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00:00 >> Have you done or will you do something special to celebrate this?
00:04 >> We'll see.
00:07 I don't know if I'll have time to do anything special.
00:08 So it's just being around the family, be around the players.
00:12 I mean, going to the player workout this morning and
00:15 watching them was probably as cool as anything for me.
00:17 And just being around them is all I wanna do.
00:20 And we'll go out on the recruiting trail and pack that.
00:24 But probably won't be doing anything too great.
00:25 Definitely watch the Lions game, root for them.
00:28 Cuz I got a text from Aiden this morning, so that was pretty cool.
00:30 Besides the Chargers and the Ravens, definitely rooting for the Lions.
00:35 >> How do you tell the team and what stands out most about their reaction?
00:38 >> I know, it was right after Herb talked, so it's always hard to follow that.
00:43 But it was awesome.
00:44 It really just spoke from my heart and told them how I felt about them,
00:49 what I think about them, how I think we're gonna be this year, what we're gonna do.
00:52 And just excited about taking Marines and leading the program.
00:56 >> Obviously, see how successful the Ravens sort of pipeline between the program.
01:00 And I mean, do you see that now establishing,
01:03 beginning to be established in the second franchise?
01:06 >> Yeah, 100%, 100%.
01:07 That'll definitely, and Coach mentioned that to the players yesterday,
01:10 that it'll be cool for them to see some of those guys will get drafted by Coach this
01:15 year or signed and it'll continue that way.
01:18 So we're definitely now, we got two pipelines to the NFL.
01:21 >> With Herb talking, are you encouraged that you might be able to keep them here?
01:24 >> Yeah, very.
01:25 So we'll take it a day at a time and see what happens with the staff, but
01:28 definitely excited.
01:30 >> You talked about Coach Harbaugh at the podium and the impact he's had on you.
01:33 Is there one thing you can point to that maybe will help you most as you take on
01:37 this endeavor that you really learned from him?
01:38 >> Yeah, I think the biggest thing I learned from Coach is,
01:42 don't be afraid to be different.
01:43 Don't be afraid to go out the norm, cuz it might work, it might be really good.
01:48 So I think that is something that
01:52 evolutionized me as a coach and helped me train.
01:55 >> Jerome, do you believe the NIL efforts is the current standard adequate to compete
01:59 the way you wanna compete?
02:00 >> Yeah, I think we're gonna definitely attack that.
02:03 We've already started doing that.
02:04 So we'll definitely have conversations on how we'll go about attacking that.
02:08 >> Coach Harbaugh was really complimentary of you all year long,
02:11 many different times in front of the media.
02:13 I don't know if you would admit to it,
02:14 did you think that this was possible at any point during this last season?
02:18 >> No, no idea, no clue.
02:21 And I really didn't think about it, cuz every day I just thought about what I
02:24 could do that day.
02:25 It sounds very cliche, but I lived in that moment as much as I could, so
02:29 never really thought about this at all.
02:30 >> Jim mentioned a couple years ago at this point that he had fielded calls about
02:35 you being a head coach somewhere else.
02:37 Was that ever something you considered seriously?
02:39 And did you stick around for this?
02:41 >> No, I mean, I stuck around cuz I love this place.
02:43 I love the players.
02:44 It's hard to leave something you really love and you care about.
02:47 For me, it was never about I wanna be a head coach, I wanna do this.
02:51 That's always a motivation for every coach that coaches in this game, but
02:56 I never had a timetable on when I wanted to do it.
02:58 It was all about the players and trying to help them win and
03:00 help them be successful.
03:02 >> You talked about all the things you wanna maintain with this program.
03:06 Is there one change we can expect to see right away?
03:08 Maybe if it's just something even trivial that you might intend to do differently.
03:11 >> We'll see.
03:12 There's some things that we'll talk about internally to change and
03:16 see how we do.
03:16 But I'm just excited about the direction that we're in.
03:19 >> Has it sunk in yet though?
03:21 >> No, not really.
03:21 A little bit now, a little probably go through as we go through.
03:26 But not really.
03:29 You know, it's crazy that the national championship's been sinking for
03:31 like a week.
03:31 It's like I was on the couch or something and I saw a little cross,
03:35 this guy's like, we did win that.
03:37 That was pretty cool.
03:39 So it hasn't completely yet, but it will at some point soon.
03:43 >> You getting any sleep?
03:44 >> Very little.
03:45 Very little.
03:46 Last night I got home, my daughter picked out my socks.
03:50 And she said I had to wear them.
03:51 And I said, I don't know.
03:52 And she got mad, so they're on.
03:54 >> [LAUGH] >> So, little picture of her dog.
03:57 >> [LAUGH] >> So she picked them out, so
04:00 she made sure I had to wear them, so I did.
04:02 >> Sure, I'm sure dozens of people have reached out to you.
04:04 Is there anybody that surprised you to hear from or
04:06 that were particularly meaningful to you?
04:09 >> I mean, surprising, no.
04:10 I mean, Adam, Shepner, Desmond, Aiden today, Rich Eisen.
04:17 All the great alumni here have reached out and been very supportive.
04:22 Taylor, Lujan, it's wild to see his, he reached out.
04:27 He's been very supportive this whole time of me in this journey.
04:30 So just constant support from everybody.
04:33 >> Jerome, with all of the balance of keeping things the same,
04:37 changing things and everything, how important is it to you to kind of
04:40 maintain the focus on Ohio State?
04:43 >> Yeah, 100%.
04:45 I think that's, when we did that as a program, I think we saw the focus,
04:51 the change in that, kind of shift in the game.
04:53 And we're gonna continue to do that.
04:54 We know that every day, everything we do is working towards beating them.
04:58 Obviously, we've won the past three years, but
05:01 that doesn't give us an automatic for the next one.
05:03 So we gotta continue to work to do that.
05:05 >> You mentioned you had an idea of who was gonna call the police.
05:07 Do you wanna share that with us?
05:08 >> No, I can't at this moment.
05:10 >> Is that around?
05:13 >> We'll see.
05:14 We'll get that soon enough.
05:16 >> Where does snatch come from?
05:19 >> You know what?
05:19 It's just origin of, when I first took over the offensive line,
05:23 a violent mindset, running through a wall for not only each other, but
05:28 for your teammates, for yourself, but for everybody that's ever played in Michigan.
05:33 And it's just a mindset that I thought about, wanted to imprint in the O-line,
05:40 and they just really taken it and ran from it.
05:43 >> He talks about how you're gonna just be you, you can't be Jim Harbaugh.
05:47 How has Jim Harbaugh influenced who you are?
05:49 >> Yeah, like I said earlier, I think the biggest thing is to don't be afraid to
05:53 change, don't be afraid to do things that you haven't done just because you haven't
05:56 done it doesn't mean it doesn't work.
05:58 And I think that piece right there, I think a lot of people in the San Diego are so
06:03 worried about being the same, worried about what others think, but the coach doesn't.
06:07 And it's been super impressive to watch and be around and worked.
06:13 So I'm gonna continue to implement those things and those theories in what we do.
06:17 >> Essentially the entire starting offense is sort of turning over.
06:21 I guess, what does that look like?
06:23 How do you build that in in live time when the expectations are high?
06:26 >> Yeah, I mean, that's what college football is.
06:30 I don't know, we've got a lot of great players coming back though, like that one.
06:35 So we're gonna continue to set the standard and
06:38 set what we've done the same way.
06:40 We've lost some really great players who will be drafted.
06:42 We knew that was gonna happen.
06:43 So the depth that we've built from now on, that's what we're gonna do.
06:47 So we're not gonna rebuild, we're gonna reload and
06:51 we'll continue to do that as we go.
06:52 >> What's the plan in quarterback specifically is orgy.
06:55 >> Congratulations, coach.
06:56 >> Thank you, Donna.
06:57 >> Transfer.
06:58 >> We'll see, we'll see as we go through.
07:00 We got spring ball to compete and we'll go from there.
07:02 >> As you build your staff,
07:04 what are some of the characteristics you look for if you have to make some external
07:07 players?
07:08 >> I mean, number one, great people, the alignment of the staff is the most
07:11 important thing, the type of people, the type of character that they bring.
07:15 Obviously great football knowledge and teachers.
07:18 I want teachers that, men and characters, but
07:21 men that are great teachers to our student athletes.
07:23 And the last thing is you gotta love, you gotta hear and
07:26 think about the enthusiasm of Michigan.
07:28 So when I interview somebody or we talk with somebody, you gotta hear that
07:31 enthusiasm and their voice, that love that they really wanna be here.
07:35 Cuz I want guys, staff members, people, whoever that wanna help Michigan be great,
07:39 help these players be great.
07:41 And that's gonna be the standard of who we are.
07:43 >> What's the biggest thing you learned as a game day coach in your experience this
07:45 year?
07:46 >> You gotta talk to the refs a lot.
07:47 >> [LAUGH] >> So, I mean,
07:50 the game management piece, we do a great job collaborating with that.
07:55 And I had a lot of responsibility calling the play, so
07:57 I had to be very aware of what was going on from a game management standpoint.
08:00 So it wasn't as hard a transition to do that, but communicating with the refs and
08:05 then managing timeouts and all those things were the biggest piece for me.
08:09 >> You talked about being aggressive when it came to recruiting,
08:12 not just the current roster, but just in general.
08:15 How much do you feel like that's important for
08:17 you to do from the head coach position,
08:19 especially since you have been an Eastern Cougar coordinator?
08:22 >> Yeah, I think it's huge.
08:23 You can watch the programs around the country that have sustainability and
08:27 continued success.
08:29 The head coaches are attacking it and recruiting at a high level and
08:31 coaching that, but I wanna take it to another level.
08:34 I wanna attack it every single day, be recruiting, talking to kids,
08:39 making sure that we have the resources that we need here on campus from an IL
08:43 standpoint, from a football standpoint, and the players who get here.
08:46 But the players gotta be a great fit.
08:48 They gotta be a great fit, but we're gonna attack that relentlessly.
08:51 >> On that note, how much should an IL play into that,
08:53 in terms of roster building, retaining guys?
08:56 >> Yeah, I mean, it's to just become a big fan of college football, and
08:59 it's part of what we do and how we have to operate.
09:02 Times have changed, and we gotta continue to evolve when we will.
09:06 >> You talked about not flinching, when you became a coach at Penn State,
09:09 where do you get that mindset from?
09:12 >> The players, the players.
09:14 The players never flinch at any point, anytime during the year,
09:17 throughout this whole process.
09:19 These last three years, they never flinched.
09:20 So what we all talked about after that TCU game, that everything changed, and
09:26 there's a mindset in that building that the guys were not gonna be denied, and
09:29 we gotta continue that mindset.
09:31 >> Will we get to see some practice?
09:32 >> We'll see, we'll see.
09:35 >> Where were you when this became official?
09:38 When this became official, did you get a phone call?
09:41 >> When it became official, I was in New York.
09:43 >> Well, right, but I mean, cuz you sent out the tweet, but I guess,
09:48 did you know when you were driving there, all right, he's about to offer this to me?
09:52 Or when?
09:53 >> Yeah, yeah, when I was driving there.
09:55 >> Yeah.
09:55 >> Do you anticipate to retain most of your roster, and what's the process as far
09:59 as you move it back into the age group, and
10:01 sort of see what their thoughts are as far as now that you're officially the coach?
10:05 >> Yeah, plan to retain most of them, plan to retain all who can.
10:09 I think we will.
10:10 I've met with a lot of them already, so we'll continue that process.
10:13 >> Do you know what it was when you were at Central that got your name on the desk
10:16 here in Ann Arbor?
10:18 >> Yeah, I remember the day like it was yesterday,
10:21 I was driving back from Louisville, Kentucky with my wife and the dog.
10:25 We made a world trip around from Central Michigan to Kansas.
10:29 It was a 13-hour drive, whatever it was to Kansas, then drove to Louisville,
10:32 drove back, and I got a call from Dan Enos.
10:35 Dan was the head coach at Central when I was there my first year, and
10:39 then was the receiver coach here for three months or something like that.
10:42 And the tight end job came open, and he told me about it and said,
10:46 was I interested, and I said, yeah, yes, I'm very interested in it.
10:50 Coach called me about three days later, and flew from the convention straight to
10:56 here or straight back to Mount Pleasant, and it was the day before the national
10:59 championship, flew to Ann Arbor, or came to Ann Arbor, and then interviewed Dan.
11:04 So Dan gave the name of the coach, it was me and
11:08 six other guys, and fortunately, he did the job.
11:12 >> I'm sure you said you intend to keep your roster intact, but
11:15 in this era of tampering, how do you entice them to say, what is your pitch?
11:20 What is your message?
11:21 >> Yeah, we have a plan from an NIL standpoint, how we're gonna do that.
11:25 But really, it's what we've done and what they've built.
11:27 They've been a huge part of to continue to build that,
11:30 continue to take that to those next heights.
11:32 And I think it's extremely important to sustain what we've done,
11:36 cuz they've been a huge part of why we've done that.
11:39 >> When does spring ball start?
11:40 >> We're gonna figure out that day.
11:42 We'll finalize that in the next couple days.
11:45 >> Got time for one or two more.
11:46 >> Sharrod, did you have to do any run blocking in the interview for
11:49 this head coaching job?
11:51 >> No, I didn't.
11:52 Thankfully, I probably would have popped something this time, so no, I didn't.
11:56 >> Coach Arbor gets a lot of credit for the success in the transfer portal.
11:59 Seems to grab a guy that just fits in perfect, makes a lot of plays,
12:02 plays a lot of snaps.
12:03 How much was that him?
12:04 How much was that a process among all the coaches?
12:06 Like, how does that look moving forward?
12:07 >> Yeah, very collective.
12:09 Positionally, those guys pointing out guys that could help the position,
12:12 coach overseeing that, and all collectively recruiting those guys.
12:16 So that'll continue to be the same thing.
12:18 >> Do you think it's too much on the plate of a head coach to call plays?
12:21 I mean, have you talked to other head coaches about balancing what's too
12:26 much to do?
12:26 >> I mean, doing it in big games, there was a good bit.
12:32 I wouldn't say it was too much, but it's just kinda your preference on what you
12:36 wanna do and how you wanna go about it.
12:39 So I think especially if you feel comfortable with the person calling
12:42 the plays, and you think their mindset's gonna be the same, then you let them do
12:46 it, kinda give you a little bit of a relief, allow you to go back and forth.
12:50 So we'll see how that works out.
12:52 >> What's the significance of the socks?
12:54 >> They have my dog on them.
12:57 And my daughter just likes them, so I think cuz they're pink and they have hearts.
13:00 So that's why she loves them.
13:02 >> Can you show them off here a little bit?
13:04 >> [LAUGH] >> He's a husky shepherd,
13:07 his name is Bentley.
13:08 >> [LAUGH] >> All right, thanks everyone,
13:12 appreciate it.
13:13 >> Thanks.
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