ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh is reportedly heading back to the NFL to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Adam Schefter.
NFL rumors swirled around Harbaugh nearly every offseason of his nine-year tenure at the University of Michigan, but after leading the program back to the promised land, he’s finally decided to continue his pursuit of a Super Bowl ring.
Michigan fans will hate to see him go, but there are no hard feelings. After all, Harbaugh met even the wildest expectations during his time at Michigan.
When Harbaugh accepted the head coaching job at his alma mater, it was a shock to many outside of Ann Arbor. Never before had a successful pro coach willingly returned to the college level, especially not for a major rebuilding project.
Michigan was in shambles. Brady Hoke had just failed to qualify for a bowl game, and the Wolverines were coming off a seven-year stretch with only one successful season (an 11-2 campaign capped by a Sugar Bowl victory in 2011).
Across the seven seasons under Rich Rodriguez and Hoke, Michigan went a horrific 46-42, losing to the likes of Toledo, Minnesota, Rutgers, Maryland, Northwestern, and Illinois.
The Wolverines went 1-6 against both Ohio State and Michigan State during that span. Both rivals were competing for Big Ten championships while Michigan was just hoping to have meaningful games in November.
Harbaugh knew what he was getting himself into. At the time, few programs had the unsightly combination of sky-high expectations and miserable results. Even when Michigan was missing bowl games, fans believed the program should be competing for national championships.
Well, look where Michigan is now.
Despite both primary rivals being in the middle of golden ages, Harbaugh didn’t need long to chip away at the gap. He nearly beat the Spartans in his first season and then came an inch from defeating Ohio State and going to the playoff in Year 2.
Even though 2015-2019 isn’t really remembered as a successful stretch of Michigan football, it was pretty amazing how much the program improved. Twice Harbaugh had his team within reach of the four-team playoff going into the Ohio State game, and the Wolverines averaged 9.4 wins per year.
Then the COVID season happened, and Michigan fell into a dark place. Opt outs and injuries didn’t help, but really, it was just bad football. Michigan went 2-4 with losses to Michigan State and Indiana. A 49-11 home loss to Wisconsin sparked questions about whether the Harbaugh era should come to an end.
It’s a good thing Warde Manuel kept Harbaugh around.
Michigan made major staff changes, including the addition of former Ravens assistant Mike MacDonald as defensive coordinator. For the first time in 10 years, Michigan beat Ohio State. For the first time in 18 years, Michigan won the Big Ten.
Turns out that was just the start.
With J.J. McCarthy at quarterback, Michigan became a Big Ten juggernaut over the next two seasons. The Wolverines went 20-0 against conference opponents and took home their second- and third-straight Big Ten titles.
For the first time since 1997, Michigan rose to No. 1 in the rankings after a shutout victory over Iowa in the most recent Big Ten Championship Game. A team that couldn’t beat Maryland at home to get to bowl eligibility in 2014 had finished consecutive regular seasons 13-0 less than a decade later.
Then, in what ended up being the final game of Nick Saban’s legendary career, Michigan defeated college football’s greatest dynasty, Alabama, in the Rose Bowl semifinal to get to the national championship game.
Harbaugh’s final game was a masterpiece in the national championship against 14-0 Washington. The defense shut down Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards ran wild, and McCarthy did just enough to polish off the greatest season in program history.
In Harbaugh’s final three seasons, Michigan went 40-3 with three Big Ten championships, three wins over Ohio State, three College Football Playoff appearances, and a national title.
Michigan has won its most recent game against every Big Ten opponent -- both home and away. Its only conference loss since 2020 required a 16-point comeback and five-touchdown performance from Kenneth Walker III in East Lansing.
Harbaugh’s tenure hasn’t always been smooth, what with the violations during the COVID dead period and the sign-stealing saga centered around Connor Stalions. But he did what he came to do: Bring Michigan football back to prominence.
They said Michigan couldn’t beat its rivals. They said Michigan couldn’t win big games. They said Harbaugh would never beat Ohio State. They said Michigan would never get to Indianapolis. They said Michigan couldn’t win a playoff game. They laughed at the notion of Michigan winning a national title.
Harbaugh overcame each and every one of those barriers. And he did so emphatically.
His departure leaves a massive void in the program as college football hits the reset button. The Big Ten will add Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA to the mix next year. It will also eliminate divisions. The playoff will feature 12 teams.
Nobody truly knows what to expect, and now, there’s uncertainty for Michigan, too. But it’s thanks to Jim Harbaugh that this program is no longer an afterthought or a punchline.
He was already beloved for his time as a player. But now that he’s made the sport’s winningest program a national champion again, Harbaugh has cemented himself as a program legend.