If Jim Harbaugh is open to being Michigan’s head football coach well into the future, the athletic department needs to do what it takes to make that official.
Like, right now. Or yesterday.
On Monday, Harbaugh was asked whether he’s open to signing a contract extension during the current season, and he didn’t shut it down.
“Yeah, I mean, like anybody, you know, and I’ve said it: You want to be somewhere where you’re wanted, you know, where they like what you do and how you do it, and then they tell you that -- your bosses tell you that, and then that gets reflected in a contract,” Harbaugh said. “Bottom line, any of us, right, you want to be somewhere where they like how you do it, and what you do.”
When asked whether he feels wanted at Michigan, Harbaugh said, “Yeah, I do.”
Have there been any discussions or assurances?
“That’s been kind of a three-and-a-half year thing, about,” Harbaugh said. “So, yeah, just eventually it gets put into a contract. I mean, I can’t say that any more clearly. I’m definitely open to that. I think I’ve shown that through the years.
“But, like anybody, man, I’m just concentrated and focused on having a good practice today, you know? We’ve got a team meeting coming up, and we’re going to practice -- it’s just coach the team time when you’re in the middle of the season.”
You could debate whether Harbaugh “can’t say that any more clearly,” because his answers don’t seem all that clear to me. But this is much more than he usually says about himself during in-season press conferences, so maybe it’s on his mind.
Whether those conversations are happening or not, Michigan’s athletic department should be doing everything it can to lock Harbaugh up for a long, long time.
Warde Manuel’s tenure as Michigan athletic director hasn’t exactly been highlighted by positive headlines. He forced Harbaugh to take a pay cut after the COVID season and has dealt with the consequences ever since. The basketball program has taken a nosedive, and then there was the whole Mel Pearson hockey scandal.
It’s not necessarily Manuel’s fault that legendary softball coach Carol Hutchins decided to retire, or that Zavier Simpson crashed Manuel’s wife’s car, or that Juwan Howard slapped an opposing coach... but let’s just say the athletic director could definitely use a win.
Signing Harbaugh to a contract extension that finally, mercifully puts an end to the whole “Is he going to the NFL” offseason circus would be a massive win for Manuel and earn him a lot of favor with the fan base.
And to be clear: The thoughts of this fan base matter. A lot. Just ask Dave Brandon.
Harbaugh took over a football program in December 2014 that had finished with a losing record three times in the previous seven years. The most recent Big Ten championship was more than a decade in the past. Ohio State had become a football powerhouse. Michigan State was at the peak of its golden era.
The Michigan football experience was straight-up miserable -- I don’t know how else to put it. But then Harbaugh came along and everything pretty much changed on a dime.
Since he took over, Harbaugh has turned the Wolverines back into a top-10 football program. That isn’t up for debate. If anything, the program is bordering on top five.
In eight full seasons under Harbaugh, Michigan ranks seventh in total wins among Power Five teams, behind only Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame. Michigan has won double-digit games in five of seven possible years (excluding the shortened 2020 COVID season), gone to two New Year’s Six bowl games, and participated in two playoffs.
Right now, counting the 6-0 start to 2023, the Wolverines have won 31 of their past 34 games. They’ve won their most recent meeting against every single Big Ten opponent and are the the two-time defending conference champs.
Harbaugh took over a program that had been reduced to rubble by Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke. Now, it’s thriving as well as ever.
The Big Ten is about to undergo massive changes, and next year’s schedule includes games against Texas, USC, Ohio State, Washington, and Oregon. College football is only going to get more lucrative and more competitive.
Does Michigan really want to enter that new era with an unproven coach?
I can’t even think of a realistic amount of money that would be too much to pay Jim Harbaugh. What if he asks for $15 million a year? $20 million? If the alternative is that he leaves, I think Michigan should pay up.
Between the Big Ten’s television contract, the record attendance at the Big House every week, and all the other revenue sources tied to football, there’s no excuse to let Harbaugh walk away.
Maybe Harbaugh is bluffing, and there’s no offer that would make him ditch his pursuit of an NFL job. If that’s the case, then there’s really nothing Manuel can do.
But when addressing his contract situation in the past, Harbaugh has more often been too transparent than deceptive, so there’s no good reason to be skeptical of his comments on Monday.
Manuel has a long list of responsibilities as the athletic director at the University of Michigan. It’s not like he’s out playing golf while these contract rumors dominate message boards.
But what happens with this situation will define Manuel’s tenure, so he and the rest of the athletic department should do anything in their power to keep Harbaugh on the Michigan sideline.