CLEVLEAND, Ohio — His team is ranked first in the country. He’s won three straight conference titles. And despite multiple ongoing NCAA investigations into the program, his bosses are offering a long-term extension that comes with a big raise.
Who’s got it better than Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh?
He asks the same question to the Wolverines after big wins. And the answer, in Harbaugh lore, is supposed to be “nooobody!” But if that were true, then he would’ve uncapped his pen already. And according to a Sports Illustrated report that surfaced Thursday, UM’s new contract is still missing Harbaugh’s signature for a familiar reason.
UM isn’t asking for much: SI’s Richard Johnson says the school is offering $11 million per year — $400,000 behind Alabama coach Nick Saban for college football’s highest annual salary — as long as Harbaugh promises in writing that he won’t entertain an NFL coaching job this offseason. But even though Harbaugh has called Michigan his dream job, and even though he explicitly asked for a contract extension earlier this season, he has not agreed to UM’s one condition — even if he’s the one coach in position to deny it.
Therein lies the catch, though: Harbaugh’s commitment to Michigan has been questioned from the moment he arrived. The first question during his introductory press conference wondered whether he viewed his alma mater as a “stop-over job.” The first question after each of his nine seasons at Michigan has been which NFL job fits him best. And now that UM is offering Harbaugh everything he’s ever wanted — or at least, proclaimed to want — the only question it needs answered is whether Harbaugh will be around next season.
