https://t.co/MCkeT758zX via @deadspin
— SITW (@StatsInTheWild) February 15, 2017
Jim Harbaugh is such a tool, hiring the dad of a 2019 top recruit. #MuckFichigan #TheOhioState
— G-love (@gloverb) February 14, 2017
Harbaugh hired the dad of the top QB prospect in next years graduating class LMAOOOOO
— Michael (@Mike_Horvat) February 13, 2017
@GreggDrewandJim is this how Harb gets his targeted recruits? Hires their family members? Son is top Dual Threat QB in 2019 https://t.co/NXuNtr0jxd
— Chris (@cj_s10) February 13, 2017
The NCAA is set to vote on a proposed rule this April that would disallow these kind of moves in the future, but this one is a more peculiar situation with how qualified Johnson is for an assistant position at the college level.
Harbaugh has done this type of thing before, most notably with 2016 No. 1 overall recruit Rashan Gary's high school head coach. That move is one of the reasons Harbaugh is catching flak now, but it looks like Johnson's qualifications should speak for themselves here over his son's current recruiting ranking.
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