Michigan keeping Jim Harbaugh isn’t as crazy you may think

The relationship between Michigan and Jim Harbaugh appears to be spiraling toward a bitter divorce, but working to save it may be in the best interest of all involved.

Unless you’re a fan of Alabama or Clemson, college football is a sport where it always feels like the sky is falling. For better or worse, the College Football Playoff has changed the barometer for success to make anything short of making it into at least a partial failure, even if the histrionics of fans and the media can be overblown at times. Michigan is a notable exception because the Wolverines are teetering on the brink of irrelevance, which in the words of Woody from the Toy Story flicks, makes it a perfect time to panic.

No one expected this after Michigan brought in Jim Harbaugh before the 2015 season. Harbaugh had the cachet to put the Wolverines right back among the elite programs in the nation thanks to his work at Stanford and in the NFL, where he led the San Francisco 49ers to three consecutive NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance. Even better, he was a “Michigan guy” at a school where that matters, having played quarterback there himself. It’s actually difficult to design a better candidate for the job he currently holds.

The problem, of course, is that Harbaugh hasn’t come close to delivering what the Michigan faithful expected. Forget the CFP — Harbaugh’s tenure has so far produced zero Big Ten championships and an 0-4 record against the primary object of UM envy Ohio State. The Wolverines have at least pretty dependably handled the rest of the conference, but last week’s humiliating defeat by Wisconsin has thrown that out the window as well, and just about everything (including quarterback play, the one thing you’d expect a former QB to have nailed down) is now trending in the wrong direction.

A parting of the ways between Michigan and Harbaugh is the most obvious next step, and it’s not hard to see the attraction for both sides. The school can justifiably say it’s given Harbaugh a long leash and not seen the desired results, and might finally be ready to embrace an outsider as his successor. The coach, meanwhile, could easily be forgiven for wondering whether the frenzied mix of pressure and expectations is worth it and looking longingly at a pro return.

It’s fair to say a breakup is now the expectation but is it really the smartest move? Like a marriage counselor trying to focus on what can be saved, let’s dive in and look at why staying the course might still work out best for everybody.

Why Jim Harbaugh should stay at Michigan

Harbaugh almost appeared a bit discouraged during his post-Wisconsin press conference, and while we can all identify with dejection after getting our butts kicked, it was a jarring sight for a coach who carries himself with quite a bit of swagger most of the time. His seat is now undeniably hot, and the instinct to remove himself before he suffers gluteal burns would be understandable.

The biggest question is where he’d go that would be any better than his current situation. When he was at Stanford, Harbaugh had the benefit of a lower bar to clear when it came to judging success, but taking a step back in that direction at this point in his career would be tantamount to admitting at least temporary defeat.

Despite its current listlessness, Michigan is still Michigan, and that carries a lot of weight. Harbaugh has done a fine job in getting some of the top players to commit, as shown by 247 Sports ranking the Wolverines in the top 10 in overall talent in the country every year he’s been there. The issue has been turning that raw talent into better actual college football players, but that’s something that Harbaugh can improve with staff changes — like he tried this year with new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.

Something still needs to be done about the carousel of sadness at quarterback, where neither Shea Patterson nor Dylan McCaffrey might be the answer. But Harbaugh has a potential solution that was unavailable to him even a few years ago in the form of the transfer portal. With signal-callers more willing than ever to switch schools as soon as they learn they won’t be the starter, a savior could be as close as the next spring position battle at another big program. Just ask Oklahoma how that can work out.

(And yes, Patterson was a transfer himself, but you know what they say about try, try again … )

As far as the NFL goes, the grass might not be any greener there for Harbaugh. It was clear that his “always-on” shtick had worn out many a welcome by the end of his time in San Francisco, and teams are much more likely to give younger college coaches opportunities than they were a decade ago. Some NFL general managers would absolutely consider Harbaugh if he were to make it clear he wanted to return to the pro ranks, but he wouldn’t be a slam dunk hire by any means.

Unless he gets a call from, say, the incoming USC athletic director over the next few months, Harbaugh’s best bet is to stay put and try to get Michigan to where everyone involved with the program wants it to be. Of course, that only holds true if the school wants him there, which leads us to …

Why Michigan should keep Jim Harbaugh as head coach

This side of the equation is more straightforward but also trickier. Forget about the $15 million buyout, which is really inconsequential. As one of just two Big Ten schools with a truly national reputation for football excellence (sorry Wisconsin and Penn State), Michigan shouldn’t settle for anything less than the best, and it isn’t at that level right now. If anything, the 2019 season appears to be a step backward during a critical time, especially if the Wisconsin loss is a sign of things to come against Ohio State.

Yet the Michigan brass shouldn’t be too eager to hit the eject button on Harbaugh until it answers a question that schools sometimes don’t answer thoroughly enough before making a coaching change: Who could it get to come in who would be an immediate improvement?

Disgruntled fans might say “anybody,” but that’s definitely not true. Urban Meyer has already doused hopes he’d come riding to the rescue, which would have been a weird fit anyway given his history at OSU. Other names being thrown around right now if Michigan would have a vacancy include Bronco Mendenhall, David Shaw, Kyle Wittingham and Dino Babers. Good coaches, all, but none of them inspire the type of confidence you’d need to have to spend an eight-digit sum on buying out Harbaugh to bring them in.

The truth is since Meyer left the Buckeyes, Harbaugh has done better than the last few men in his spot, who only combined for as many 10-win seasons over the last 12 years (three) as he’s pulled off in four. More importantly, Harbaugh is the biggest name left among Big Ten coaches. If Michigan wants to bridge the recruiting gap between itself and its most hated rival, these next few years are the best time to do it, before OSU’s Ryan Day earns a Meyer-esque reputation of his own. That’s best accomplished by keeping Harbaugh around for now.

These aren’t the best of times for Michigan or Harbaugh, but they need to give each other a chance to see if this is just a rough patch or truly irreconcilable differences. Quitting on this relationship too early could be a move they both will come to regret.

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