ESPN’s Rece Davis’regrets’ failing to follow closely Jim Harbaugh on his coaching future

One of the most talked-about topics in college football this summer has been Jim Harbaugh’s future as head coach of Michigan.

Harbaugh, who led Michigan to its first national championship in a quarter-century by defeating the Washington Huskies 34-13 in the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8, has been thinking about his future and whether he wants to stay at Michigan or return to the NFL, most likely as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

During an interview with ESPN’s Rece Davis shortly after the triumph, Harbaugh largely avoided discussing his future and instead focused on living in the present and savoring the occasion.

Davis, who co-hosts The College GameDay Podcast with ESPN’s Pete Thamel, discussed the conversation and expressed regret for not asking a follow-up question.

“It wasn’t like he walked in there going, ‘I’ve done my job, and now I can’t wait to get back to the NFL,'” Davis said, according to Jordan Bondurant of Barrett Sports Media. “He was pretty much quintessential Harbaugh in terms of the way he answered it.”

Davis struggled because he knew Harbaugh would not respond if he asked him directly if he planned to quit Michigan. So Davis would have to be imaginative, which came to him after the interview, rather than during it.

“There’s always a question you leave on the table, and this was just a mistake on my part. I regret not asking the follow-up question, “What would it take to get you to leave Michigan?” Davis added. “That’s a pretty basic question that I missed, and I wish I had asked it that way.”

Davis noted that, while he didn’t expect Harbaugh to respond, he should have asked.