Kornacki: Coach Harbaugh, Wolverines Kick Off Spring Practice
2/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 24, 2015
• Coach Harbaugh Press Conference 
| Spring Football Central
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Did anything catch Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh off guard during his first day of practice with the Wolverines on Tuesday (Feb. 24) afternoon?
"The thing that surprised me was that it was a four-hour practice, and it just flew by," Harbaugh said with a grin. "Time flies by when you're having fun; it went very good."
And he shared with those attending the press conference at Schembechler Hall what he'd told MGoBlue.com on Monday (Feb. 23) in anticipation of his first day of coaching Michigan on the field:
"It's a great day. It's like a new year. I've said this before, but a lot of people think January 1st is the start of a new year. Those that believe in Christianity and espouse to Catholicism believe that correlates with the birth of Christ. But we in football treat the first day of spring practice as the new year. It's like your birthday, New Year's, Thanksgiving -- you're thankful that you participated in football. It's like Christmas -- you have this gift. It's a family reunion -- all those things rolled into one. It's a happening.
"It's like the first day of school. You lay your clothes out the night before and pack your lunch box tight and head off to school. Everybody knows that feeling. And in football you get two New Year's Days: the first day of spring practice and the first day of fall practice. It's a very enthusiastic, very energetic day. I'd like to bottle it -- that kind of enthusiasm. People show up early and are excited to go to work. At some point, we'll have to open that (bottle) up and use it to get better."
Harbaugh smiled and added, "It was great, with a capital G."
He also addressed the feeling-out process that goes on between coaches and players new to one another.
"I'd say it was good from that standpoint," Harbaugh said. "You're in uncharted waters. That sometimes can be a really good thing; some people thrive on that. It's like giving energy."
When asked about the potential for being in a "golden age" Big Ten East Division with arch-rivals Ohio State and Michigan State as well as Penn State, Harbaugh focused only on his own team.
"Our expectations are really high," said Harbaugh, "and they were high for a great practice today, and they'll be high for a great practice on Thursday and great meetings on Wednesday. We'll try to make those the best of the year if we can and make the drills the best of the spring. Our expectations are very high for that."
INJURY UPDATE: Harbaugh noted that fullback and special teams player Sione Houma (unspecified injury) will be out or limited for the 15 spring practices along with tailback Drake Johnson (knee surgery) and tight end Khalid Hill (knee surgery). Harbaugh noted that Houma would be back before fall practices begin.
TEAM SCHEDULE: The Wolverines will practice again on Thursday (Feb. 26) and Friday (Feb. 27) this week at Al Glick Field House. And then they will practice every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for the next four weeks, culminating with the annual spring game on April 4.
