“Ben Is a Mad Man”: Justin Herbert & Co. Dealt With a Reality Check as Jim Harbaugh’s Right Hand Sets to Take Charge at the Chargers

In a significant coaching move, the Los Angeles Chargers secured Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach, marking a notable addition to the team’s leadership. Harbaugh, with a storied football career, is set to make a return to the NFL.

Michigan football’s head strength and conditioning coach, Ben Herbert, is bidding farewell to Ann Arbor as he follows Jim Harbaugh to Los Angeles. The 44-year-old, known as the program’s X-factor, had been with U-M since 2018, contributing significantly to the team’s success, including the recent undefeated season and national title in 2023. Harbaugh and Herbert’s arrival in Los Angeles marks the beginning of a storied chapter, and Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert acknowledges it well. 

Justin Herbert on Ben Herbert joining the Chargers 

U-M announced Justin Tress, an associate director on Herbert’s staff, as the successor to Herbert, who played a pivotal role in training 95 NFL draft selections. Herbert, known for his influence during a challenging season, signed a $1 million annual contract in February, including a $1 million buyout. On his latest appearance on Chargers Unleashed, Los Angeles Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert 

He acknowledged X-factor Herbert as “Ben Herbert is a mad man dude.” The young quarterback continued, “Always looks like he’s assessing the threat in a room.” He acknowledges the impact of a strength coach, “because in college players spend more time with the strength and conditioning coach than they do anyone else.” And Herbert, like Harbaugh, has induced “love and the trust” amongst all their players.

Justin Herbert, the iconic quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL, initially gained recognition for his college football career at Oregon. His achievements include winning the 2019 Pac-12 Championship and earning the MVP title in the 2020 Rose Bowl. The Chargers drafted Herbert as the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, acknowledging his notable strengths such as a powerful arm, mobility, and quick decision-making abilities in the field. Impressively, by his third NFL season (2022-23), Herbert played a pivotal role in leading the Chargers to their first-ever playoffs and has attracted favorable words from the new head coach as well.

New Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh on Justin Herbert

Jim Harbaugh is set to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, and even before his official introduction, he’s already singing praises for quarterback Justin Herbert. Harbaugh acknowledged feeling “a little starstruck” upon meeting Herbert and expressed his love for the NFL, citing the absence of a Lombardi trophy in college football. He sees the Chargers as an ideal place to take on the challenge. 

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Harbaugh highlighted the remarkable skills and untapped potential of Herbert, who has garnered accolades and Pro Bowl appearances in his early NFL career. Sources indicate that Herbert is equally enthusiastic about having Harbaugh as his coach, a sentiment shared by Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd, who received texts from the quarterback expressing his excitement about the upcoming coaching partnership.

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