After another flirtation with the NFL, Jim Harbaugh is returning to coach Michigan in 2023.
“I just got off the phone with Coach Harbaugh and Jim shared with me the great news that he is going to remain as the Head Coach of the Michigan Wolverines,” university president Santa Ono tweeted Monday. “That is fantastic news that I have communicated to our Athletic Director Warde Manuel.”
“I love the relationship that I have at Michigan – coaches, staff, families, administration, President Santa Ono and especially the players and their families. My heart is at the University of Michigan. I once heard a wise man say ‘Don’t try to out-happy, happy’. Go Blue!” Harbaugh said in a statement.
It marked the second time this month that Michigan publicly celebrated Harbaugh honoring the basic terms of their agreement.
On Jan. 5, Harbaugh released a statement that he was “aware of the rumors and speculation” regarding his future. “While no one knows what the future holds, I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023,” Harbaugh said.
Michigan football retweeted that statement with the headline, “A Michigan man through and through.”
Harbaugh reportedly had had a conversation — not an interview — with Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper about that team’s coaching vacancy. He was also expected to generate interest from the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts, with The Athletic reporting that Harbaugh was all but gone from Michigan if he gets an offer from an NFL franchise.
Harbaugh signed a five-year, $36.7 million contract extension last season following significant discussions with the Minnesota Vikings. He discussed the opening with the Vikings twice, including an in-person sit-down with ownership on National Signing Day, only to ultimately return as Wolverines head coach.
Michigan first hired Harbaugh as head coach in 2015. The Wolverines are 74-24 under Harbaugh with five consecutive bowl game losses since winning the Citrus Bowl in 2015.
The former Michigan quarterback, who played in the NFL from 1987-2001, last coached in the NFL from 2011-2014, guiding the San Francisco 49ers to five playoff wins, a 44-19-1 record and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII.
–Field Level Media
