In another couple of days, it will be three weeks since Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan Wolverines won the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship, the school’s first since 1997.
Prior to the title game against Washington, we believed his alma mater, Michigan, was working on keeping him by re-doing his contract; Harbaugh being a Michigan Man like he is, that’s really what he wanted.
The Wolverines defeated the Huskies 34-13, finishing their best season-ever, going undefeated (15-0).
What about those rumors about his returning to the National Football League, where he had enjoyed success earlier, reaching the Super Bowl with the 49ers in 2012 against his brother John and the Baltimore Ravens?
Come on. Don’t bother the Coach with talk like that while he’s preparing for the CFP 2024. Be reasonable.
He’ll let us know in good time. Maybe not.
He is a hot coaching commodity in the NFL, where he spent 14 seasons as a player and four as a coach (2011-14), leading San Francisco to a 44-19-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance.
Michigan has already offered to make Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in college football via a guaranteed six-year deal worth $11.5 million annually. There would be additional performance-based bonuses.
While the financial terms between the coach and the school are either fully or mostly ironed out, the termination language remains a sticking point.
Harbaugh and the football program are currently the subject of multiple NCAA infractions cases.
In December, the NCAA charged Harbaugh with a Level I violation for allegedly being less than forthcoming with investigators when questioned about a series of Level II violations incurred in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, the NCAA continues to investigate allegations of advanced scouting for the purpose of sign stealing that involves former staffer Connor Stalions.
Harbaugh served a school-issued three-game suspension to start the 2023 season for the first case. Meanwhile, the Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season for the latter. More sanctions and suspensions are possible in both situations from the NCAA.
Harbaugh has sought to have his contract grant him immunity from termination for any violation stemming from those cases. It additionally spells out any penalty he might face should the NCAA rule him responsible in any future case. That would include specific fine amounts for any Level I or Level II violation.
Yeah … that’s the holdup.
When the college football season ended with Michigan’s 34-13 drubbing of Washington, the feeling was Harbaugh could stay in Michigan or he could end his collegiate coaching career with a national title and be seen riding off into the sunset, interviewing with the L.A. Chargers, one of the seven NFL franchises which had an opening. The Chargers not only had an opening, but they have a franchise quarterback Justin Hebert.
That’s usually a plus.
Word out of Ann Arbor was Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, besides the seniors on the championship team, was coming out early, declaring himself eligible for this year’s NFL draft. Besides the seven NFL openings, the Cowboys and Eagles both lost in the Super Wild Card playoffs last week and speculation was there could be even more vacancies.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thought about it a couple of days and decided to give his coach Mike McCarthy a reprieve, despite the gnashing of teeth by many Cowboy fans, the fifth year of his five-year deal. This was a coach who had won a Super Bowl in Green Bay with the Packers and has won 12 games each of the last three seasons in Dallas, winning two NFC East division crowns.
Also, in the same time frame, Nick Saban at Alabama, known as the GOAT among college football coaches, having won six national championships at ‘Bama and another at LSU (making seven), announced his retirement and Washington coach Kalen DeBoer has already come aboard in Tuscaloosa to replace him.
And, subsequently, Arizona coach Jedd Fisch has moved to Seattle, replacing DeBoer. Another NFL coaching move saw Bill Belichick (the NFL’s GOAT with six Super Bowl championships with the Patriots) step down in New England, saying he would like to continue coaching in the NFL.
Harbaugh has since interviewed with the Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons and has a second interview with the Falcons scheduled for next week. The Falcons also have interviewed Belichick, who could be named the Atlanta head coach before next week
Asked how he’s presently handling all this … Harbaugh replied, “just one day at a time.”
Like all the rest of us.
Follow Joe on X: (formerly Twitter:) @joeyballgame.jh
