Harbaugh Gets His “Coach To Be Named Later”

Last month, UCLA hired Michigan assistant Jedd Fisch to be the Bruins’ new offensive coordinator. Today, Wolverines’ coach Jim Harbaugh got his “player to be named later” that completes that trade when he hired former UCLA OC Michael Johnson.

Johnson was UCLA’s offensive coordinator during the 2011 season, which was Rick Neuheisel’s last coaching the Bruins. Johnson would serve as UCLA’s interim head coach for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl after Neuheisel was fired by Athletic Director Dan Guerrero.

Interestingly, Johnson was promoted to OC of the San Francisco 49ers during the 2010 season, which was Mike Singletary’s final year with the team. When Harbaugh was hired to replace Singletary, he declined to retain Johnson and Neuheisel hired him.

Since 2014, Johnson has been the head coach at The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale where his son Michael Johnson, Jr. is a top QB prospect for 2019.

Also of note is the fact that the NCAA is considering a proposal to prevent colleges from hiring recruits high school coaches within two years of the recruit’s enrollment.

This isn’t the first time Harbaugh has dipped into the high school coaching pool. Shortly after Jabril Peppers signed with Michigan, Harbaugh hired his coach Chris Partridge who had been the head coach at Paramus Catholic HS in Paramus, NJ, where both Peppers and Rashan Gary played their high school ball.