Jim Harbaugh seemingly put to rest the rumors of him leaving Michigan for the NFL

Jim Harbaugh pretty much killed the narrative that he is leaving Michigan for the NFL.

Ahead of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards in Houston, Texas on Wednesday night, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh essentially ended any notion that he will leave the Wolverines for an NFL job this offseason.

“I’ve got the whole family down here,” said Harbaugh on AM-610 Sports Radio in Houston. “Wife Sarah, sons Jack and John, Katie and Addie, we’re all down here and we’re here today. We’re going to maybe fined some fun stuff to do with the family tomorrow.”

“Just got to enjoy these days with your family because we hit the road recruiting in the next couple of days. It’s kind of the last couple of days to spend with the family, and I couldn’t think of a better place to be.”

The big key in Harbaugh’s quote is part about recruiting. Michigan is coming off its best season in a generation. Though the Wolverines are a blue-blood program, they have not had this type of recruiting momentum in years. This is how the Wolverines will stay in the College Football Playoff picture for as long as Harbaugh wants to stay in Ann Arbor. It is about to be year eight for him.

Harbaugh may have had great success in the NFL, but he seems to be happy leading Michigan.

It does not sound like Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan football for the NFL

While Harbaugh’s name has been linked to jobs such as the Chicago Bears and the Las Vegas Raiders, the fact he is not interviewing for the first NFL team he played for or the first NFL team he coached on respectively is telling. It should also be noted that Michigan is one of only a handful of college football jobs a head coach would be crazy to leave willingly. Harbaugh is in a great spot.

As long as Harbaugh can regularly get Michigan to 9-3 and occasionally beat Ohio State, he is on a College Football Hall of Fame trajectory as a head coach. Harbaugh is a top-10 head coach in college football leading a top-10 program. He should have his Michigan teams playing in New Year’s Six bowls with great regularity. The Bears are rebuilding and the Raiders are always chaotic.

If Harbaugh hits the recruiting trails hard this offseason, Michigan stands a chance to stay elite.

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