Harbaugh breaks his silence: "Although no one knows the future, I think I will be coaching Michigan next year."
Title says it all. Not sure how a random local news reporter in Charlotte managed to get him on the record, but there you have it. He's not quite as definitive as he was a few weeks back, and he gives himself some wiggle room, so it would seem like at least some of the smoke was real. Having said that, this certainly ratchets down the likelihood a bit.
In a conversation with Jim Harbaugh, the Michigan Head Coach tells @Queen_City_News “although no one knows the future I think I will be coaching Michigan next year.“
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) January 4, 2023
The reporter also felt it necessary to add this for some reason:
This conversation was tonight and took place privately.
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) January 4, 2023
January 4th, 2023 at 2:05 AM ^
Although no one knows the future, I believe this is just more uncertainty
January 4th, 2023 at 6:07 AM ^
People believe lots of things that turn out not to be true. For example, I believed Michigan would play a solid game against TCU, not repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot, and be playing for the National Championship on Monday.
The future, however, didn't quite fall in line with my belief.
So as far as Harbaugh and what future his wiggle-room statements lead to: I'll believe it when I see it.
January 4th, 2023 at 10:24 AM ^
Harbaugh literally said the same thing a few weeks ago -- it's not a different answer. And it's essentially a non-answer. "Although no one knows the future." "I think I will be..." Back in the day Harbaugh would call such rumors "jive turkey." No longer.
January 4th, 2023 at 6:39 AM ^
He might be talking about college football itself here. Take a step back. Oklahoma lost a coach, our, “hand picked Bo replacement” to USC. OU fans are devastated and losing interest. MSU got a transactional coach, how long will he keep fans on board. If fleck, Fitzgerald, Frames and Day leave to bigger better, most Big programs are depleted of what would and should have been 10 to 15 year coaches. Nebraska and Wisconsin lost what should have been 10 to 20 year coaches ( maybe Frost did suck). As the job loses the ability to craft young men into played with a four to five year horizon, the multi year chess of the game goes away. I’m not sure I can go through another decade of RR or incompetent Ingram and a marketing genius as AD again. Players I love leave too soon, too many to mention. I’m not sure the sport can survive. The Alabamas and Clemson figured out CF is merely an NFL semi pro league with a two year monopoly on HS kids and have had great success in the new system. I think that is what CF is going to be and I’m not sure I want that. Some do. Win at all cost. I don’t. If JH leaves, let’s atleaat ponder the macro a bit here.
January 4th, 2023 at 7:51 AM ^
Who said anything about a Fleck, Fitz, Frames or Day leaving?
January 4th, 2023 at 9:38 AM ^
It's all about the Benjamins.
They eyeballs are there, the $ follow.
The transfers are more of an issue than head coaching changes.
Those have always been with the sport.
Check Saban, Holtz, Miles, et cetera
January 4th, 2023 at 8:23 AM ^
Harbaugh is giving a standard Christian response. Another way to say it would be "Lord willing, I'll be coaching at Michigan next season."
Harbaugh's intention is to be a Michigan, although he acknowledges God may have other plans for him.
January 4th, 2023 at 8:31 AM ^
'Harbaugh is giving a standard Christian response. Another way to say it would be "Lord willing, I'll be coaching at Michigan next season."'
You may be correct. Certainly JH takes his faith seriously. But, given the context, I'm not sure that is what he meant. If so, he probably would have phrased it the way you did, or something closer to that???
January 4th, 2023 at 9:00 AM ^
It's more than a standard Christian response.
It's the response of someone committed to honesty in a way that 99.9% of our culture simply cannot comprehend.
His statement is 100% that he plans on continuing as coach but not wanting to say it that way, because he knows that there are things beyond his control (however improbable) that could change that. And he wouldn't want to have been dishonest, if that ends up coming to fruition.
What he needs is a new contract that further limits other possibilities.
January 4th, 2023 at 10:11 AM ^
Deus vult / volat
January 4th, 2023 at 2:06 PM ^
"Deus vult / volat"
Or, traditional Colonial American, simply D.V.
Ensample: I shall meet you at aforementioned pub midday, D.V.
January 4th, 2023 at 8:54 AM ^
I agree with this interpretation.
January 4th, 2023 at 9:05 AM ^
I do as well. But, it he takes an NFL job with his decision mostly based off the amount of money he gets, that likely goes contrary to biblical teaching. Unless he then becomes very generous with said monies.
January 4th, 2023 at 10:10 AM ^
does not compute
hasn't he been very generous before now?
January 4th, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
Dude, it's a profession, a business. Christianity has nothing to do with this, and I really wish people would stop implying that a guy who chooses a different job is being un-Christian, whatever that means. He's not a priest. He's a football coach.
January 4th, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
I don't think you are arguing this, but personally, my Christian values have strongly influenced the decisions I have made regarding my career. Accepting jobs which allow me to be present for my family, be active in church activities, yet still earn enough to give my time and financial resources to the community. I'm grateful everyday for the blessings I have received, but it's also been a series of choices.
Harbaugh may very well believe if the right offer is made, it is part of God's plan for him to go work someplace else. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who point to the money, or his goal of winning a Super Bowl and mock his Christian principles. Only Jim knows what his true motivations are. I've seen and heard enough from him to believe his Christianity does play a role in his decision making and none of us will ever know and understand why things will work out the way they do...and it's not our place to know.
January 4th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
There is no implication that changing his job would be un-Christian. The Bible is very clear that Christians need to always keep in mind that any plans they make are merely possibilities. They cannot know the future except for their eventual demise and accounting to God.
January 4th, 2023 at 9:01 AM ^
Uh, no. Harbaugh is smart. And he is equivocating so that he isn't technically lying. But he is very much making a conscious choice not to declare himself Michigan's long term coach. Which sucks.
January 4th, 2023 at 9:24 AM ^
God willing n the creek don't rise - wasn't that the name of the podcast he did with his dad a few years ago?
Well, as that famous philosopher (Dana Carvey as the Church Lady) often said "How conveeeeenient"
January 4th, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
The right NFL gig is offered and Harbaugh’s gone, regardless of people attempting to weave religious belief into parsing Jim’s words.
January 4th, 2023 at 4:06 PM ^
Dude, he’s hedging. Christians aren’t incapable of making commitments, even if they believe God may change the world in various ways.
Your priest or pastor doesn’t have to say, “No one knows the future, but I think I’ll be here next Sunday;” he can just say, “I’ll be here next Sunday and hope to see you again.”
January 4th, 2023 at 10:27 AM ^
Or its just pure honesty.... No one does know the future..
JH has said, on more than one occasion, he will be coaching Michigan in 2023. I'm going to take him at his word, until he proves that he doesn't stand behind his word.
January 4th, 2023 at 2:06 AM ^
“Took place privately” with a reporter from Charlotte… so basically an off the record comment to a rando rather than an official statement that holds any weight.
January 4th, 2023 at 2:18 AM ^
Well, he did go on the record and give the reporter an actual quote, so I guess that's something.
January 4th, 2023 at 3:33 AM ^
Unless it was supposed to be off the record, but the reporter put it on the record anyway?
January 4th, 2023 at 7:03 AM ^
He took that quote from JHs December press conference
January 4th, 2023 at 8:32 AM ^
That was my first thought ... paraphrasing was JH had already said. Apparently not tho
January 4th, 2023 at 4:55 AM ^
he said something, but since it’s not an “official statement” it’s meaningless?
January 4th, 2023 at 10:55 AM ^
It's the exact same statement he gave before -- He plans to coach at Michigan, but you never know. That's a pretty well-finessed hedge answer.
January 4th, 2023 at 6:10 AM ^
Do you know what off the record means?
January 4th, 2023 at 7:48 AM ^
It means I raise my eyebrow on the authenticity of the claim.
It's a nothingburger quote anyway. There's enough smoke, and this is just more smoke.
January 4th, 2023 at 2:07 AM ^
Deleted
January 4th, 2023 at 2:07 AM ^
I guess he might be getting another itch to scratch.
January 4th, 2023 at 7:39 AM ^
He always had the "itch" to go back to the NFL but this time a team needs to come to HIM with a well thought out legit offer that they WANT him and only him, not unlike what Michigan did to get him back 8 years ago.
He is not actively looking for it so he is being true to his word. But, should Indy come to him and say, "The job is yours and on your terms to make us relevant again. Tell us what you need to start ASAP and we'll make it happen" then I can only bet he'll be gone.
Short of that, he'll be the coach of the U of M this year.
January 4th, 2023 at 8:45 AM ^
I think this is the best take of a strange situation. Harbaugh has a set of criteria that most NFL teams won't meet, so he can make the statement that he isn't making any effort to interview and plans to stay at M. But if an NFL job is presented to him on a silver platter, he'll accept.
Probably won't happen, but he has the wiggle room if a team does 'show the love'.
January 4th, 2023 at 10:57 AM ^
This is precisely correct. The best guess is that he has a very high bar for an NFL job -- not just in terms of money, but in terms of control -- that many teams won't agree to. But if one does, well, he'd strongly consider that.
January 4th, 2023 at 9:18 AM ^
I think you hit the nail on the head. He is not actively looking but if an NFL team approaches him and gives him everything he wants to run a team he would take the job. I think he wants all control and I’m not sure an NFL team will agree to it but you never know
January 4th, 2023 at 2:08 AM ^
I am a huge Harbaugh supporter but he keeps saying “no one knows the future”.
However, in this case the future is almost 100% in his hands so that really doesn’t make sense. He can dictate the future.
January 4th, 2023 at 2:13 AM ^
I want to believe he is floating these things for a new contract with Michigan. You are right he keeps putting a small amount of doubt out there while continuing to say he plans to coach at Michigan. Could be one of two things:
1) he’s keeping the door open with Michigan in case the NFL falls through
2) him and his agent are orchestrating these NFL rumors so Warde ponys up.
January 4th, 2023 at 2:28 AM ^
If this whole thing ended up being a pure leverage play to get himself Mel Tucker money, then I would feel a lot better. But if the only reason he ends up coming back is because he didn't get the NFL offer he wanted, then that would not be fun.
January 4th, 2023 at 10:38 AM ^
You would think though that Warde and him have a good enough relationship where they can sit down and Jim can say privately "I have won the big 10 two years in a row and need top tier Big10 market based compensation if you want me to stay", rather than play this out publicly and and harm the future of the program (potentially lose recruits/current players to transfer).
January 4th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
Yeah, JH could more or less just name his price at this point. Doesn't seem like he'd never to do a ton of leveraging.
January 4th, 2023 at 4:01 PM ^
Communication isn't exactly his strong suit. We're talking about a guy who once hired a new grad assistant on his Stanford staff without telling any of his current assistants.
January 4th, 2023 at 2:38 AM ^
Doesn't Harbaugh represent himself? I didn't think he had an agent.
January 4th, 2023 at 3:19 AM ^
Apparently he has an agent this year, perhaps for the first time.
January 4th, 2023 at 3:27 AM ^
This is the one year Harbaugh doesn’t need an agent. Warde would give him whatever he wants, he doesn’t need an agent or NFL interest to drive up his price. I also truly believe it isn’t about the money for him. The fact that he has an agent very much makes me think it’s solely to field NFL offers and to negotiate some management control as well.
January 4th, 2023 at 7:12 AM ^
We don’t know that “Warde will give him whatever he wants,” and it is always at least partly about the money. You don’t think there is some pride involved about not being paid as much as Mel Tucker?
January 4th, 2023 at 8:25 AM ^
This appears to not be the case actually. Rumors are the offer is not in the 10 mill range.
January 4th, 2023 at 5:25 AM ^
My read: He has examined his options, and so far those in the NFL don’t look like good fits.
Just me, but I don’t see this as criminal behavior.