Michigan is drafting a five-year, $55 million Fans Favourite Extension

admin | December 7, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

The football program’s amazing success during the past three seasons has encouraged many to advocate for a new contract that would lock Jim Harbaugh down in Ann Arbor for the foreseeable future.

Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines have had an amazing three years together. The Wolverines had three straight victories over Ohio State, three straight Big Ten Championships, and three consecutive appearances in the College Football Playoffs after hitting a low point in 2020 when the team finished at 2-4 and it appeared like Harbaugh might be leaving.

The football program’s tremendous success over the last three seasons has prompted many to advocate for a new contract that would keep Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor for the foreseeable future. According to the most recent Sports Illustrated report, Michigan is on the verge of doing just that…assuming Harbaugh does not pursue NFL opportunities.

Reporting on Harbaugh’s potential departure to the NFL has become an annual tradition that Michigan football fans would like to see end, but Harbaugh made it clear last offseason that it’s something he considers.

“It went back to February 3, 2013, when the team in San Francisco got within five yards, one play of winning the Super Bowl,” Harbaugh said. “And two years after that, (I) left the 49ers to come to Michigan and signed a seven-year contract. And those seven years were up, and I wondered if that was the time, or if there would be a time to go back and try to finish that. And so yeah, I explored it. I don’t apologize for exploring it.”

Despite the fact that he chose to return to Michigan after interviewing for an NFL head coaching position, his relationship with the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA has led many to believe (once again) that this could be his final year in Ann Arbor.

Harbaugh began the season with a three-game self-imposed suspension for minor NCAA recruiting violations from 2020. Harbaugh then missed the final three regular-season games against Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State due to a Big Ten Conference suspension stemming from the sign-stealing scandal. Even if Harbaugh misses a total of six games during the 2023 season, the NCAA could still impose additional sanctions for the sign-stealing scandal in the future – something that will almost certainly factor into Harbaugh’s decision-making process.

In any case, it’s clear that the University of Michigan, its administration, players, and fans all want Jim Harbaugh to be the Wolverines’ head coach for the foreseeable future.