4 potential replacements if Jim Harbaugh leaves for the NFL

4. Bill O’Brien

The other name that makes a ton of sense is Bill O’Brien, the current offensive coordinator at Alabama and former head coach of the Houston Texans.

When you think about it, there are a lot of similarities between O’Brien and Harbaugh. Both have been head coaches in the NFL and college and had success in both places. Things didn’t end well for O’Brien in Houston, but he led the Texans to four playoff berths and five winning seasons.

O’Brien also knows the Big Ten. He left the New England Patriots to be the head coach of Penn State in 2012-13 in the midst of scandal and turned things around going 15-9 in two seasons.

And not only has O’Brien coached under the great Nick Saban but also under Bill Belichick. He’s worked with some great quarterbacks, including Tom Brady, and would certainly seem to have Tom’s endorsement which would have to carry some weight in terms of accepting him.

O’Brien isn’t a Michigan guy but who cares? He’s a bright offensive mind and he knows how to develop quarterbacks. Plus after learning under Saban, as others have done such as Lane Kiffin, O’Brien is ready to be a head coach again and U-M makes a lot of sense if there’s an opening.

Hopefully, there isn’t and Jim Harbaugh is signed to a long-term extension to be Michigan football head coach well into the future. However, if the unthinkable happens, watch out for these four candidates.