Next autumn, Michigan will have a new head football coach on the sidelines as Jim Harbaugh departs to join the Los Angeles Chargers as head coach in the NFL.
Given the present roster and the recruiting class of 2024, it is imperative that the next coach be able to forge strong alliances, cultivate relationships, and win over players and their families.
Jim Harbaugh was fired by many Michigan supporters following the 2020 season. Rather, the head coach was retained by the Wolverines, and he went on to lead the team to one of its greatest runs ever. All CFB administrators ought to be aware of that.
Some Michigan supporters wanted Jim Harbaugh gone before coach departed to join the Los Angeles Chargers and before he guided the Wolverines to three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances. Take a look at a couple of these headlines from the 2020 season, in which Michigan played a truncated 2020 COVID-19 schedule and finished 2-4 overall.
Wolverine Digest: “Send Jim Harbaugh Packing”
“Jim Harbaugh should be fired for turning Michigan into a national disgrace, not a national champion.” — Deadspin
“It’s time for the Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan to end.” — Corn and Beer
It’s too simple to criticize Jim Harbaugh, therefore I’m tired of doing it. They must get a divorce amicably. There won’t be any improvement.” — Paul Finebaum
flammable? Yes. Even though those headlines were harsh, they captured the sentiments of some Michigan fans.
Ohio State wasn’t defeated by Harbaugh. He was not the Big Ten champion. He was not in the CFB Playoffs.
That story has a single flaw: Harbaugh was Michigan’s most successful coach in a long time.
Through the 2020 season, he has an overall record of 49-22 at Michigan, which was by far the team’s best run since Lloyd Carr was on the sidelines. He was a good recruiter.
His lone season below.500 occurred in an odd COVID-19 year. In 2016, he was just inches short from making it to the CFB Playoffs. Context is important.
A few administrations would have given in to the demands of their supporters. After all, in the high-stakes world of college football, common sense seldom prevails. Rather, Michigan reinstated Harbaugh. He accepted a significant pay reduction of $4 million, or almost half of what he had earned the previous season, and signed a deal with generous incentives to return for the 2021 campaign.
In January 2021, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel stated, “I continue to believe that Jim is the right man to lead our program in pursuit of Big Ten and CFP championships.”
After then, Michigan went 40-3, taking home three Big Ten titles and culminating earlier this month with the program’s first national championship since 1997.
