If Jim Harbaugh is new-school is in his stance on transfers, Tom Izzo remains very much old-school.
Harbaugh has made it clear that he believes student-athletes should be allowed to transfer one time without having to sit out a year. Izzo is on the other side.
"I don't agree with Jimmy on that," he told the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket. "I just think that you commit somewhere -- and they can say coaches do, too, and I agree with that. Maybe it should be that if the coach leaves, the kid can transfer. But what are we teaching our guys? My problem with the 18- and 19- and 20-year olds, I think we're giving them so much authority that are we really teaching them anything? Because in the real world, you don't get to do this.
"In every football locker room I ever played in, it was, 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going.' And now it's, 'When the going gets tough, hit the road.' I bet you I had 20 guys that would have transferred as freshmen. Mo Pete, he would have transferred as a freshman easily. He ends up making $50, $60, $70 million, won a national championship.
"We do not enjoy the process anymore, and every successful person has had to go through a process. We're trying to eliminate that, so I don't agree. If you want to transfer, that's your prerogative, but there should be some penalty to pay for it, if you ask me."
While it's become increasingly common for student-athletes to transfer, particularly in basketball and football, Izzo is wary of accepting that as the norm.
His initial comments at Big Ten media days last month were construed as a knock on former Michigan player James Hudson, who transferred to Cincinnati this year and claimed he suffered from depression at Michigan in his attempt to secure a waiver from the NCAA. Harbaugh later clarified himself on Twitter.
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) July 20, 2019Other highlights from Izzo's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
Does he like being ranked No. 1 in preseason polls, despite his teams often succeeding as underdogs: "I do, I do. It's about time we change that. It's hard. When UNC beat us in Detroit (in the 2009 national championship), that was the last team that's kind of gone start to finish. I don't know where'll be picked, and it really doesn't matter. We're going to be picked high, but deservingly so. We got a good team and I'm not going to hide behind that, but at the same time, a lot of things have to go your way to get that done."
Did he know Cassius Winston would return for his senior season: "Yeah, I was pretty sure he was coming back. ... I think it was evident that he still needed to work on some things, and they weren't all skill things. They were maybe strength things and get his defense a little bit better. But I do think he's going to end up a pro prospect. I think he's already a pro prospect, but I mean, where he can play in the league. ... I think he did the right thing. I know he did for me, but I think he did for himself."
Is he relieved he'll no longer have to coach against John Beilein at Michigan: "I don't think I'm relieved. I enjoyed the competition, and I think he did, too. What we became is a respectful and a damn good rivalry. Rivalries are not rivalries if they're one-sided. When I first got to Michigan State, they were one-sided for Michigan. I went through some years where they were one-sided for us. I think at the end, there was competition. I think we both appreciated that we did it the right way, so I'm going to miss John in that respect. I'm going to be pulling for him."
