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Jeff Seidel: Jim Harbaugh raves about new wave of U-M freshmen

Related Topics: Jim Harbaugh, Freshman, Jeff Seidel

Back in the old days of college football —“Whoa, Nellie!" and "Fum-BLE!" Way back when "GameDay" was the actual day, not a TV show on ESPN, freshmen football players had a well-defined, under-the-radar role: Sit on the bench, stay in the shadows, keep your mouth shut, learn the fight song, get used to college, get bigger and faster and stronger, get over that first bout of home sickness and learn from the upperclassmen.

So it came as no surprise, back in 1982, when Michigan coach Bo Schemblechler redshirted a young, fiery quarterback named Jim Harbaugh, putting him on the shelf for a season, making him wait his turn.