Why Jim Harbaugh and Gus Malzahn are virtually the same coach -

I’m not sure if this has been assessed yet, but the similarities between the ole Gus Bus and Goof Harbaugh are striking. They wear the same pants, are of similar height, and coach the same way, mediocrely. Let’s dive in:

The Narrative

Before digging into the stats, I want to lay out how the narrative surrounding each coach and each team is exactly the same. Michigan is to Ohio State what Auburn is to Alabama. The “little brother” metaphor is accurate when applied to both teams, and in my opinion the only reason both coaches still have a job is because Gus has recently beaten Alabama by being able to magically summon three seconds back on the clock at halftime, and Harbaugh somehow invokes hope in Michigan fans every year that this may well be their year. Well, Blue Country, I’m sorry, but it’s not.

Win Percentage and Record

In the 8 years Gus has been head coach of the Auburn Tigers, the coach has gone 67-34, for a winning percentage of 66.33%.

In his 6 years at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh has amassed a 49-22 record, for a win percentage of 69% (nice).

Both coaches are shockingly dismal in the post season, with Auburn’s fluke national championship season (I’m looking at you, Chris Davis) being both coaches only national championship appearance. Gus Malzahn is 2-7(!!!!) in bowl games while Jim Harbaugh is 1-4(!!!!).

Recruiting

Here is what I find most interesting, both the Gus Bus and Ole Harbaugh have manage to land three top-10 recruiting classes each in the past 5 years. What’s even more surprising is that both coaches have had a top 25 class every year since 2015. Teams have done way more with way less (see: 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide under Nick Saban).

Digging deeper into the recruiting statistics, and we find similar narratives take shape. Each year we hear rumors such as, but not limited to, “Joey Gatewood is the next Cam,” or “Shea Patterson is the answer to Michigan’s quarterback problem.” They’re never true, and they always end poorly, with a transfer to Kentucky, or failing to complete any deep balls against maybe the worst Alabama defense under Nick Saban.

Apparel

I’ll just leave this here.