Jim Harbaugh isn\u2019t going anywhere in 2023 unless it\u2019s by his own choosing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soon as the final whistle sounded vs. TCU on New Year\u2019s Eve, the chatter began: Should Harbaugh be fired? How does that make sense after a 13-0 regular season and back-to-back Big 10 titles over OSU? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s a better question: How does getting rid of Harbaugh because he\u2019s a perennial bowl game loser make the Michigan Wolverines football program any stronger? It doesn\u2019t, and good luck finding a better HC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fear (belief?) is that Harbaugh won\u2019t ever deliver a national championship, which is probably true, though that\u2019s not his fault. The SEC is historically loaded, the transfer portal is not Michigan\u2019s friend, OSU will reload, as will Wisconsin and Penn State, so the road to the CFB isn\u2019t going to get any easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s true that Harbaugh is largely a king in Michigan, given near autonomous control of one of the nation\u2019s leading football programs. It\u2019s a big, hairy job with lots of responsibilities but Harbaugh is used to the limelight. Some might even say he craves it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there are bigger markets than Michigan — bigger paychecks too; don\u2019t think for a moment that Harbaugh could not attract interest or top dollars in one of a handful of NFL markets in 2023. From Jim Harbaugh’s point of view, the options must seem tantalizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ever since Jim Harbaugh came to Michigan, there has been a whiff in the air of his return to the NFL one day, i.e. it has always been part of the storyline. Really, we are just at the point of watching how it plays out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is not to suggest that Harbaugh wants to make the move, right now, merely that he has legitimate choices to consider if he does want to get back into the NFL: Consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, should the Wolverines fire Harbaugh? I say, No, but they should start thinking about how to replace him. Because in 2023 or eventually, he\u2019s going to leave for the NFL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jim Harbaugh seems like he’s been given an endless leash with Michigan, but during this firing window, he may choose to leave on his own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":51920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[797,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-ncaa-college-football"],"yoast_head":"\n