Michigan Football: Time to get this deal done with Jim Harbaugh
Michigan football and head coach Jim Harbaugh still haven’t finalized an extension and here’s why it needs to get done soon.
On Sunday, it was announced that Michigan football would not take part in a bowl game, which means that the 2020 season is officially over.
It also means it’s time to stop wasting time and come to an agreement with head coach Jim Harbaugh on a contract extension.
It’s been reported that Michigan football is offering Harbaugh a three-year extension that offers a lower base salary and buyout, but is incentive laden. We also know that Harbaugh had a long meeting with Warde Manuel last week to discuss things.
Now, I hope the two men can come together and work out a deal and in the best-case scenario, that would help in the next couple of days, which is at least possible according to Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider (subscription required).
It’s hard to say if Harbaugh doesn’t like the contract or if there are any of those details to be worked out. But if Manuel wants him back and Harbaugh wants to be at Michigan, it shouldn’t be too hard to come to an agreement.
What’s the holdup?
Certainly, Jim is used to being paid as an elite coach, but make the contact structured so that if he wins the Big Ten and beats Ohio State, he will be paid as such.
But something needs to happen sooner rather than later. For one, there has been talk about big changes on the coaching staff if Harbaugh does return.
Putting the right staff in place is essential and it’s not something that can wait a very long time or Michigan will fall behind other programs looking to make similar moves. The big name coordinators are only available for so long.
The other thing is that the longer this drags out, the more Harbaugh could be enticed by the NFL. Now, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Michigan could go get Matt Campbell, who is the hot name right now in terms of outside coaches.
There have been rumors that he would be interested in the job and also that he wouldn’t. It seems like it would be hard to say no to Michigan, but keep in mind, the Wolverines will have to pay him essentially what they paid Harbaugh $7-8 million per year.
Honestly, I want either Harbaugh or Campbell coaching the team next year. Luke Fickell isn’t coming and no other coach besides Campbell seems like an upgrade.
But after getting his five-star quarterback and some of the best skill position recruits Michigan has landed in decades, it would be interesting to see what Harbaugh can do with them.
If he still doesn’t make any progress with these guys, then maybe he’s just not right the right guy for the job. But I think he deserves the chance to try and if all parties want that, they need to lock themselves in a room and get a deal done before the Christmas holiday.
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Otherwise, the Wolverines need to begin their pursuit of Campbell in earnest and right away. But more than anything, this program just needs to start its new path moving forward, whether that’s under Harbaugh, with some big changes or an entirely new regime.