Will Stephen Ross make that phone call?
Stephen Ross has said he loves Jim Harbaugh and thinks hes a great coach. He also said he would not be the one to hire Jim away from Michigan. Dolphins were targetting Brian Daibol for head coach but he was just hired by the giants. If Jim is really serious about the NFL does Ross call Jim and say hey if you are really set on leaving .I have a coaching Position for you in warm sunny Florida or does he call and say whatever Minnesota offers I will beat if you stay at Michigan.
GO BLUE
January 30th, 2022 at 9:46 AM ^
As much as I'd love to see Jim Harbaugh and Bill Belichick spar it out twice a season (Niners-Pats several years ago when Kap was still QB is one of the best regular season games of the last...15 years IMO), I don't think going to the highly dysfunctional Dolphins organization is a good idea. I'm guessing a lot of you are Lions fans (I'm a Pats fan fwiw) and are hoping he doesn't go to a division rival. I'm hoping he doesn't leave at all and if he does, he's in a position to succeed.
January 30th, 2022 at 9:52 AM ^
Did you forget how dysfunctional the 49ers were before James Joseph Harbaugh arrived?
Did you also forget how dysfunctional Michigan was before Harbaugh arrived?
Did you also forget how bad Stanford was before Harbaugh arrived?
I don't think Harbaugh minds rebuilding because he can build the team in his image.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
Did you forget how dysfunctional the 49ers were before James Joseph Harbaugh arrived?
The 49ers were dysfunctional, yes, but talented. They underachieved with a talented roster, which other than taking over a team that's already rolling presents the easiest path to success you could get. Overall, I'd say it's easier (or at least quicker) to remake a bad roster in college. You get a lot more "draft picks," and from a much larger talent pool where it's easier to find diamonds in the rough, you're not dealing with the salary cap and bad contracts, you can use scheme to take advantage of opponent weakness to a much larger degree (e.g. the "college crappe" that mostly doesn't work against the across the board elite athleticism in the NFL), etc.
For most if not all of the teams looking for a coach, I don't think Harbaugh's performance with the 49ers presents a comparable situation. Honestly if he did take one of those jobs (even Vegas or the Vikings, which have better rosters than tire fire teams like the Jags, Giants, Bears, etc.), I'd think it's much more likely he gets fired within three years than it is that he makes the conference championship game in that span.
January 30th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
My gut feeling is that the NFL has passed Jim by. He's clearly not as innovative as his brother. For him to succeed, he's going to need a modern OC, and he's going to have to step back a little.
I suppose he could focus on building a superior defense and win the way the Ravens did, but the league seems to be moving away from that.
January 30th, 2022 at 6:31 PM ^
I actually believe he loves the challenge of rebuilding and that is the reason he has moved from job to job more than anything else.
January 30th, 2022 at 9:49 AM ^
I just want Jim to be happy.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:03 AM ^
I mean, it’s clear Michigan is Jim’s second option to the NFL.
It seems whether it’s this season or next, Jim is not here for the long haul. It’s his choice but I care more about Michigan’s success at this point
January 30th, 2022 at 10:15 AM ^
I don't think that’s clear at all. Harbaugh has to see what the NFL is offering before he can set a pecking order in his mind. To see what the NFL is offering, he has to interview and GET an offer.
All that is clear is that he has some level of interest in the NFL. Whether he prefers that to Michigan is up in the air still. And I don’t think Harbaugh even knows the answer to that until he has both options on the table and can assess them.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:24 AM ^
Michigan insider reporters believe that Harbaugh would leave if offered.
Regardless, I guess we will wait and see to figure who’s right. I hope this ends soon, as this dragging out is not good for the program
January 30th, 2022 at 10:28 AM ^
Said the conversation was “exploratory” for all we know Jim could be asking(salary, roster management, etc.) more than what they are willing to give him.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:31 AM ^
Michigan insider reporters believe
We’re going with people guessing as being 100% accurate here?
I guess we will wait and see to figure who’s right.
I don’t really think that’s something we can wait to find out. If he stays at Michigan, it likely won’t be clear if he received an offer from the NFL or not. If he goes, it won’t be clear what Michigan offered and how it compares to the NFL offer. Nor what Harbaugh views as important in his contract. Staying at Michigan doesn’t mean he prefers Michigan and going to the NFL doesn’t mean Michigan is his second choice. It’s all about what is offered to him.
Basically, you’re taking Harbaugh hearing out NFL teams as him not wanting to be here. You’re taking insider “beliefs” as proof of this. When the reality is much more likely to be that he’s going to hear out all interested parties and make a choice based on the options in front of him.
That doesn’t mean he prefers one option over the other. He can, and likely does, want to do both. The offers he gets will determine which one he chooses to do in the end. Harbaugh wants to coach Michigan, but has a price that would lead him to the NFL. He has to wait and see if a team is willing to offer him that price before deciding. But hearing them out doesn’t mean Michigan is his second option.
January 30th, 2022 at 3:11 PM ^
"But hearing them out doesn’t mean Michigan is his second option."
Until the news about I think the idea that it's possible to be fully committed to a current job while interviewing for another job is silly. The fact that Harbaugh is apparently interviewing with an NFL franchise is literal proof that he's not entirely satisfied/happy/content with staying at Michigan.
There's nothing remotely wrong or unethical about that—most everybody in their working life has been in a situation where they have a job that's OK but not offering something important that they need, whether it's financial, emotional, professional, etc. so they seek other opportunities that will give them what's missing.
I also think that it's reasonable for Michigan season ticket holders and athletic department donors to expect that whoever the head coach is, he will be 100% committed to being the head coach.
If I were a recruit in the '23 and later classes, I wouldn't visit, let alone commit, as long as Harbaugh is looking at the NFL.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
I don’t consider the Vikings a promising opportunity. If anything they seem to be on the decline. Sure seems like he’ll interview with anyone who is willing to give him an interview. Maybe he wants to interview and do well and then even if he doesn’t get the job, word gets around the NFL that he did well and that gets him more opportunities now or next year.
All of this suggests Michigan is his #2 option. At this point I hope Minnesota hires him and Michigan can move on.
January 30th, 2022 at 12:49 PM ^
That still doesn’t point to Michigan being his 2nd option. It still just points to having interest in the NFL. And again, he can’t compare Michigan to an NFL offer to decide which one he prefers if he doesn’t HAVE an NFL offer to compare his Michigan offer to.
Assuming he doesn’t want to be at Michigan just because he is open to listening to other offers isn’t realistic. He can want both and the offers he receives (not just financially) will determine his choice.
You can love your current job and still listen to offers being thrown at you from outside companies. Never know if something tops your current situation until you get the offer. This isn’t a football coach specific thing. It happens constantly in the everyday world.
January 30th, 2022 at 2:25 PM ^
It’s clear or Jim would have made an announcement shutting down all the NFL rumors for recruiting purposes he has not.
January 30th, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^
If you love something, let it go.
If it comes back to you, tie it to a long term contract with a large buy out.
January 30th, 2022 at 2:29 PM ^
I love poetry
January 30th, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^
No. He won't do that to UM. He has too much invested in the school, including the Scholars Fund at Ross which has received amazing kudos for what its done for minorities.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:04 AM ^
The interesting part of the Ross quote is he implies he won’t pursue Harbaugh… but what if Harbaugh pursues Miami? I don’t see Ross going all out to get Harbaugh, but I also don’t see Ross telling Harbaugh no if that’s where Harbaugh wants to go.
January 30th, 2022 at 12:13 PM ^
He already did pursue Miami. Ross said no.
January 30th, 2022 at 12:39 PM ^
I must have missed that, can you link that for me?
January 30th, 2022 at 10:08 AM ^
When Ross said he won't be the one to take JH out of Michigan, my assumption is that it applied whether Ross led the soliciation or Harbaugh did. It just seems like he wouldn't do that. He's too loyal to the school.
January 30th, 2022 at 9:51 AM ^
I think the OP is referring to Webb's posts. Sam thinks Harbaugh will take the Vikings job if offered. He also thinks Ross(Miami) might get into the mix if Harbaugh is set to leave for the NFL.
This is from NFL.com
The Vikings requested and received permission from Michigan to speak with Harbaugh -- standard process for NFL teams -- and had an exploratory conversation with him Saturday afternoon to gauge his interest, sources say. Nothing further is scheduled, but Harbaugh remains a candidate for the job and it wouldn't be surprising if the Vikings bring him to the facility this week.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:25 AM ^
Where did you see Sam say "Harbaugh will take the Vikings job if offered?" I have not seen it.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:37 AM ^
He made two posts 7 hours ago on the 247 message board. Last two posts he made. I won't post the whole thing but here's his first sentence. He was responding to another poster.
Correct. I think he’s out if they offer.
January 30th, 2022 at 11:52 AM ^
4 weeks of “Insider “ info makes it very clear there are zero Harbaugh insiders. No one really knows
January 30th, 2022 at 10:01 AM ^
Why not both?
Ross can pay Harbaugh to coach at both UM and Miami and give him an unlimited NIL budget. Harbaugh builds a college football juggernaut that wins multiple CFP championships. He then uses his NFL draft picks to build a Dolphins roster with only UM players. Harbaugh becomes the first coach to win the Super Bowl and CFP championship with exactly the same roster.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:42 AM ^
I like your style Blue@LSU.
Could we beat the SEC with that recipe?
January 30th, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
Thanks!
Not only do we best the SEC, but they get so tired of losing to UM that the conference abandons football altogether.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
Logged in to upvote. As long as we are going to pull things up out of truly thin air, we might as well be light-hearted about it.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:03 AM ^
Only call he is making today is to Dave Brandon to ask when his stuffed-crust pepperoni and wings are going to be delivered.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:05 AM ^
If Jim is dead set on going pro and Ross is interested in him, I’d have no problem if Ross went against his promise in light of Jim actually interviewing with a team. It’s a little like your ex breaking up with you then immediately start darting your friend, but Michigan is a very eligible bachelor. It’ll love again.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:13 AM ^
No state taxes! /s
January 30th, 2022 at 10:13 AM ^
Stephen Ross does not make that call. His reputation among various M alums would take a hit; the move might feature very bad "optics" ...
Note. I have been wrong before.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:20 AM ^
Let’s take a breath here…just because he interviewed for the job, doesn’t mean he is out of here. The guy who just got hired by the Vikings seems like a “known friend and trusted agent”. Could be Harbaugh is just doing a favor for someone he knows. Tom Izzo interviewed with the Hawks & Cavs back in the day. Coach K interviewed with the Lakers as a favor to Kobe. Both of those old geezers never left and will retire with their respective schools. Let’s pump the brakes on Harbaugh’s departure being imminent and pushing him off to jobs he hasn’t even interviewed for.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:29 AM ^
How is interviewing for a job a favor and a favor for who??
January 30th, 2022 at 10:37 AM ^
Could be two-fold, this gets the Vikings GM credibility in the organization by getting an interview from a guy who is a hot commodity. From JH’s side this ultimately creates leverage in contract negotiations for himself to let the university know he has options and make them reconsider a better offer.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:28 AM ^
Whatever happens I hope this ends it for future offseasons. I don't think it's fair to anyone involved, including the players, if every off season Michigan has to wait out every NFL vacancy. I know some will say " coaches can leave at any time" but there isn't a coach in college football that every year is rumored , rightfully or not, like Harbaugh.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:31 AM ^
Being fair to Harbaugh, this is really the first season where he's actually explored a return to the NFL. The rest were just false rumors attempting to hamstring M's recruiting efforts.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:33 AM ^
I mean this is the first time he’s even spoken to an NFL team. He can’t help he’s a popular name and that speculation will be brought up anytime there is a job opening. I don’t get fans like this…would you rather us be losing and have a coach nobody wants? Or winning and have someone at the helm who is coveted by the masses.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
Did I say that? Name one single coach that every year has the amount of rumors of them being up for NFL job than Harbaugh? The fact that he is entertaining this offers this year says everything.
January 30th, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
Great insight. Also it’s like most fanbases saying,”Harbaugh sucks.” Then this year trying to make sense of their hatred of Michigan by estimating that Harbaugh’s leaving us is because, he doesn’t love Michigan. He sucks. He isn’t a great coach either. However, he's just a coach, “that lots of other NFL teams revere!” Can it possibly make sense. No.
January 30th, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
I hear your point but I’d take this year in and year out if it means we keep stacking Big 10 championships
January 30th, 2022 at 11:38 AM ^
Yep to that, whatever Harbaugh was doing last offseason, this season was great. The problem is, if this keeps happening, it will affect recruiting.
I don't think it matters, though. If Jim is interested in the Vikings job, he pretty much just wants to go to the NFL. I think he'll be gone by the end of the week.
Honestly, if that's what he wants -- and to me, it clearly is -- then it is what it is. The AD will probably just plug in Gattis as HC.
January 30th, 2022 at 12:33 PM ^
I do think Ross might hire Jim, if it looks as if the Vikings would offer and Jim would accept, because that would not violate his pledge not to be the one to hire him away, since he was going to go either way. And no he would not be precluded from doing it because of what other alums might think.
With the Vikings change at GM, I do think it's very possible they will offer.
I also disagree about many comments made here about the Vikings and Dolphins being bad jobs. Those are 2 of the 3 or 4 most talented teams that did not make the play-offs and both have a solid core of talent. Frankly both are better openings than what you will find in a typical NFL offseason.
January 30th, 2022 at 12:48 PM ^
Considering how close to the vest Harbaugh always seems to play, it is hard for me to believe that any of the pundits or “insiders” predicting what he will or won’t do are doing anything more than guessing—which we all can do. Some will be right and some will be wrong. Doesn’t mean it’s anything more than a lucky guess for those who are right.
January 30th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
I’m hear for the negbang
January 30th, 2022 at 5:36 PM ^
Bluevod had Harbs to the chiefs
February 2nd, 2022 at 9:15 PM ^
How did Stephen’s phone call go?