It was expected, and on Wednesday, it happened. Jim Harbaugh is no longer the head coach of the Michigan football team as he is moving back to the NFL to be the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. The Wolverines were prepared to make Harbaugh the highest paid coach in college football, but it sounds like they brought out the big guns too late. Harbaugh was already in the final steps of becoming the head coach of the Chargers, and on Wednesday evening, he made it official. Now, Michigan needs a new head coach, but before we get to that, let's take a look at where Harbaugh is leaving the program.
The Michigan football team finished up their 2023 season two weeks ago with a win against Washington in the national title to cap off a perfect 15-0 season. Fans of the Wolverines have been waiting for a season like this for a long time, and they finally were able to pull it off this year.
There were a lot of ups and downs that Michigan went through to get to the national title game, and a lot of their key players that came back this season could've gone to the NFL. They all came back for one common goal: to win a national championship. The Wolverines accomplished that goal, and now, they are hoping to continue that success going forward, and the momentum they have built can help make that happen.
Let's take a look at what this team went through to get to where they are now. It can't be overstated how important it is to the future of this program.
First, head coach Jim Harbaugh started off the season at home for the Wolverines as he faced a self-imposed three-game suspension because of some minor recruiting violations. That wasn't a big deal, however, as Michigan started the season with home games against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green. The Wolverines were fine for those games, but that wasn't the only suspension that Harbaugh would face in the season.
Around the halfway point of the season, news broke that the Michigan football team was being investigated for illegal sign stealing. The culprit ended up being a low-level staffer named Connor Stalions.
Now, Michigan football is at the mountaintop of college football, but can they stay there? Their first year after winning the national title could prove to be mighty difficult.
The Wolverines could break the record for most players drafted this season. A ton of key players from this national title team are leaving, and if they lose their coach too, things could easily go downhill in Ann Arbor, and Michigan does not want that to happen.
The good news for the Wolverines is that their defense should be in pretty good shape next year, and that was a major strength of this year's team. However, they are losing their starting quarterback, starting running back and their entire offensive line. The offense ran through those positions, and those guys are all going to be very difficult to replace.
The most difficult person to replace, however, will be Jim Harbaugh. Everything that was just typed shows how important this hire is for Michigan football. They have gotten to where they want to be in the college football world, but they are also losing everything that has gotten them there. This is such a crucial hire, and while it looks like Sherrone Moore is a lock to be hired, the Wolverines should also take a look at Dave Clawson.
The case for Dave Clawson
Dave Clawson is currently the head coach for the Wake Forest football team, and to be honest, out of all the potential candidates named for the Michigan opening, he is probably the least likely option. Before coaching at Wake Forest, Clawson was the head coach at Fordham, Richmond and Bowling Green. Clawson has been the head coach of the Demon Deacons since 2014, and he has done a decent job there. Wake Forest is a tough place to be successful, but another potential candidate that has been mentioned is Lance Leipold, the Kansas head coach. The Jayhawks were in a dark spot when he took over, and he has been overall more consistent and impressive at Kansas, although he hasn't been the coach for as long. Just something to keep in mind.
Since Clawson took over at Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons have really only had one very successful year. They went 11-3 in 2021 which was very good for that program, but things have only gone downhill since. Now, I know what you're thinking. Isn't this supposed to be about how Michigan SHOULD hire Dave Clawson? Yes, it is. Clawson isn't the best option, but he is a good football coach. That's what Michigan needs. Not someone who is going to snag all the five-stars, they need someone who is going to get the right players that want to go to Michigan, and someone that can develop them to beat the five-stars. That's what Harbaugh did.
Has Clawson been super successful at Wake Forest? No. However, he's been solid in most of his years, and he did take them to the ACC title game. If he can find a way to have that success at Wake Forest, he will probably be able to do a good job at Michigan taking over after a national championship. Also, Michigan has much better resources for the team to be successful than Wake Forest does. Clawson would probably be a successful coach at Michigan.
At the end of the day, we all know who Michigan is going to hire. It's going to be offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore. Moore only has four games of head coaching experience as he filled in for a suspended Jim Harbaugh last season, but what he does have is the experience of working with Harbaugh during the resurgence of the football program. Moore was right there with Harbaugh along the way while Michigan found a way to beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten, get to the College Football Playoff and ultimately win a national title. That experience might be worth more than head coaching experience.
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