Today's potentially meaningless quote - Harbaugh on whether he wants to be back in 2023: "Have I not showed that? I love Michigan. I love the team. I love everybody (there)."

Submitted by FrankMurphy on January 13th, 2023 at 2:31 PM

This is after declining to answer questions about the NFL or ongoing contract negotiations. The source is MLive beat writer Aaron McMann:

When I asked if he wanted to be back at Michigan, not just expects to be, he said: "Have I not showed that? I love Michigan. I love the team. I love everybody (there)." https://t.co/zbE6XUsOTZ

— Aaron McMann (@AaronMcMann) January 13, 2023

JonnyHintz

January 13th, 2023 at 8:19 PM ^

And if they’re willing to pay it, more power to them. A big payout received from an NFL team would go a long way to paying the large buyout of a top coach to replace him. 
 

I’d rather get $20 million for an NFL team hiring Jim than the $2 million or whatever it is now. If he’s gonna leave, we should be highly compensated for it. 

ashwood35

January 13th, 2023 at 6:07 PM ^

To me this screams that Jim has a higher standard of the program and how it should be run than the AD does. I think he's fighting/demanding the things necessary to make this a program he can be happy running for the next decade. It's entirely possible to want to be here and also know you have to have options if the school does not align with your vision. 

I relate it to a marriage where one party is all in but the other is complacent. This often leads to divorce. Hopefully Santa is the right marriage counselor to make this work.

bluesparkhitsy…

January 13th, 2023 at 6:09 PM ^

Does it, though? A person who is feeling unsupported by his employer is very likely to consider alternative employment options even if he loves his current job and wants to keep it.  What we know right now is that Warde hasn't given Coach a contract he can live with, hasn't done everything necessary to optimize the NIL program (in Coach's view, at least), and has been notably silent in the face of NCAA allegations.  On that last item in particular, many AD's would be hopping mad at the NCAA and would have their coach's back in a conspicuous way.

BleedThatBlue

January 13th, 2023 at 2:39 PM ^

This is annoying. To me, no, it doesn’t show he wants to stay when he has flip flopped since last year. How does he honestly think he has shown he wants to be here when he has interviewed with the broncos and wanted to talk or whatever with Carolina? I’m cool with harbaugh having issues with AD. But, to say he has shown he wants to stay here with these cryptic messages and that he “will most likely be the 2023 coach” is laughable. To me, this is a bad look. 

BleedThatBlue

January 13th, 2023 at 4:48 PM ^

I want him to stay as well. Still confident he stays, but this whole charade of him instilling confidence that it’s matter of fact he’s going to be UMs coach next year is at the very least questionable. If he wants all this annoyance to go away, simply state what he did after this escapade last year and shoot down the rumors. Not interview with NFL teams and just commit to UM. What’s that saying from one of those presidents? ““There's an old saying in Tennessee…I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee…that says, fool me once, shame on you. Fool…you can’t get fooled again.” 

BigBlue07

January 13th, 2023 at 11:11 PM ^

Well when you are coming off your second B1G title and we are recruiting like mid level B1G school what would you do. He has to leverage the NFL to get what he wants. More money to for assistance to keep the good ones we have in place. Open up the NiL money so the top recruits will come here easily. The fact that two five star QBs are walking out of the state of Michigan with the way the program is looking is crazy. Kids should be lining up to play at Michigan. But clearly the NIL here is dog water. And it needs to change so flirt with the NFL until Michigan gives him what he wants. Fire Warde or whatever to get it done I don’t care but it feels good to be a happy Michigan football fan again. They either get with the times of the current landscape of college football or go back to the Rich Rod, Brady Hoke days. 

CityOfKlompton

January 13th, 2023 at 3:50 PM ^

This. People keep making this analogy, but they are 100% not the same thing.

Jim is a high-level football coach with a very marketable resume. He should be protecting his worth and making sure he doesn't get railroaded by an employer simply because he already enjoys working there, especially when said employer and its fans would be quick to throw you out the door the moment you don't meet their absurdly high, often unfair expectations.

 

MichaelCarras

January 13th, 2023 at 8:10 PM ^

"Just because I wanted you fired after having the 8th best Power Five record and constantly calling you a disappointment after pulling the program out of a blazing inferno and wanting you replaced by some dogshit coach like Matt Campbell, you must be 100% committed to Michigan at all times unless you lose three games again. In that case you can look at other jobs because I will have you fired and replaced by some no name assistant who isn't qualified to coach at Grand Valley whom I will spite hire  because you dared look three years before at an NFL job and had the audacity to lose three games at Michigan. After my new hire fails and the team goes 5-7, I will blame you somehow for the losses. THIS IS A MARRIAGE AND YOR RUINED IT JIM."

BoCanHam15

January 13th, 2023 at 2:47 PM ^

He could never make some people happy.  Wanna know why?  Because generally if you check peoples general posting history and comments, they speak for themselves.  Continue on coach.  Enjoy your family and we will see you in the Spring.  Lord help some people.

HighBeta

January 13th, 2023 at 3:01 PM ^

Jim? I luv ya, I really do. The best thing you've done in 2023 is hire an agent. 

What you next need to do is hire a PR person to help you manage your image. You are a brilliant football mind, without ANY question. But what you don't know about personal image management, about controlling interviews and interviewers, could fill an entire semester of a graduate level seminar.

They offer Media Management Training to senior execs. Sign up, please?