Michigan football to-do list after Jim Harbaugh's NFL departure

The thing Michigan football fans have been dreading finally came to pass on Wednesday, as Jim Harbaugh agreed to become the Los Angeles Chargers head coach.

It's not that big of a surprise and it's something that was coming eventually. I know people have seen that Michigan football upped its offer late, but I don't think it would have mattered. Harbaugh wanted to win a Super Bowl and Michigan couldn't offer him that.

Jim still loves Michigan and it sounds like he's doing what he can to help the Wolverines have a plan moving forward, which starts with hiring Sherrone Moore as the head coach.

That's expected to happen. But there is a seven-day waiting period. The job has been posted for that time according to state law. Looking ahead though, here are some of the things Michigan football has to get done in short order.

Get the waiver to get Sherrone Moore announced right away

Departments can apply for a waiver to have that seven-day job posting timeframe waived due to business needs and this would certainly seem to apply. The longer Michigan football waits to officially announce Moore, the more difficult it could be to prevent teams from poaching players.

Michigan players have 30 days to enter the transfer portal. The Wolverines need to survive that and the most important thing is getting Moore hired as soon as possible. Zak Zinter and other players offered their endorsement and it seems as if everyone is behind the current offensive coordinator.

Put your money where your mouth is

Michigan has been behind the 8-ball from day one when it comes to NIL. Things have been progressing but things will be put to the test as other programs are going to come after Michigan players like Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and others. You are kidding yourself if you think they haven't been approached already.

If Caleb Downs is worth almost $2 million on the market, what would Will Johnson be worth? He's being mentioned by Mel Kiper Jr. as a potential No. 1 overall pick. It sounds like more money has been raised and there is talk of Michigan football recruiting being more aggressive under Moore.

I hope that's the case, because without a solid NIL plan in place, it's going to be tough for Moore to keep the Wolverines among the college football elite. The Wolverines haven't been able to turn their success into success on the recruiting trail.

At least not the kind of success you'd expect after beating Ohio State three straight times, winning three conference titles, and winning the national championship. Michigan hasn't signed a five-star since Johnson in the 2022 class and he committed before all the winning started.

It's time to get into the 21st Century on the NIL front.

Assemble a coaching staff

Assuming that Moore is the next Michigan football head coach, the next big question is what will the staff look like? It's been reported that Jesse Minter and Jay Harbaugh are expected to leave with Harbaugh for the Chargers.

There has been some conflicting info on strength coach Ben Herbert. Herbert gets paid over $1 million dollars and is also the associate head coach. It sounded like Michigan football would be able to retain Herbert based on what John U. Bacon, a known insider, posted on X. But Bruce Feldman also reported that it was expected to Herbert goes to LA.

Keeping Herbert is essential. He's an elite strength coach and was a huge part of building the Wolverines' culture. He also was a huge part of the development of their football team. Kris Jenkins is a great example of that. He came to Michigan at around 240 pounds. Now, he's over 300 and probably going to be picked in the first two rounds of the NFL draft.

I feel like promoting Kirk Campbell to offensive coordinator makes a lot of sense. If Grant Newsome stays, he would be perfect as the offensive line coach. Mike Elston and Steve Clinkscale could each be candidates to take over as the defensive coordinator -- Clink has been Co-DC each of the past two seasons.

Promoting all of those guys from within is a little worrisome, but continuity is important. They have also earned an opportunity. But you could also see Michigan football grabbing another Ravens defensive assistant or maybe even Jim Leonhard, the former Wisconsin DC.

Either way, time is of the essence. Michigan football needs to act quickly and retaining its top talent on the field is the No. 1 priority.