Brian Jean-Mary has witnessed the Michigan football team’s highs and lows over the last few years. Or, you know, he kind of has.
Although Jean-Mary was only appointed as the Wolverines’ linebackers coach, he has experience with the program. After serving in the same capacity for Michigan in 2020 and being present throughout the Wolverines’ 2-4 season, he moved on to Tennessee for a three-year tenure in the same capacity. However, Jean-Mary realized it was time to head back to Ann Arbor when Michigan coach Sherrone Moore called and demanded that he take back his former position.
Jean-Mary stated on Monday, “I felt like the 2020 season was an incomplete part of my coaching career just because of COVID and the way things went.” “Even after leaving to enroll in another school, I continued to have a connection to the University of Michigan and was inspired by their success from a distance. It seemed to be the right place for me to be.
Jean-Mary returns to the Volunteers three years later, but the program is very different from what he left. In that time frame, the Michigan Wolverines won more games in 2020 than they did College Football Playoff appearances. Just three short years later, the Jim Harbaugh era’s low point became its final high point.
From a distance, Jean-Mary is able to observe precisely what has changed. Even though he wasn’t there to help Michigan create the culture that led them to a national championship, he has undoubtedly seen changes in the program since he returned three years ago.
Jean-Mary remarked, “I love that the players kind of know what the expectations are when they enter the building—they’re all striving for the same goals.” Even though they’ve reached the summit of the mountain, their desire to maintain their current level of achievement is still evident. I would argue that this campus has the best college football culture.
All of the current Wolverines’ employees have highly commended and documented the culture that Jean-Mary speaks of. Those who have been playing since the game’s inception in 2021 are now dedicating a lot of their time to maintaining the culture and passing it on to upcoming generations of players. And the coaches who witnessed Harbaugh’s success with it aren’t shifting.
