Jim Harbaugh finished his coaching tenure with the Michigan Wolverines with…

Jim Harbaugh delivered on his promise.

Harbaugh concluded his coaching career with the Michigan Wolverines with a CFP national championship and three consecutive crushing victories over archrival Ohio State. Throw in an instant classic overtime victory over football powerhouse Alabama in the 2024 Rose Bowl. Plus, as a parting gift, he sent a record 18 scholarship athletes to the NFL combine.

Harbaugh, a true “Michigan Man,” could not have done more for the Michigan Wolverines than to remain as head coach. Instead, he elected to join the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. Of all, no Michigan fan could begrudge Harbaugh his chance to win the Super Bowl. What Jim Harbaugh accomplished, however magnificent it was, remains almost inexplicably elusive. The perfect record of 15-0, the national championship, and high-profile triumphs over great opponents are all nearly impossible for anyone. Jim Harbaugh accomplished this feat for his alma mater, Michigan.

Juwan Howard, a member of Michigan’s Fab Five and a Michigan Man, departed just a few weeks after Jim Harbaugh. Except that Howard got dismissed. The unifying thread between them is not that they are Michigan guys. Rather, they reflect the end of the assumption that the Michigan Wolverines’ coach must be a Michigan man. This is probably a good thing. In fact, there are no other options.

Jim Harbaugh Versus Juwan Howard

Jim Harbaugh returned to Michigan like a prodigal son, only wiser, wealthier, and more confident in his future. Just what the Michigan Wolverines needed. The winningest program in collegiate football history was experiencing a remarkable decade-plus of football futility.

Harbaugh’s record as a player and as a coach was flawless. As an added bonus, he was from Michigan.

Contrast that with Juwan Howard, the recently ousted head coach of the Michigan Wolverines basketball team. Howard, a member of Michigan’s legendary Fab Five, saw success in both college and the pros, as did Harbaugh. His return to Michigan was not as enthusiastically received as Jim Harbaugh’s. To be fair, unlike Michigan football when Harbaugh returned, Michigan men’s basketball was enjoying unprecedented success under coach John Beilien, who, like Harbaugh, chose to go for the pros.

Howard’s Michigan Wolverines ended in the bottom half of the Big Ten, but Jim Harbaugh’s team won the championship. Jim Harbaugh finished 15-0; Juwan Howard finished 8-24. Yes, the Michigan football team won almost twice as many games this season as the Michigan men’s basketball team. However, their nearly simultaneous exits indicate the end of the de facto requirement to hire a former Michigan great (player) as head coach.

A Whole New World of College Athletics

In today’s ruthless world of big money collegiate athletics, “student athletes” demand advance compensation and threaten to hit the door if they aren’t given playing time. In the middle of all this, Jim Harbaugh established a team culture that valued hard effort and sacrifice.

This may no longer be possible.

Yes, Jim Harbaugh wants to win the Super Bowl. But he also recognizes the importance of NIL money and a weaponized transfer gateway. When combined, these factors have the potential to outperform even the best college coaching efforts.

Alabama recognizes the new reality.

Nick Saban, the Alabama football coach, is widely regarded as one of the finest college football coaches of all time. He retired immediately after Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines defeated his Crimson Tide in the 2024 Rose Bowl.

Within days, the University of Alabama had signed his replacement, the highly respected Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer is from Washington, the team that Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines defeated in the 2024 College Football Championship. DeBoer isn’t a “Alabama man.” Alabama wisely did not insist that its coach be a former Alabama player.

Does Michigan understand?

When Harbaugh left for the NFL, the logical next step was to conduct a nationwide search for the best candidate. Warde Manuel, Michigan’s athletic director, went with his gut. He hired Sherrone Moore, Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator and the man who filled in as head coach after Harbaugh was punished by the NCAA.

Probably, the decision was forced upon him.

But who will Warde Manuel hire to succeed Juwan Howard? The consensus candidates are not Michigan guys. Only one of the ‘rumor’ candidates, San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher, can be considered a Michigan man. Dutcher is in his sixties and worked as an assistant at Michigan in the 1980s. He is not likely to get the call.

There is simply too much money and media. College sports, at least in football and basketball, are currently or will soon become totally professional endeavors. Hiring a coach because he (or she) has ties to the university is as antiquated as granting a “student athlete” a four-year scholarship. The end of the Michigan Man corresponds to the end of the scholar athlete.