There has been quite a bit of speculation over the past few days about Jim Harbaugh's future at Michigan after reports suggested he would be willing to accept a job offer from an NFL team should one arrive. Teams were tossed around, and their potential interest in Harbaugh was discussed, and the discourse just continued.
Normally, I'd be discussing things from a purely speculative point of view in this article, talking about where I see Harbaugh's head at and what I would do in his shoes. However, on Wednesday, Harbaugh seemingly put NFL speculation to bed by saying in an interview with Charlotte Sports Live that he believes he will be coaching Michigan in 2023. He then doubled down on this later in the week.
So we're going to take a detour from the usual style and instead discuss why Harbaugh has made the correct decision to stay at Michigan, assuming nothing changes.
2. Recent Wolverines success
Let's not miss the fact that, despite two straight losses in the national semifinals, Harbaugh has successfully guided his team to back to back wins over Ohio State, back to back Big 10 Championships and back to back College Football Playoff appearances.
Vanishingly few coaches have one Playoff appearance in the four-team era, let alone multiple, and that should be celebrated. This, of course, is a platform for future successes, but we'll get to that in a moment. Harbaugh's increased success, especially in the last two seasons, has essentially earned him the right to stay at Michigan for exactly as long as he wants to, be that for one more year or 40.
That blank check provides job security of which every coach dreams, and Harbaugh has it at his alma mater. Harbaugh may have thought he had that kind of security in the NFL once, with the San Francisco 49ers, but it vanished before his eyes as quickly as it came.
1. Future success at Michigan
So in addition to a blank check, this has also given Harbaugh and Michigan a platform to be a national championship contender every fall for years and years to come. As the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams, you can almost guarantee Michigan to be a fixture in it just about every year.
This recent run into the College Football Playoff each of the past two years has also done wonders as far as recruiting is concerned. It becomes increasingly easy to convince big-time players to join your program the closer you get to a national title, and Michigan has gotten closer than the vast majority of teams.
It also provides increased incentive for Michigan boosters and fans to continue to pour millions into the football program, because they're finally to the point they can actually see the promised land in front of them.
Not only is success not guaranteed in the NFL, it's an entirely different process to getting there. Not to mention, none of the teams with coaching vacancies at the moment provide a clear path to a Super Bowl. The Denver Broncos are tied to a $240 million dollar quarterback who isn't producing, the Colts have a myriad of issues, and the Carolina Panthers are in an even worse spot.
If you're Jim Harbaugh, it's between a full rebuild or being within touching distance of a national championship game every year. The money is definitely better in the NFL, but is the pay discrepancy big enough to lure him back to the pros? Only time will tell, but it's worth mentioning Harbaugh has been linked with NFL jobs in the past while at Michigan and not taken any of them.
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