The word is out that Jim Harbaugh’s representatives are aiming for his return to the NFL. Is this the right move for Michigan football’s head coach?
Michigan football is in the midst of another disappointing season under the watch of head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines are currently sitting at a 5-2 record, and games against top-10 teams Notre Dame and Ohio State await.
The former Wolverines’ quarterback is in his fifth season in charge in Ann Arbor and has compiled a paltry 29-11 overall record. Harbaugh’s struggles in the big games are well-documented: Michigan is 1-10 against Top 10 foes under his watch. He’s 0-1 against Notre Dame, 2-2 against Michigan State, and, of course, he’s 0-4 against arch rival Ohio State.
For the big splash that his hire made five years ago, for the overseas trips that his Michigan teams have promoted, and for the NFL coaching experience that he brings, his tenure at Michigan has been a tremendous disappointment. It’s not surprising that, according to FootballScoop, Harbaugh is already planning his exit strategy to the NFL coaching ranks.
But, the above information considered, a move to the NFL right now isn’t the best move for Harbaugh and for Michigan.
Harbaugh spent four years in the NFL with the 49ers, reaching the NFC Championship Game three times and the Super Bowl once — a loss to the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. The type of team that would hire him as a head coach would be one in dire straits. Maybe it wouldn’t be quite as bad as the Miami Dolphins gig, but it would certainly be a team with young talent, an unproven quarterback, and a disgruntled fanbase.
For Michigan, who would want to take this job? Any established college head coach would think long and hard before accepting a position in which the margin of error is slim and the pressure to win big is relentless — not to mention that Ohio State is killing it on the recruiting trail and on the field against the Wolverines. A fat paycheck would help, but are Michigan fans convinced that this is a top-ten job nationally?
On the road against current No. 6 and undefeated Penn State, I watched a Michigan team stumble out of the gate and fall behind 21-0. That team didn’t quit amidst the throng of white-out madness in Happy Valley.
With the steady rushing of Zach Charbonnet and a corps of playmaking receivers that tried to aid their beleaguered quarterback, Shea Patterson, Michigan clawed back to a one-possession deficit and had a true chance to tie the score late in the fourth quarter. For the last half of the game, Michigan didn’t play like a team scared of the spotlight in a big game.
Michigan fans shouldn’t quite yet give up on Harbaugh, especially with the chances upcoming that he has in 2019 to improve his terrible record against ranked opponents. Harbaugh shouldn’t count on his chances, either, of landing a head coaching or offensive coordinator position with a successful NFL team.