Michigan Football: 3 realistic candidates if Jim Harbaugh goes to NFL

3. Mike Hart

If Jim Harbaugh does wind up leaving for the NFL, then the current running backs coach Mike Hart could be another very realistic candidate.

Yes, you can make some arguments against Hart, such as the fact that he hasn’t been an offensive coordinator and no he’s not a big name, but he’s built a really solid resume over the years.

Hart has moved around coaching running backs before he ended up at Indiana under Tom Allen. Not only was he the running backs coach there, but he was also the associate head coach.

And after making a big impact in his first year on the job, not only on the running backs but on the culture, he’s worth a long look. Hart is a Michigan man. He was one of the greatest running backs in school history and he’s dynamic when it comes to recruiting.

Hiring Hart would also allow the current coaching staff to stay in place. Gattis and Sherrone Moore can continue to shine in their roles, as well as Mike Macdonald on defense.

When Michigan was able to hire Mike Elston away from Notre Dame as the defensive line coach, many took that as a sign that Harbaugh was going to stay — otherwise, why would Elston take the job?

But with the NFL rumors persisting and Harbaugh not signing his new contract, it makes you wonder if Elston was given guarantees that either Harbaugh would be in Ann Arbor or there would be an in-house hire, giving him job security regardless of what happened.

And Hart is the only Michigan man that’s bound to be a head-coaching candidate and for a number of reasons, the guy who felt like he could be the head-coach-in-waiting might be taking over sooner than expected.