ANN ARBOR -- Jim Harbaugh wasn’t exaggerating when he said he was giving the keys to Josh Gattis.

Gattis, 35, introduced in January as Michigan’s new offensive coordinator, spoke to reporters for the first time on Friday. He explained his offensive approach some, but he also recapped the first few months on the job.

As it turns out, a lot of it was spent with Harbaugh.

“When I first got the job, the first two weeks out on the road recruiting, they gave me the rookie treatment,” Gattis said. “They put me on the road with him. So we traveled across the country -- and that was really valuable. That really developed our friendship.”

Gattis said he and Harbaugh flew places together. They rode together in rental cars. Nearly every night out was spent in some restaurant, talking football and life.

“That time laughing, sitting back in the car joking,” Gattis said. “It really enabled us to develop a friendship and get to know who we are from a personality standpoint. He’s been awesome as a head coach.”

So, who drove?

“I did,” Gattis said. "He will try to drive, and I tried to fight him. Actually, one time, there was a snowstorm and he wanted to drive and I felt awkward. But that’s who he is. He’s very humble. He’s very down to Earth. He doesn’t wear some kind of hat that says, ‘I’m the head coach.’

“We actually battled on the road of who would pay a lot of times for meals.”

Recruiting trips aside, Harbaugh is leaning on Gattis to help jump start this Michigan offense that ranked 50th nationally in yards per game in 2018. The Wolverines return starting quarterback Shea Patterson, four of their five starters along the offensive line and a group of talented wide receivers.

Earlier this week, Harbaugh revealed that it will look faster, “more up tempo” and not huddle. Gattis confirmed those plans on Friday, describing the end goal as putting opposing defenses “in conflict.” Gattis has been given full control and will call plays on a full-time basis this fall for the first time in his career.

“You’re going in not trying to figure out what went wrong (last year), but how you can make it better,” Gattis said. “That was something that was very intriguing for me when this opportunity came open, and it was a no-brainer for me. I’ve been really happy here. I’m really excited.”

Harbaugh said Gattis was someone he had been following for years, from his four seasons as wide receivers coach and passing-game coordinator at Penn State, to his time at Vanderbilt and short stint as wide receivers coach at Western Michigan. He even tried hiring Gattis away from Penn State a few years ago, Gattis said.

Gattis has extensive experience coaching receivers at this previous stops, and he will do so again at Michigan when he’s not organizing the game plan during the week.

“We’re all working together, and definitely, learning, too, his style of offense," Harbaugh said. "Contributing where we can. He’s really good. He’s really good at explaining it and showing us how to coach it.

“I admire him and think he’s really good.”

Gattis seems to be picking up a thing or two from Harbaugh, too. In answering questions about the offense this fall, he evoked many of the things Harbaugh deployed in previous seasons, like physical football and multiple personnel groupings. The plan, Gattis said, is still to use those as a foundation for what he wants to do.

Then, later on, while answering a question about Michigan’s defense -- and having to go up against it in practice -- out came the “iron sharpens iron” phrase popularized around these parts by Harbaugh.

“When you go against Michigan for four years, you develop appreciation,” Gattis said. "This was always the school that presented a threat when I was at that previous institution (Penn State). It was one we struggled with. Even at my time at Western Michigan, being in the state.

“It was a no-brainer (coming here). There wasn’t a lot of conversation that needed to be had. Coach, he explained what he was looking for. He told me that I would be in full control of the offense. It was something that I was truly excited about. By the end of the conversation, I told him that you’re going to get my all."