4 potential replacements if Jim Harbaugh leaves for the NFL

3. Soup man (Matt Campbell)

Michigan football fans will remember the name of Matt Campbell. Many fans were hoping the Wolverines would fire Harbaugh last offseason in favor of Campbell.

And we all know how that worked out. Harbaugh stayed, won 12 games and a Big Ten title. Campbell also stayed at Iowa State and posted a 7-6 record with a team some expected to contend for the College Football Playoff.

But one down year shouldn’t diminish all Campbell has done at Iowa State. He’s 42-34 with the Cyclones and even coached them to a top 10 finish in 2020 and a Fiesta Bowl win. They even reached the Big 12 title game.

As we saw in the College Football Playoff, the coach at Michigan will have to do more with less to win a national title because the Wolverines can’t recruit like Georgia or Alabama. Sure, getting to the playoff will help and should improve recruiting, but U-M won’t play in the dirt. It won’t do what others will in terms of NIL, so a guy known for developing talent wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Plus Campbell can recruit. If you can win in Ames, Iowa, you can win just about anywhere including Ann Arbor. He’s also got ties to Ohio and coached at Toledo, where he had a successful run. Recruiting that state is important for Michigan football and Campbell can help with that.

Michigan also feels like a job that could actually get him to leave Iowa State. Some fans have soured on him but the Wolverines would do well to hire him if Harbaugh heads to the NFL.