Right Now: Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh send a blunt message to Lowa Coach, NFL REPORT!
As Jim Harbaugh prepares to make his return to the sidelines for Michigan on Saturday at the Big Ten Championship Game, rumors about his future as head coach of the program continue to persist.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Harbaugh’s name has “percolated” around the NFL and there’s a belief “this might be the year” he returns to the league as head coach.
Harbaugh has spent a lot of time during his tenure at Michigan flirting with the NFL. He had talks with the Minnesota Vikings in January 2022 before the team hired Kevin O’Connell.
Following his meeting with the Vikings, Harbaugh indicated to Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press he was done going after NFL jobs.
“Sure, the Super Bowl is the greatest prize in our sport,” Harbaugh said. “But winning a national championship, that’s pretty darn great. Let’s do that. There was a pull to the NFL because I got that close to the Super Bowl, but this was the time (to try and return.) And this is the last time. Now let’s go chase college football’s greatest prize.”
That feeling lasted about one year when Harbaugh met with Denver Broncos owner Greg Penner about their coaching vacancy, but the two sides were unable to work out a deal.
Around the same time, The Athletic reported people close to Harbaugh said they expect him to leave the Wolverines if he received an offer from an NFL team.
Michigan president Santa Ono issued a statement on Jan. 16 that said Harbaugh told him he was returning to the football program in 2023.
Harbaugh’s future with Michigan has been made more uncertain because of potential sanctions that could be handed down pending the results of the NCAA’s investigation into sign-stealing allegations.
The program is also being investigated for alleged recruiting violations that occurred during a COVID-19 dead period in 2020. Harbaugh was suspended by the university for three games to start this season as a result of the alleged recruiting violations.
Mike Jones of The Athletic recently reported Harbaugh “is among those expected to receive consideration in the next hiring cycle” from NFL teams, with the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders cited as having appeal to the 59-year-old.
The Wolverines are 12-0 and ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings. They will play Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday seeking their third straight conference title