Harbaugh to Chargers
After nine years, three straight Big Ten titles, three straight wins over Ohio State, three straight trips to the Playoff, one National Championship, and many, many failed attempts, someone with a Harbaugh-to-NFL rumor seems to finally be correct.
Breaking: Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan to accept the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 24, 2024
The Chargers get their man while the national champions now have a head-coach opening. pic.twitter.com/e937qd03hP
…as seemingly confirmed by the Chargers.
WHO’S GOT IT BETTER THAN US??
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 25, 2024
Whether they initiate a cursory search process first or not, the job is going to Sherrone Moore. Michigan's incumbent OC/OL coach served as interim head man four times last year, winning at Penn State, and winning the most narratively significant Michigan-Ohio State game ever played. More importantly, insiders say Sherrone Moore has the confidence of the players and staff. Also the other names talked about during periods of high Harbaugh departure inevitability were Kalen DeBoer, recently installed in Saban's chair, and Jedd Fisch, who is taking DeBoer's.
While the bulk of the coaching staff should stay put, if/when they name Moore he will need new coordinators for all three phases. During the post-2020 program rebuild Harbaugh brought in a lot of staff with deeper ties to Michigan than himself. If/when Moore is named, he is likely to hold onto critical architects of that turnaround like Steve Clinkscale, Mike Hart, Ron Bellamy, Mike Elston, Grant Newsome, Kirk Campbell, Denard Robinson, and most importantly S&C coach Ben Herbert. Defensive wunderkind Jesse Minter and the somehow still vastly underemployed Jay Harbaugh are expected to join Jay's dad in LA. If I was Sherrone I would ask them to use what they were going to pay Jim to try to hold onto those guys.
Michigan had some hope of holding onto Harbaugh, but one cannot win the Lombardi Trophy at Michigan. College coaches who can make the leap to the pros are rare--Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, Lou Holtz all failed--and among them Harbaugh is the rarest: a successful college coach who's *already* taken an NFL team to the Super Bowl. It stings to lose him now, when Michigan's as strong as it's been in our lifetimes, but I've never met a Stanford fan who lamented Bill Walsh, a Canes fan mad at Jimmy Johnson, or a happy USC fan whether they had Pete Carroll or not.
This will not be the last time we talk about Jim Harbaugh, who turned around a program experiencing its worst decade since the 1950s, and leaves, like Fritz Crisler, after taking one of the greatest teams ever assembled to the pinnacle of college football. Crisler's top lieutenant promptly won another championship, but in the years afterward Michigan's administration fell behind in a rapidly changing landscape. Perhaps the benefit of knowing history is the power to learn from it.
Welcome, fans of the reigning National Champions, to the Age of Moore.
[Barron]
UPDATE: official. Statements from Santa Ono and Warde Manuel after the jump.
University of Michigan President Santa Ono Statement
We have been in talks with Jim Harbaugh for the last several weeks and have tried our best to retain him as our football coach. Jim called me today and let me know that he has made the difficult decision to leave Michigan and join the Los Angeles Chargers in pursuit of his NFL dreams.
For the fans, the players, and for me personally, we are sad to hear of Jim’s departure. His drive and ambition turned our program around, delivered our first national championship in a quarter century and maintained Michigan as the all-time winningest team in the history of college football.
I thank Jim for all he has done for the University of Michigan and respect his decision. He has been an extraordinary leader and a friend. I will be cheering for Jim as he embarks on this next adventure.
----------------------------
University of Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel Statement
I want to thank Jim for everything he has done for our football program, athletic department and the University of Michigan over the past nine years. Every day, he has worked extremely hard to elevate the stature of Michigan across the world, with the goal of winning championships and developing young men on and off the football field.
Jim did exactly what he sought to do at Michigan, build our program to consistently win Big Ten Championships and compete for national championships, culminating with a record three straight outright conference titles and the national championship this year. He did the same off the field by graduating his players and providing life experiences through mentorships, internships and team trips around the globe.
We have been discussing a new contract that would make Jim the highest paid coach in college football. In the end, he wanted to explore and ultimately decided to pursue a return to coaching in the NFL. We can’t thank Jim enough for all that he has done for our student-athletes, staff and Michigan Football. He will always be a huge part of our rich history, and will be remembered as an all-time great Wolverine, as both a championship player and coach.
Jim has always been extremely upfront with his communication regarding NFL opportunities and has been helpful with this transition in leadership. We had a great conversation tonight when he informed me of this decision to return to the NFL and offered his assistance in helping identify the needs for the program moving forward.
We are working quickly to hire the next head coach for the program and will do everything possible to keep this current staff and team together.
We appreciate Jim’s dedication and passion for Michigan, the university and Ann Arbor, and I wish Jim and the entire Harbaugh family much success with the Los Angeles Chargers.
#GoBlue
January 24th, 2024 at 9:50 PM ^
Keep Jay Harbaugh! Offer him Co-OC!! He's a great recruiter and his position always seems to be well coached. Plus give him room to grow outside of his dad's shadow
January 24th, 2024 at 10:01 PM ^
I tip my cap to Jim Harbaugh. "We're going to do it or die trying." Absolute baller.
January 24th, 2024 at 10:19 PM ^
It has more panache than Ryan Day's "We're going to do it or go bankrupt trying."
January 24th, 2024 at 10:02 PM ^
I'll be rooting for the Lions over the Chargers in next year's superbowl
January 24th, 2024 at 10:17 PM ^
Thank you, Jim. Good luck. Go, Blue!
January 24th, 2024 at 10:17 PM ^
Warde: We are working quickly to hire the next head coach for the program and will do everything possible to keep this current staff and team together.
Yeah, it's definitely Sherrone.
Give him the resources he needs to hire an elite OC and DC, and to win some NIL battles.
January 24th, 2024 at 10:28 PM ^
hope Sherrone aint David Shaw...
January 25th, 2024 at 1:54 AM ^
David Shaw is an excellent coach
January 24th, 2024 at 11:19 PM ^
I'm ok with this. Jim did it, he deserves this.
I wish S. Moore the best and hope he is just as outstanding. I just hope down the road we don't lament the fact that because of Harbaugh's propensity to F around and lead people on his yearly NFL odysseys we missed out on Kalen Deboer or Jedd Fisch.
January 24th, 2024 at 11:40 PM ^
Not a fan. Won't knock anything he or the players did, but it feels at this moment like everything was put in the basket for this last year, and now that new opportunities are possible, he heads out at a time when the program is left vulnerable rather than building on last year's success. No one is bigger than the team, not even the coach.
January 24th, 2024 at 11:42 PM ^
A number of days ago, Will Johnson said he knew what the decision was but he would not reveal it publicly.
Was that just JJs decision, or did he actually know what Harbaugh was going to do?
If he really did know what Harbaugh was going to do, then the remaining coaching staff has been working on the transition for awhile.
And all those defensive stars that committed to staying at Michigan knew what was up as well (including Minter's status). They won't just bail now that Harbaugh is gone.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:09 AM ^
IMO, it was a done deal when Michigan practiced at SoFi
January 24th, 2024 at 11:54 PM ^
Now we have Moore!
January 25th, 2024 at 12:06 AM ^
Definitely a sad moment.
But, I thought this would most likely be the case when Jim won a national championship at Michigan.
It was a hell of run, especially the last three years.
Seeing Michigan win a National Championship and 3x B1G Champion is a hell of a mic drop.
Bittersweet news, but at the same time, appreciate what he was able to accomplish. Thanks for the memories coach! And bringing back the skinny Block M!
Onwards.
January 25th, 2024 at 12:20 AM ^
Reminded me of the quote over Clements Hall... "In darkness dwells the people which knows its annals not."
January 25th, 2024 at 12:24 AM ^
Go Blue! On to the next era.
January 25th, 2024 at 12:49 AM ^
Jim had to leave. He’s a competitor and he risked not being able to compete by staying at Michigan. Even if Warde, Santa, and the Regents gave him 100% immunity, the NCAA could impose a 1-2 year suspension on him given how their rule book is written. Michigan leadership cannot change that possibility. The Chargers job guarantees him the opportunity to not just simply compete, which would be enough for him, but to compete for a prize that has already eluded him - a Super Bowl Championship. Good luck to Coach Harbaugh, and thank you for bringing the program back to respectability before 2020 and for the best three year stretch of Michigan football that I’ve ever seen after the COVID year. It was a special run.
January 25th, 2024 at 2:17 AM ^
Best of luck, Jim, you beautiful s.o.b.
January 25th, 2024 at 7:43 AM ^
I am good with Moore becoming the head coach, and with a contract long enough to stabilize recruiting and such. The man more than earned a shot at this in my opinion.
January 25th, 2024 at 8:04 AM ^
Anyone advocating for a coaching search has lost touch with present day college football. The program would be gutted. A mass of players would leave. It has to be Moore for stability and continuity. UM needs to knock it out the park on coordinator hires and retain Herbert. This is the only way to keep the train rolling.
January 25th, 2024 at 8:13 AM ^
Well, I guess he wasn’t a true MICHIGAN MAN AFTER ALL!
January 25th, 2024 at 8:40 AM ^
THOSE WHO STAY
see ya
January 25th, 2024 at 8:47 AM ^
Minter is likely gone now as well.
I want to see Moore hired as HC. Promote Hart to OC, Campbell to QB/Passing game coordinator, Newsome to OL. Pick up a young for TEs and try out Denard at RB coach.
For defense I’d certainly try to offer high $$$ to Minter to stay, although it’s not likely. If he goes with Harbaugh then go after Jim Leonhard as DC, while upping the $$$ to all the rest of the remaining defensive staff (including Jay Harbaugh as safeties and ST coordinator) and try to keep Minter’s dad on as at least a consultant or LB coach.
That recipe to me seems the best for continuity while also keeping some highly valuable coaches within the program. Leonhard in particular is an intriguing DC prospect as his defenses at Wisconsin were always pretty good while not having near the talent level of Michigan.
January 25th, 2024 at 9:16 AM ^
Thanks for all the incredible memories I now have with my son and Dad, Jim. Thank you! Go do you!!!
January 25th, 2024 at 9:28 AM ^
Beyond just making the greatest possible effort to maintain the current staff and the culture it has fostered, it's arguably equally important that the coaching symbiosis between UM and the Harbaughs' NFL staffs be maintained in the impending post-Harbaugh era. But I full well recognize that this is very much wishful thinking...
January 25th, 2024 at 10:20 AM ^
I am sorry to see Harbaugh go. At least it is not to the Falcons. I wish Harbaugh well, but I think he may have a tough, and short, career in LA. I certainly agree that it is clear that he still has something he wants to accomplish in the NFL, and that is tough to counter (particularly after a national championship). However, Warde Manuel has a lot to explain. First, compliance is really the AD’s ultimate responsibility. The Big 10 and NCAA issues, as stupid as they seem, should have been avoided with a properly run compliance program. Second, Manuel should have been able to deal with the investigations better. There is no way that we should have ended up with the situation we did right before the Penn State game. Again, that is the AD’s job, not the head coach or the President. Finally, he obviously did not maintain an effective relationship with Harbaugh here. The fact that President Ono had to become so deeply involved in dealing with Harbaugh alone shows that Manuel was ineffective in a core part of his job. There is no way to know if Harbaugh would still be at Michigan if Manuel had handled these matters more effectively, but none of that helped.
January 25th, 2024 at 10:24 AM ^
He's had his eyes on the NFL for so long and so obviously at this point that it was just a matter of time until he found an opportunity he liked. The impending NCAA stuff might have pushed him over the edge but this was coming eventually.
What an awesome ride he gave us.
January 25th, 2024 at 11:31 AM ^
All I can say about this news is: I wish nothing but the best for Harbaugh and his family. He did exactly what he set out to do at Michigan: he returned the program to heights rarely seen in its long history. Established what appears from the outside to be a top-notch culture. Out-developed, out-coached, and out-executed some of the best in the game. Won 3 B1G titles; reversed the streak of OSU dominance; advanced to the CFP 3 times; and won a national championship. Godspeed, Coach, and thank you for everything.
I am excited about the possibilities with Sherrone Moore as head coach, and who knows, maybe this even helps us on the recruiting front!?
January 25th, 2024 at 12:51 PM ^
It is the easy choice and I don't think anyone will agree with me but promoting Moore to coach isn't a good idea. He has absolutely no head coach experience (Harbaugh was the head coach when he was suspended) and he is expected to coach one of the premier teams in College football. I thought Kalen DeBoer would be the perfect coach for Michigan. Let me add. I hope I'm wrong for thinking this way and Sherrone will turn out to be a great coach...
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