Michigan Football: Rumors of a Jim Harbaugh contract extension

There is talk that Michigan football will give head coach Jim Harbaugh a three-year contract extension.

Among Michigan football fans, there is definitely a pretty big divide between those that want head coach Jim Harbaugh to return and those that don’t.

That’s not really anything new though. Throughout his tenure as Michigan football coach, Harbaugh has had his supporters and his detractors — it just seems that more now count themselves among the latter, not the former.

Of course, that will happen when you have a 2-4 season and really struggle to compete in a number of games. Michigan football didn’t just lose at times, it didn’t even hold a lead once against Michigan State, Indiana, Wisconsin and Penn State. Mind you, three of those were at home.

Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic made everything different and it certainly hurt Michigan football with guys like Nico Collins and Ambry Thomas opting out.

But still, is that really an excuse? In year 6?

Well, it looks as though athletic director Warde Manuel isn’t ready to make a change and while there have been rampant rumors about Harbaugh, this latest insider info comes from Chris Balas at Rivals (subscription required) who reports a three-year deal could be done or in the works.

Is Harbaugh extension really going to happen?

Harbaugh never showed many signs of being worried about his contract and despite there being rumors that he was telling recruits he wasn’t sure about his future, he confirmed with the Michigan Insider on Friday that those reports were not true.

Sam Webb even said that Harbaugh confirmed that directly to him via a text message. Webb and others also haven’t reported anything that would lead one to think Michigan football is making a change.

Essentially, every Michigan “insider” has been the saying the same thing for weeks, whether it’s online or newspapers or wherever — people who actually have sources within the program have been saying there is no sign of a change. Heck, John Bacon has said that all along.

Some people won’t like it and it’s understandable. But a three-year deal also doesn’t lock Harbaugh in as the head coach long-term either.

If it does happen and I would expect it sometime this week if it does, simply for recruiting purposes with the early-signing period starting Dec. 16, the numbers will be interesting.

Harbaugh has said he wants to bet on himself and he should have to in this contract. It should feature a lot of incentives and a chance for Harbaugh to make elite money if he delivers, while also giving the Wolverines a chance to move on in a year or two still even if he doesn’t turn it around.

For those that want someone like Matt Campbell or Luke Fickell or just someone else, this will be a gut punch if it happens, especially if one of those coaches gets a job somewhere else and proves to be elite.