Exit Harbaugh: The Takes
Well: Jim Harbaugh decided to go out on top, at least as far as college goes. As you have no doubt already heard, he's taken the Chargers job. Michigan is already in the process of hiring Sherrone Moore and will have a press conference announcing it as soon as they can. Technically they're supposed to post the job for a week before they can hire anyone, but IIRC that's some sort of Department of Education diversity initiative and Sherrone Moore is about to be the first black head coach in program history, so they're applying for a waiver.
Let's get some h2 tags up in here.
This was probably inevitable
Harbaugh had flirted with the NFL the past two offseason and just culminated a nine-year career with three Big Ten titles and Michigan's first national title since 1997. He checked one of the items on his bucket list (a term popularized by the 2007 film Bucket List) and there are only two left: win a Super Bowl and beat Kathy Lee Gifford in an arm-wrestling contest. He cannot do the former at Michigan.
I don't think money really matters to Harbaugh, nor do I think he "needed to feel loved." He has more money than he knows what to do with. He mows his own lawn and one day I went into Home Depot and literally the first person I saw was Harbaugh, no doubt there to do some errand 99.999% of multi-millionaires delegate. And if the man wanted to feel loved and appreciated he would not be leaving a Michigan fanbase still in the outer stratosphere for an NFL team that almost literally has no fans.
I think the thought process went like this: can I win the Super Bowl here? Will they hire the GM I want? Will I have full control otherwise? The answer to the first is "yes, I am Jim Harbaugh." Once the answers to the latter two were also yes, Michigan could have given Harbaugh a fully guaranteed 16 million dollars a year and a rider that he gets to pull out every hair in Tony Petitti's eyebrows and it wouldn't have mattered.
This does not happen to other college coaches who win titles because the transition from one to the other almost never works. In the past 20 years there has been one coach who had an extended, successful college tenure after a successful NFL one. His name is Jim Harbaugh. Pete Carroll is the only other guy in the picture, and Carroll had a 33-31 NFL record before taking the Seahawks job. Is the NFL going to hire Dabo? In a word, lol. I remember what being an NFL coach did to Nick friggin' Saban. I would pay money to see Dabo coach an NFL team.
[AFTER THE JUMP: keep Herbert, keep Herbert, keep Herbert]
…but what are we doing here?
If you are trying to retain Jim Harbaugh and he is asking for something in his contract and you do not want to give it to him and then you end up giving it to him at the last second, what was the point of denying him the thing in the first place?
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) January 25, 2024
It is true that Harbaugh was probably gone no matter what Michigan did; it's also true that Warde Manuel doesn't come out of this looking particularly good.
Meanwhile, the impending hire of Moore is another on-rails decision for a guy who's barely had to make a decision in his tenure. The timing of John Beilein's departure meant that the college coaching carousel was already done and Juwan Howard was more or less the only reasonably appealing option available. Brandon Naurato was hired as an interim largely because Manuel dithered for months about whether he should fire Mel Pearson. It's a very strange situation in that the athletic director receives neither merits nor demerits for the performance of Michigan's three most important sports.
The one actual decision Manuel can be credited with is not firing Harbaugh after the COVID year, but isn't that just more of the same inaction? Anyway.
Sherrone Moore is the right decision-type substance
[Barron]
It's the end of January and Kalen DeBoer got sniped by Alabama mere moments before all this started going down. Assuming that Dan Lanning is untouchable (and he turned down Bama, so… yeah), who's out there that has a compelling case? It says something that Feldman's list of non-Moore candidates is three guys long: Lance Leipold, Chris Kleiman, and Brian Kelly. You've got two guys around 60 piloting B12 programs to good but not unassailable heights and an obvious nonstarter.
If Michigan could have gotten DeBoer, I'm listening. In lieu of a stone-cold lock sort, continuing the program momentum with Moore makes the most sense. The culture around the program is better than it ever has been and I don't think it's a coincidence that the arrows started pointing all the way up when Moore started become a larger and larger factor.
Promoting Moore should help Michigan fend off the portal pirates that decimated Alabama's roster, and the fact that he's 37 instead of 62 (Leipold) or 56 (Kleiman) gives Moore huge long-term upside. Also, the last guy who was an internal hire in the aftermath of Harbaugh started off with four 11+ win seasons in his first five years. David Shaw tailed off badly at the end of his tenure but kept the Harbaugh train rolling for a long time. One of Harbaugh's biggest assets was hiring coaches. (Note: not "recruiting" analysts.) Let the man cook.
Oooh: minor searchbits time
Michigan isn't going to undergo a month-long will-he-or-won't he Harbaugh chase this time around (RIP our coaching search traffic) but his exit is going to cause some additional departures amongst the staff. Josh Henschke of Rivals asserts that Harbaugh is going to take Jesse Minter and Jay Harbaugh with him, which would create a total of four openings since Chris Partridge was not permanently replaced after his firing.
If nothing else changes, that means Michigan needs an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator, an OL coach, a LB coach, and fill-in-the-blank.
OL is pretty easy: Grant Newsome is already the TE coach and will probably slide over.
DC is conceptually easy: find the most Ravens guy around. John Harbaugh tossed a couple of up-and-comers Michigan's way, which worked out great for everyone involved. Let's keep doing that. Zach Orr looks like a potential candidate. Orr played for the Ravens as a UDFA out of North Texas was second team All-Pro in his third year, then had to retire due to a congenital spine injury. He immediately became a Ravens defensive analyst, then popped over to the Jaguars for a year as their OLB coach before returning to coach LBs at Baltimore. He has the same profile as Macdonald, except he was also an All-Pro LB. The other Ravens-adjacent guy is D'Anton Lynn, who USC just poached from UCLA. Normally you don't get guys jumping before they even play a game, but maybe you could poke Lynn with a stick, show him the defensive rosters of USC and Michigan, and induce a move.
Lots of people are mentioning Jim Leonhard, who was a very successful DC at Wisconsin until Paul Chryst got fired and Wisconsin install him as a mid-season interim, clearly with an eye towards giving him the full-time gig. Instead they pivoted amongst lots of rumors that Leonhard had stabbed Chryst in the back, and when that didn't work he got a job at Illinois. As an analyst. After their DC left to be Purdue's head coach. I have is-this-dude-a-good-dude questions. Maybe this is spurious, sure.
OC is one of those things where Michigan might internally promote Campbell and lean on Moore. In that case you'd need a QB coach. LB/QB/whatever position coaches could be anyone. I would like to offer Courtney Morgan whatever he wants to come back.
Herbert?
Once the Harbaugh-to-the-NFL train started rolling in earnest the biggest question on most people's minds was Wither Ben Herbert? Herbert is the highest-paid S&C coach in America and the NFL does not really have equivalent jobs, as most players have their own personal trainer. There are conflicting reports here, with Henschke asserting he expects Herbert back and Feldman tweeting that "the expectation is that Harbaugh brings Herbert with him." Nick Baumgardner knows the ins and outs of all of this and seemed skeptical of that one:
Ben Herbert makes seven figures at Michigan as S&C coach.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) January 25, 2024
That is not, to my knowledge, what NFL S&C coaches make. In fact, just about every player on your team has his own trainer. So. That's ... we'll see about that one.
If Michigan can't keep Herbert when NFL S&C jobs are basically nonexistent—quick, name the most famous NFL S&C coach—then it is time to put Manuel in the rocket and fire him into the sun.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:10 PM ^
By all accounts Leonhard is unable to take a DC job without losing his payout from Wisconsin and feels he doesn't have to take another one unless it's one he wants. He is also a candidate in the Packers DC search so the idea that he is no good is obviously insane
January 25th, 2024 at 1:18 PM ^
"... the idea that he is no good is obviously insane ..."
That isn't what was written.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:22 PM ^
Why? Because the last one was so good?
January 25th, 2024 at 1:11 PM ^
I’d like Mike Hart to get a bigger role. He was a great half game HC.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:24 PM ^
My personal, non-informed view of Hart and his career trajectory is that while it is frequently mentioned that his long-term goal is to be our head coach, with a 37-year-old coach-to-be-shortly-named, I feel Hart will be blocked from attaining that goal.
If he is not named OC, I see him leaving in a year or less to become OC somewhere else, then head coach somewhere else a few years later.
I just don't feel he would settle being a long-term position coach at his alma mater and I have always felt that the tag of "Assistant Head Coach" is just a way of appeasing that coach and getting him a few more dollars.
January 25th, 2024 at 5:43 PM ^
I agree, I feel like many are taking Mike for granted.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:59 PM ^
Hart and Campbell become co-OC's (run gm coordinator, pass gm coordinator), keep position coaching titles on them. Find a TE coach. Playcalling is Campbell's responsibility with inputs from Hart during game.
Bigger loss for assistants to me is Jay Harbaugh from a Special Teams and recruiting perspective.
Assuming Minter goes, we should try and get Wink Martindale to come here with an assoc HC title with the knowledge that he leaves after a year, and then I feel better promoting either Clinkscale or Elston to DC.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:13 PM ^
More than ever, the deck is stacked against programs that hire from outside. Sometimes (often) an AD has no choice bc there's not a qualified internal hire to be made. But the fact that a new outsider HC is going to do things his own way combined with the 30 day transfer window means that lots of players leave. Plus most of the assistant coaches. Even at Alabama with Nick Saban "still in the building," presumably encouraging players to stay and give the new coach a try.
We are lucky to have Sherrone Moore on our staff and available for immediate hire. He doesn't have true head coaching experience--never run his own D1 college program--but the continuity he represents is worth its weight in gold.
I've never really been on board with the Warde haters but I'll say this--if he doesn't stay the hell out of the way and let Sherrone proceed as he sees fit--then Warde does indeed need to be fired into the sun. I'd even chip in some gas money.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:49 PM ^
Yeah, contrast this to what our coaching staff looked like at the end of 2019 and imagine who we would have had to choose from if we wanted to promote internally back then. We are in a much better place today.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:15 PM ^
I hope Sherrone brings in an ace OC to do the heavy lifting. I thought Sherrone seemed a bit overwhelmed with being OC/HC late in the season and I don't want to see him trying to do that all himself, especially with the DC (likely) being a new face as well. He needs his coordinators to do some heavy lifting for him
January 25th, 2024 at 1:34 PM ^
Wouldn't that be overwhelming for you, lhgr...? At 38 to be responsible for that much, put on you for the first time, in the last possible minute in the midst of the most historical run of football ever played?
January 25th, 2024 at 3:58 PM ^
Of course, but this is also Sherrone's first time being a HC period. Aside from all the day to day of that, he has to figure out NIL, figure out recruiting strategty, etc. he's got a ton to manage for a brand new coach. Maybe he can handle it, but if I was his friend I'd be recommending he try to focus on being the head coach and get actual coordinators to do the coordinating
January 25th, 2024 at 1:36 PM ^
If Sherron can remain undefeated as a head coach at Michigan he can OC, Head Coach and be a fluffer to entertain recruits for all I care. However he is likely to emulate the success he saw under Harbaugh so expect an OC.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:15 PM ^
It now becomes of how many assistant coaching vacancies will Michigan have assuming that Jim takes a few with him.
What becomes of Mike Hart? No mention of the options that exist with him.
Other questions concern if Jesse Minter leaves, does Clink get the DC job?
Although the Jim to the NFL drama has finally ended, the fallout concerns are what happens next at Michigan assuming that Sherrone Moore become the next HC. Buckle up.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:19 PM ^
Can we do an NIL collective to keep Herbert?
January 25th, 2024 at 2:05 PM ^
And this makes 3 of the 4 teams that got to the playoff this year have head coaching transitions... with both of the championship teams... has that ever happened before?
January 25th, 2024 at 1:22 PM ^
Would someone ask Jim, while he's packing up his office, if I can have that big Michigan book he keeps on his coffee table?
January 25th, 2024 at 1:22 PM ^
Moore is a slam dunk to the point it's a non-discussion. The 2nd best part of Harbaugh not getting that Vikings job (outside of y'know, the whole winning it all thing) that everyone seemingly agreed he was locked into, was that that gave them the time to cultivate a worthy successor. Nearly 2 years to the day, I had this comment that aged maybe better than anything I'll ever say in my life (so long as you ignore my suggested successors oops): https://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/raiders-are-no-longer-play-daily-harbaugh-…
So it turns to the coordinators/assistants, who are far more interesting to discuss. Obviously the easiest route is to open up the Ravens coaching staff page on their site and start there so Zach Orr sounds great. I'd once again stump for Ryan Osborn as another Ravens adjacent with even deeper Michigan ties for some position on the staff. Interested in seeing where Michigan goes on the offensive side of the ball as well.
Obviously it's a nerve wracking time replacing the head man himself, but the opportunity to continue the culture that Jim built starting in 2021 is very much in play.
January 25th, 2024 at 2:32 PM ^
A better "way-back machine" path to your prophetic comment:
January 25th, 2024 at 2:50 PM ^
Appreciate the formatting assist! I would have done a cleaner job with the linking, but trying to format on a phone in the editor is a bit tricky.
January 25th, 2024 at 4:46 PM ^
This doesn't get mentioned much, but if the Vikings had decided to go with Jim back in 2022 Josh Gattis would have likely been named the new head coach....which we can all agree would not have gone well. Thanks Jim Stapleton?!
January 25th, 2024 at 1:27 PM ^
I'm not sold on the idea that the Ravens will keep sending us up-and-comers now that Jim is gone
January 25th, 2024 at 1:36 PM ^
I'm not sure the Ravens would keep sending their aspiring staff to Michigan for finishing school, but we might be able to get one more John to Jim as a going away present.
January 25th, 2024 at 2:56 PM ^
The Harbaugh family is forever linked to Michigan football, and will help within their capacity.
January 25th, 2024 at 3:05 PM ^
Except the one guy that has all the assistants.
January 25th, 2024 at 4:01 PM ^
Maybe not forever, but Sherrone is Jim's righthand man and I believe the Harbaugh parents are still in Ann Arbor. I think they'll hook Sherrone up if he calls. At least for a few years
January 25th, 2024 at 5:47 PM ^
Yes, I definitely would not count on that.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:28 PM ^
At first glance it feels astonishing that a program that kind of invented the CFB S&C guru with Mike Gittelson and stuff from Theodore Roosevelt's home gym, then sustained that same system for like 25 years, is now a place that pays its S&C guy seven figures. What a time to be alive.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:40 PM ^
The Gittelson Memorial Weight Room and Training Center
January 25th, 2024 at 3:04 PM ^
Not true, I don't see pizza boxes anywhere.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:29 PM ^
Brian has the correct take: Yes, we should have offered Harbaugh everything from the beginning. No, it would not have mattered. This dude was not interviewing for NFL jobs for funsies. He wants to the coach in the NFL, that's it. And I can't blame him. CFB is broken until schools can directly pay players and have them sign contracts.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:41 PM ^
Agree with you and Brian
Agree with Don/MGrowOld and others that it makes no sense not to give Jim whatever the F he wanted before he asked.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:45 PM ^
really wish we could have seen his excuse for not signing if they gave him everything from the beginning though.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:56 PM ^
I mean one of the things he wanted was a clause putting the contract into effect in February. He would've signed it 3 months ago and still left
January 25th, 2024 at 1:55 PM ^
imo two things are also true:
1. Someone within the program wants Warde fired, whether that was Jim himself or someone else, and they have been using press leaks to try and force that outcome by making him the scapegoat for Harbaugh leaving
2. Warde is a shitty AD and deserves to be fired for myriad reasons, none of which are the fact that he couldn't keep the inevitable thing we all knew would happen from happening
January 25th, 2024 at 1:29 PM ^
So, the presumed next head coach is barely older than me, and a guy who is credibly mentioned as a candidate for the next DC is younger than me.
Damn, I'm getting old.
January 25th, 2024 at 3:06 PM ^
Just wait until their parents are younger than you . . .
January 25th, 2024 at 1:29 PM ^
Edit: double post
January 25th, 2024 at 1:31 PM ^
Dan Enos as OC? Enos hired Moore at CMU. Harbaugh Analyst. Not sure how I feel about this but wouldn’t be terrible to get a guy w some experience on the staff.
Other HC Sherrone is connected to is Charlie Strong who is/was an analyst at Bama. Not sure if he would be up for on field role at this point.
Harbaugh knew a LOT of people in football. Gonna be harder for SM but I’m sure he’ll do ok.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:37 PM ^
... have you followed Enos' career?
We can do better.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:45 PM ^
Dan Penos was offered a job with us about a decade ago and he chose to go elsewhere. He is Sparty through and through. Hell no.
January 25th, 2024 at 2:33 PM ^
Actually, I believe he accepted the job, then quit and went elsewhere a week or so later. By all rights, he should be dead to Michigan forever.
January 25th, 2024 at 4:45 PM ^
It wasn't really a sincere acceptance. He needed to be "employed" by us to then get hired by a different SEC team than his previous employer.
January 27th, 2024 at 10:39 PM ^
Article above from 2022 mentions that Harbaugh actually talked to Enos who recommended hiring Sherrone for the 2018 season. This was after Enos dipped on us for Bama.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:33 PM ^
Zach Orr sounds ideal from a scheme standpoint. I would guess as a young, former player that he could recruit as well or better than Macdonald or Minter.
The Harbaugh brothers owe us a defense coordinator after taking the last two.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:41 PM ^
LAC already have Justin Herbert. They don't need another Herbert.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:43 PM ^
Beautifully written piece of which I am 1,000% in agreement across all takes, specifically:
"If you are trying to retain Jim Harbaugh and he is asking for something in his contract and you do not want to give it to him and then you end up giving it to him at the last second, what was the point of denying him the thing in the first place?"
As a contracts lawyer who has negotiated hundreds of deals, this is failure at Negotiation 101. You measure the attractiveness of the potential customer (best coach in America) against the flight risk to another service provider (NFL), and from there you land somewhere on the "hard ball spectrum" relative to the bare bones minimum you are willing to demand, and bare bones maximum you are willing to offer, to obtain that customer.
Regardless if it would have mattered or not, you put your best foot forward. Given the fact that Michigan caved 11th hour anyway, they genuinely fumbled at Negotiation 101. But at least Warde gave us these 3 years of JH culminating in our greatest gift as Michigan fans ever, so there's that.
Onwards to Sherrone. LFG.
January 25th, 2024 at 2:40 PM ^
Actually, Warde fumbled it two years ago as well, after Harbaugh beat OSU and won the B1G, and Warde still wouldn't even restore Harbaugh to his original contract number. Only because Minnesota fumbled the hire did we get Harbaugh back.
January 25th, 2024 at 1:44 PM ^
the most famous nfl s&c coach is tom brady's trainer who launched tb12. who i still can't name but i believe has a latin name.
i said this in one of the board threads, but now that we know michigan was able to cave on everything, i really wonder what would have happened if they had just said "ok" the first time to his list of demands. would he have signed it? or would he have come up with some other excuse to delay the thing until the nfl played out. since he was still under his old contract, i think he would have still delayed.
January 25th, 2024 at 2:48 PM ^
Marcus Aurelius?
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