by Kyle Golik
Monday was a crazy day in the football world. The NFL had gone through its “Black Monday,” the day after the end of the regulation season, where franchises make decisions on the future of their coaches. In the college world, the National Championship was played.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is at the nexus of the football coaching world. He is the most sought-after commodity by the NFL if you listen to league insiders.
In the college football world, Harbaugh has reached the sport’s apex, clinching Michigan’s first outright national championship since 1948 and only the sixth 15-0 season in college football history.
Harbaugh opened his post-game press conference succinctly on his emotions. “Glorious win, I could not be prouder or happier of our team, 15-0. Took on all comers. Last one standing. It’s a great feeling.”
As Michigan fans and supporters come off their celebration high, it is the realization of what is Harbaugh’s future.
“If he decides that he wants another opportunity to coach in the pros, then I’m gonna be happy for him, sad for us. We’re going to move on and find the next person to lead. But I want him to stay at Michigan,” said Michigan AD Warde Manuel after the game.
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Michigan AD Warde Manuel on Jim Harbaugh’s future: “If he decides that he wants another opportunity to coach in the pros, then I'm gonna be happy for him, sad for us. We're going to move on and find the next person to lead. But I want him to stay at Michigan.”
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) January 9, 2024
With Harbaugh reaching his coaching zenith, his prospects of sticking around Ann Arbor remain cloudy.
The sport of college football is changing fast. Between constant opt-outs, NIL laws, the rise of the transfer portal, and the consistent need to focus on recruiting – both in preps and your own players.
For Harbaugh, the extra layer is the fallout of the Connor Stalions espionage scandal. The NCAA has yet to rule on any matters pertaining to it to this point.
“It couldn’t have gone better. It went exactly how we wanted it to go to win every game. The off-the-field issues, we’re innocent and we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent. And I’d like to point that out. And these guys are innocent. And overcome that, it wasn’t that hard because we knew we were innocent. So yeah, that’s really what I wanted to say. It went exactly how we wanted it to go. It went exactly how we wanted it to go.”
Harbaugh said of the tumultuous season for him after serving two three-game suspensions and dealing with these external factors.
Those factors will come into play in Harbaugh’s decision in a matter of weeks. He appreciated his team’s “good old-fashioned teamwork, good old-fashioned hard work” and was clear that was a primary reason Michigan was able to overcome many of the obstacles that stood between them and the national championship.
The college football game is a grind without the external factors Harbaugh has to deal with. The hope Michigan fans have is that it will be treated in the same way that Kansas was in the fallout from the federal investigation of corruption that the FBI found rampant in the sport. Kansas had to forfeit games and even a Final Four appearance, but they were able to maintain postseason eligibility, and Bill Self, who faced severe Level I infractions, got essentially time-served by the NCAA.
Michigan will provide Harbaugh with all the support to ensure he is coaching Michigan and that the Wolverines are eligible to play in the postseason. But Harbaugh cannot hide his disdain for the sport’s governing body. He is a proponent of revenue sharing, which he went on during many of the week’s press conferences leading up to the national championship.
But at a more personal level, Harbaugh is at a career-defining moment. After the game, Harbaugh inadvertently invited the questions by mentioning in a joking manner that he can now sit at “the big person’s table.”
He finally has the championship invitation to sit with his father, having won a national championship and his brother winning the Super Bowl at holiday meals.
Even as he deflected the questions about the NFL following the Wolverines’ victory, the thought of getting back to the pros and proving himself there has clearly more than just crossed his mind.
Most NFL Insiders are pointing to the Los Angeles Chargers job. Harbaugh would inherit a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert, elite edge rushers in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa (when healthy), running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Keenan Allen, who are at the top of the league, and a young secondary that has the potential to be amongst the best with Derwin James and Asante Samuel Jr.
With the Chargers having an incredible foundation to start with and having a Top 5 pick in 2024 certainly complements that. The Chargers are an extremely attractive option for a coach of Harbaugh’s profile; all-in-all, Harbaugh did guide San Francisco to a Super Bowl.
Harbaugh knows and understands the NFL grind. When Harbaugh left San Francisco for Michigan, it was more about what he loved and wanted to do.
After getting a question about Bo Schembechler and his feelings about having a “Michigan Man” leading the Wolverine program, Harbaugh, in his answer, reflected, alluding to a love and passion for what Michigan means to him. “But someday, when they throw dirt over the top of me, if somebody who is eulogizing me, who was on this team or one of my teammates, when I was playing at Michigan, if they would simply say, “He was a Michigan man,” that would mean everything. Would mean everything to me.”
While Harbaugh didn’t directly answer the question about his future, he left hints throughout his press conference and on his appearance on Sportscenter with Scott Van Pelt, “I told the kids this week we’re moving spring practice back,” Harbaugh said. Van Pelt followed up by asking, “So you’re looking forward to the spring in Ann Arbor, are you?” And Harbaugh gave an affirmation that he is looking forward to it.
Harbaugh will toil with NFL flirtations, hopefully, to gain more financial security for himself, his family, and his staff. If he leaves for the Chargers or any other NFL job, the chase for a Super Bowl will prove to be what is his inner-most desire. But at this moment, doesn’t seem like the right thing for him.
The way Harbaugh spoke following his first national championship, he sounded like a man who should remain a Michigan Man.
