Jim Harbaugh is not leaving Michigan and will remain the head football coach.
Michigan president Santa Ono in a Twitter post on Monday announced Harbaugh has informed him he will not be going anywhere.
"I just got off the phone with Coach Harbaugh and Jim shared with me the great news that he is going to remain as the Head Coach of the Michigan Wolverines," Ono wrote. "That is fantastic news that I have communicated to our Athletic Director Warde Manuel."
Harbaugh, 59, is entering his ninth season as Michigan coach.
"I love the relationships that I have at Michigan — coaches, staff, families, administration, President Santa Ono and especially the players and their families," Harbaugh shared on a social media post on the MIchigan football account. "My heart is at the University of Michigan. I once heard a wise man say, 'Don't try to out-happy, happy.' Go Blue!"
While he has drawn recent NFL interest from the Denver Broncos, work has been on-going in recently weeks to finalize a new contract.
"Substantive discussions about a new contract are underway," a source told The Detroit News on Monday. The source requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.
Contract details, because they're still being worked out, were not released. The deal is expected to close the door on future NFL interest. Ono last week in a Twitter post shared he and athletic director Warde Manuel "want to see Jim Harbaugh stay" as Wolverines' head coach.
The contract discussions have taken place while Michigan also deals with NCAA allegations of misconduct during the 2021 COVID recruiting dead period. The NCAA issued to Michigan on Jan. 5 a draft of a Notice of Allegations regarding impermissible visits with recruits during the dead period. Harbaugh faces an NCAA Level I allegation — its most severe — for lying to and misleading investigators as they worked to determine rules violations. The NCAA also alleges Level II violations.
Manuel said in a statement Jan. 6 that Michigan has cooperated with the investigation but would not comment further.
The NCAA issue, however, has not been a holdup in contract talks with Harbaugh.
Harbaugh is 74-25 in eight seasons at Michigan — Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke were a combined 46-44 in the previous seven seasons before Harbaugh took over in 2015 — and has led the program to new heights the last two seasons. Michigan has gone 25-3 with back-to-back Big Ten championships and appearances in the College Football Playoff semifinals, where the Wolverines are 0-2. They most recently lost 51-45 to TCU on New Year's Eve to finish the 2022 season at 13-1 and ranked No. 3 nationally in the final Associated Press and coaches polls.
A day after Michigan won its second Big Ten title, Harbaugh, appearing on a Fiesta Bowl conference call, seemed to offer a mixed message about his future and left the door slightly open for the NFL. Last February, he interviewed at the Minnesota Vikings but returned without an offer, signed an extension at Michigan and made clear he wouldn't flirt with the NFL.
"While no one knows what the future holds, I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023," Harbaugh said twice on different occasions the past month.
Harbaugh, who coached the San Francisco 49ers for four seasons including a Super Bowl appearance before taking over at Michigan in 2015, drew NFL interest again shortly after the Fiesta Bowl loss, this time from the Denver Broncos. He interviewed with the Broncos for two hours via Zoom on Jan. 9, and several national NFL "insiders" considered Harbaugh a top candidate for the job. He has not been linked to any other vacancies, although according to national NFL reporters, Harbaugh's "team" had reached out to the Carolina Panthers.
The 2023 Michigan Wolverines have received a considerable boost from a number of key players, including leading rusher Blake Corum and offensive guards Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan, who in the past week have announced they are returning to Michigan instead of heading to the NFL. With so many starters back, the Wolverines will be considered a favorite to win the Big Ten again and a national championship contender.
