When Jim Harbaugh took over the HC role at the Los Angeles Chargers, he was clear about what he wanted from the team. He made it clear that there would be no “magic formulas” and that it would all boil down to “good old fashioned hard work and teamwork.” Since then, Harbaugh has developed a style that was on display in their preseason training sessions and early scrimmages, where Harbaugh focused heavily on fundamentals, clock control, and physical dominance at the line of scrimmage. So, there’s little doubt about the identity Harbaugh wants to stamp onto the Chargers: a physically dominating style of play. His first two drafts reflected that with almost surgical precision. First, drafting 6’9″ offensive tackle Joe Alt at No. 5 overall in 2024. Then, doubling down this year with a hard-nosed, no-nonsense back in Omarion Hampton at No. 22.

Harbaugh didn’t hide his excitement at picking Hampton, who fits the mold of a classic Harbaugh back. “Fired up to get an outstanding football player who really loves football and can score the ball. I love the production, over 1,600 yards rushing (and) (38) catches out of the backfield (last season). He gives us a real weapon there on all three downs,” Harbaugh said. “He’s durable, and an outstanding football player.” Hampton embodies what Harbaugh wants from his players, but what does the former North Carolina Tar Heels standout think about the move?

Well, he’s buying in completely into his new HC’s philosophy completely. “It’s been great. Just getting to know him and everything that we know. He’s gonna run the ball, you know. He’s excited to run the ball. That’s something he wants to do. He did it all his career,” Hampton told Jim Rome on Tuesday. “So, I mean, I’m just excited to get started, really. With him being my head coach, I can’t be more happy.” Coming off a season at North Carolina where he racked up 1,660 rushing yards and showed soft hands with 38 catches out of the backfield, the 6-foot, 221-pound back gives Harbaugh a three-down force who can run over you or around you.

This overhaul isn’t just about imposing offensive will. It’s also a direct correction of what Harbaugh sees as a failure to support QB Justin Herbert. “Weapons for Justin. Guys that Justin can get the ball to,” Harbaugh said. “We’re very excited about that.” The Chargers were left reeling after a disastrous wild-card playoff loss to the Houston Texans, a game that exposed not only the offensive line’s fragility but also the lack of physicality in the run game.

Harbaugh didn’t shy away from admitting it either. He called out the roster build, conceding the team “did quarterback Justin Herbert a disservice last year.” For a quarterback with Herbert’s arm talent, mobility, and football IQ, having complementary pieces who can relieve pressure and grind games out isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. This is where Omarion Hampton enters the picture.

The Chargers haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Melvin Gordon back in 2017. That’s a damning stat when you consider Herbert’s entire NFL career has existed in that drought. No RB since then has truly seized the role or stayed healthy long enough to make an impact over a full season. But Hampton could change that calculus. He’s durable. He’s productive. And he fits Harbaugh’s football theology like a glove.

“When you watch him, he’s physical, he’s explosive, he’s tough, he’s got great balance, he’s got excellent speed, gets outside, finishes long runs and breaks off big gains,” Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said.

Harbaugh did begin to implement their more aggressive style at the start of last season and when it clicked, they seemed unstoppable. A prime example of this physical style was showcased in the Chargers’ 22-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Running back J.K. Dobbins led the charge with 135 rushing yards on just 10 carries, including a pivotal 61-yard run that set up a touchdown. The defense complemented the offense’s efforts by limiting the Raiders to a single red-zone play, which resulted in a sack by Khalil Mack.

The Chargers’ shift toward a more rugged offensive identity is also a move to control the clock and protect Herbert from unnecessary shootouts. It’s part of a broader recalibration under Harbaugh, whose Michigan teams often dominated games with a grinding tempo and turnover-free football. While LA’s glitz may tempt a more aerial identity, Harbaugh clearly prefers trench warfare and ball control. In Omarion Hampton, he’s landed a back who can be both bell cow and outlet, capable of ripping through defenses or hauling in checkdowns.

But as the Chargers’ new era takes shape, an older legal cloud may cast a shadow over Harbaugh’s clean slate. A prior unresolved legal matter from his college tenure—details of which have begun to resurface—could soon become a fresh off-field distraction. While the franchise hasn’t commented publicly, the timing is far from ideal.

From Ann Arbor to LA… and now, NCAA trouble follows Jim Harbaugh’s guys

The NCAA came down with a double dose of heat today. They handed out show-cause penalties to two former Michigan assistants who now find themselves reunited with Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles. DC Jesse Minter and DB coach Steve Clinkscale, both now part of the Chargers’ staff, have been hit with recruiting-related violations stemming from their days in Ann Arbor.

For Minter, the NCAA cited “multiple impermissible early recruiting communications with a prospect prior to June 15 of his sophomore year of high school.” According to the NCAA, “Minter was aware that these communications were impermissible but did not report the violations to the school’s compliance department.”

Former secondary coach Steven Clinkscale got hit harder. The NCAA ruled he provided “impermissible benefits” to prospects or their families and didn’t fully cooperate during the investigation. Though he later admitted to the violations, he was issued a two-year show-cause order, which includes a 50% season suspension if he rejoins an NCAA program during that span.

Jim Harbaugh, now Chargers HC, was already handed a four-year show-cause penalty for “violated recruiting and inducement rules, engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations,” stemming from 2021 recruiting violations during the COVID dead period. While these penalties won’t impact their NFL roles, they highlight just how messy Harbaugh’s Michigan exit really was.