Jim Harbaugh put the NFL rumors to bed early this time around.
Harbaugh isn’t leaving Michigan anytime soon. The head coach of the back-to-back Big Ten champion Wolverines said so himself Sunday night.
Rumors floated around that NFL teams courted the former San Francisco 49ers head coach. But Harbaugh put those rumors right to rest.
Michigan On3 writer Clayton Sayfie tweeted, “Jim Harbaugh on report that NFL teams are looking at him for jobs: ‘I think the people are going to be happy to know that I’ll be enthusiastically coaching the Wolverines in 2023.'”
Jim Harbaugh on report that NFL teams are looking at him for jobs: "I think the people are going to be happy to know that I'll be enthusiastically coaching the Wolverines in 2023."
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) December 5, 2022
In fairness to Harbaugh, a departure doesn’t make sense for him at this point. The Wolverines won against Ohio State in consecutive seasons, have back-to-back Big Ten titles, and have made it to the College Football Playoff in back-to-back seasons. All of this work being done is helping Michigan ascend to new heights. Their 13 wins to date in 2022 are a program best. That’s a rich history in Ann Arbor, too.
Harbaugh has moved more like Jay Wright at this point. Both coaches were maligned for not breaking through in crucial elimination games. Then they got over the hump and never looked back. Harbaugh hopes to lead Michigan to its first championship since 1997 this winter, and, as per these comments from him, the NFL isn’t currently on his mind.
[Clayton Sayfie; photo from The Detroit Free Press, via USA Today Sports]
