Jim Harbaugh is very outspoken about his religion and offered an all-time quote regarding the most important person in the Christian faith ahead of the Rose Bowl. However, he was incorrect with his assessment.
The 60-year-old head coach was asked about Jesus Christ during a media session on Saturday. More specifically, Harbaugh was asked about why Joseph and Mary’s son is “such a key figure” in his life.
His unique answer was not boring.
I have a feeling that if Jesus would have come back now in this era, I suppose that many of the biblical analogies and teachings would be about sports, as well as agriculture, maybe a combination of the two. Solomon would have been a great coach, too. I have that feeling. Jesus would have been a five-star. He would have been a five-star player, no doubt about it. He would have been a Hall of Fame coach.
— Jim Harbaugh
It is very possible that the Beloved Son would have been a fantastic football coach.
Jesus, according to the Bible, had a way with words and was a remarkable motivator. He would have had his guys ready to play.
As for the on-field product, his team would have been stacked full of talent. He would have had a ton of success on the recruiting trail, which has a direct correlation to a program’s ability to compete.
Who wouldn’t want to play for the Prince of Peace?!
Jim Harbaugh is also high on Jesus’ on-field potential.
There was one thing that the head football coach at Michigan got wrong. Jesus, despite a name that carries more weight than Manning, would not be a five-star recruit.
Let’s take a look at the 10 best prospects in the college football recruiting Class of 2024:
- WR Jeremiah Smith, 6-foot-3 / 198 pounds
- QB Dylan Raiola, 6-foot-3 / 230 pounds
- DB Ellis Robinson IV, 6-foot-1 / 185 pounds
- QB D.J. Lagway, 6-foot-2 / 225 pounds
- DL Williams Nwaneri, 6-foot-0 / 260 pounds
- DL L.J. McCray, 6-foot-6 / 260 pounds
- DL Justin Scott, 6-foot-4 / 310 pounds
- WR Cam Coleman, 6-foot-3 / 180 pounds
- LB Justin Williams, 6-foot-2 / 205 pounds
- WR Ryan Williams, 6-foot-0 / 165 pounds
Notice a trend? Not one single player is shorter than six feet tall.
Obviously, there is no way to know the exact height and weight of Jesus Christ. We can only estimate.
Judas Iscariot has to point out Jesus to the Roman soldiers in Matthew 26:47-56. That suggests he was of similar stature to his disciples.
Luke 19:3-4 says that Zacchaeus, a “short” tax collector, had to climb a tree to see Jesus Christ heading his way. If the Beloved Son was taller than his peers, Zacchaeus would have been able to see him standing out above the crowd.
In addition, the Bible explicitly states when certain people are considered tall. Saul and Goliath were both described in terms of their height. Jesus was not.
All of this suggests that he was of average height, which was about 5-foot-5. Even if Jesus was a bit taller than most, he would not have hit the six-foot mark.
And based on historical records and culture context, the Son of Man is estimated to have weighed somewhere between 100 and 150 pounds. Likely closer to the former than the latter.
No disrespect to Jesus, but there is simply no way that a 5-foot-5, 120-pound athlete would be a five-star recruit. Maybe more like a PWO.
Jim Harbaugh was being hypothetical. That doesn’t mean we need to gloss over the glaring size issue regarding Jesus Christ as a recruit!