JH: "There’s no Lombardi Trophy in college football"
Perhaps this debate is getting old, but in case any of you were wondering whether Warde blew this (many) or Jim was chased out (fewer):
https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1751686209590698110?s=20
Maybe he's just being kind, but he seems awfully happy. Good for him.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:06 PM ^
Yeah it was an amazing ride. Thrill of victory, agony of defeat stuff. Much more satisfying than ‘97.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:34 PM ^
This is the major point for me. Yes, I would have preferred that he remain here, spending his career keeping Michigan a national power. But he accomplished what everyone wanted: a national title, three straight B1G titles, three straight appearances in the final four, three straight victories over Ohio State. Plus, he's left the program in much better condition than the last time there was a coaching change.
He wanted to leave to take on a different challenge, to reach a different goal. I may not like the leaving part of that sentence, but I can't fault him for the rest of it.
Good luck, Coach, and thanks.
January 29th, 2024 at 1:15 AM ^
But here is the thing. Michigan has long been its own worst enemy in terms of maximizing football success. Internal factors that are silly and really irrelevant have been allowed to hold Michigan back. And Warde Manuel has perpetuated that problem. The list of self-inflicted dysfunctions is very long. The list of dysfunctions only under Ward Manuel is itself quite long.
So, while we are all very happy to for the success of the last three years, and for winning it all this year, if Michigan could just stop getting in its own way all of the time...we would not have had such a long Big Ten Championship drought, lost so many to OSU over the last two decades, or had to wait from '97 until '23 for a national title.
So you can be at peace. But one can also want Michigan to finally stop being its own worst enemy. The last three years have been amazing. But they happened despite, and not because, of certain long standing dysfunctions in the Michigan AD. And with those dysfunctions still there, we may again return the way it was before these last three years.
January 29th, 2024 at 7:35 AM ^
Still hard to believe 15-0..I go over this in my head and it starts to spin..at 80 yrs old it's something I will treasure my remaining years
January 28th, 2024 at 4:06 PM ^
As I stated earlier in the week, there was nothing Warde or anyone else could have done to keep Jim at Michigan unless Michigan was able to compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
People need to give that narrative a rest and remember, the only people that can get rid of Warde are Santa and the Regents. And they aint doing that anytime soon.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:21 PM ^
unless Michigan was able to compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
We should have the NCAA champion play the Super Bowl champion. Winner gets the Lombardi Trophy and we get Jim back.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:06 PM ^
Yes it appears that Jim’s desire to return to the NFL was overwhelming.
Yes it appears that Warde did a poor job at trying to keep him at Michigan.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:48 PM ^
I mean he did offer him a contract making him the highest paid coach in the NCAA and in the end, Warde had approval to grant Harbaugh the immunities he desired in time for Harbaugh to turn down the Chargers.
I really don’t know what would have been acceptable from Warde in the eyes of fans here. Jim accomplished everything he could possibly accomplish at the college level and, as he’s stated multiple times in his career, the NFL was calling to him.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:06 PM ^
I ultimately don't know what Jim Harbaugh thought about, but it's easy to imagine that a hyper-competitive guy who narrowly lost a Super Bowl to his brother would want another chance.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:07 PM ^
I’ll make one… we just have to call it the Lumberg trophy for trademark purposes
January 28th, 2024 at 4:07 PM ^
He would have done better staying here.
January 29th, 2024 at 1:30 AM ^
Anyone who is honest about it will know that the mostly likely outcomes are (1) the JH's departure will materially set back Michigan football, and (2) he probably will not win, or even get close, to a Super Bowl with the Chargers. So, it harms Michigan, and is very unlikely to get the big prize JH says he wants in the NFL. A net negative for all (except OSU, I suppose)
For Michigan, simply losing JH itself is a huge setback. Instead of keeping a program on top rolling, things have stalled, we are looking for a new staff (JH is taking key guys with him), we are behind on the portal and recruiting overall, etc., etc. And, no, Sherrone Moore will not be as good as JH was these last three years. To expect otherwise is wish casting. So, this really does hurt Michigan at a moment when it had finally gotten things rolling and in a spot where it could have used this to perpetuate elite success.
And the Chargers? The have cap problems, issues on D, and...just the way the NFL works simply makes getting to, much less winning, as Super Bowl a very long shot. JH getting fired at the end of year three is more likely than winning a Super Bowl. Simply making the Chargers a 'good' team is the most likely outcome. But if that is the way it turns out, it really will not have been worth it for JH to leave Michigan.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:07 PM ^
Jim was sure excited about today, and his next challenge. Good for him! Just remember to give Sherrone a few minutes a week whenever he needs it…
January 28th, 2024 at 4:16 PM ^
Exactly! And I find it completely unlikely that he won’t do just that.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:09 PM ^
He's where he wants to be. It was just the right time for him, and the right circumstances -- leaving after winning a NC.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:09 PM ^
I said it in another thread recently but the way he was setting Moore up both publicly and behind the scenes it seems this was part of the master plan all along. Like JJ, he won cfb’s biggest prize and has nothing left to prove. I believe he said there are only so many grains of sand left in the hour glass so now is the time to go after the Lombardi. Way too much time and energy is put into overthinking why he left. He’s a very driven and goal oriented man and along with that comes this.
January 28th, 2024 at 5:33 PM ^
Business is finished
January 28th, 2024 at 4:10 PM ^
There's also no Stanley Cup.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:14 PM ^
This is so dumb.
All the yelling on the board for the last two days has been people kinda sorta admitting that, no, there was no magic action that could have kept Harbaugh at Michigan given that he clearly wants, and has wanted, to win a Super Bowl... but they're mad anyway and they're taking it out on Warde because maybe just maybe if he was a different guy Harbaugh would have stayed.
And if the AD were Hackett and Harbaugh left they'd blame Hackett. And if the AD were Bill Martin they'd blame Bill Martin. And if the AD were Don Canham they'd blame Don Canham.
Jim. Harbaugh. Wants. To. Win. A. Super. Bowl.
He wanted it before he came to Michigan, came so very close. He forsook that dream to come home, to coach here. He endured a lot more opposition than he would have thought possible from aggravated, impatient fans like me. He built a national power and won a national title, despite interest from the NFL and personal interest in going to the NFL. He gave it his all, he won, and now he's got a few years left of his coaching prime to try the Super Bowl again.
I'm fine with people who think Warde has shortcomings. I do, too. But the endless threads on this site the last two days are just silly.
Jim Harbaugh wants to achieve the pinnacle of the sport. It's time to stop trying to find someone to blame.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:19 PM ^
There should have been an offer on the table before the season was over that had everything he wanted. Who's fault is that?
January 28th, 2024 at 4:24 PM ^
There was an offer to make him the highest-paid coach in college football. The instant Harbaugh was ready to sign, they could have settled the details. The idea that Harbaugh was ready to sign and refused because specifics of an immunity clause weren't settled yet is nonsense.
Michigan was ready to finish the process at any time; probably from the moment Ono tweeted last offseason.
But Harbaugh is honest enough not to sign a commitment that he is not yet personally ready to make, and he was clearly very interested in pursuing the NFL.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:30 PM ^
No one has all the details except for the parties that were negotiating, but the jub statement that was carrying water for Harbaugh's lawyers suggested that Michigan didn't offer the necessary terms until it was too late.
I won't blindly agree that that's the truth, but if there's anything resembling the truth in that statement, then those terms weren't offered earlier.
January 28th, 2024 at 10:57 PM ^
Harbaugh doesn’t need to play games. His place in history is set.
He has no ulterior motive in this process.
If he respected Warde his lawyer would not have said shit.
January 28th, 2024 at 5:04 PM ^
Stephen,
The issue is not that Harbaugh left or even that he could not win a Lombardi trophy at Michigan but that Michigan did not handle Harbaugh's contracts or his suspensions correctly. Harbaugh should have been the highest paid college football coach after the 2021 season and most certainly after 2022. Harbaugh was not paid according to his value. I am certain that the dollar figure wouldn't have mattered to Harbaugh but showing him that we value him more than other program values their head coach would have mattered. Michigan failed in this regard.
Jim Harbaugh also was suspended for six games but should not have been suspended for any. The NCAA targeted him (during a time where schools are soliciting athletes with open offers to transfer) regarding two cheeseburgers and the possibility that Harbaugh was not forthright about whether he purchased them. I am sensing the level of ridiculousness of the matter by merely typing it out let alone knowing that our head football coach had to serve a three game suspension because of it. The same could be said of Connor Stallions as Jim was declared guilty prior to any investigation. If our fans, school, and administration is willing to celebrate Jim's accomplishments for the 2023 season then it also right to conclude that we failed the man by not doing everything possible to ensure that he was coaching in all the games. Jim Harbaugh was never going to be a sacrificial lamb to spare Michigan's reputation.
Jim's gone; the fans and alumni can only influence what goes on at Michigan currently. What we have is a passive administrator who seems a bit naive in regards to what it takes to win in the current college football landscape. Warde is a liability and this is what Michigan football cannot afford if it wants to remain at an elite level.
January 29th, 2024 at 1:00 AM ^
Warde doesn’t know what it takes to win in today’s college landscape???
Michigan is literally the reigning National Champion of college football.
A fair amount of NIL was spent to get that National Championship team together. That includes:
existing players who could have transferred
players who could have gone pro
transfers in from other schools via the portal.
If that is not the very definition of winning in todays landscape, I don’t know what is. Even OSU is trying to follow the Michigan model to be competitive in today’s college football landscape.
January 29th, 2024 at 4:39 AM ^
I think you've gone off the tracks a little bit.
"Harbaugh should have been the highest paid college football coach after the 2021 season and most certainly after 2022."
And why is that exactly? In 2021, Kirby Smart totally manhandled Michigan in the Orange Bowl. Yes, it was great manhandling Ohio State, but that was Harbaugh's first win against Ohio State. Mel Tucker was 2-0 versus Harbaugh and Kenneth Walker III had led a big comeback win against Harbaugh in East Lansing.
2022 and Michigan has its best chance to win a bowl game since 2015 against TCU and Michigan blew it. TCU never trailed in that Fiesta Bowl.
Harbaugh was interviewing with the Vikings on National Signing Day. That statement alone should have shown everyone that Harbaugh still wanted to coach in the NFL.
"Jim Harbaugh also was suspended for six games but should not have been suspended for any. The NCAA targeted him (during a time where schools are soliciting athletes with open offers to transfer) regarding two cheeseburgers and the possibility that Harbaugh was not forthright about whether he purchased them. I am sensing the level of ridiculousness of the matter by merely typing it out let alone knowing that our head football coach had to serve a three game suspension because of it."
Okay, time to take an honest assessment of the situation. Jim Harbaugh, Sherrone Moore and perhaps others did have illegal contact with a recruit and Michigan did have an analyst doing on field coaching. That is a fact. Whether the NCAA has it out for Harbaugh can probably be argued many different ways but in this instance, a complaint was made by a someone or something with specific information about the infractions. Whether Harbaugh didn't remember or lied, we will probably never know but whatever happened, Harbaugh obviously rubbed the investigator the wrong way and it blew up into a level I investigation. Looking back, everyone should have probably just fallen on their swords and the whole thing goes away as a minor inconvenience.
Then Ohio State (that is speculation, but I truly believe it originated with them) drops the whole Connor Stalions mess onto the lap of the NCAA. Remember, Michigan had negotiated a 4-game suspension for Harbaugh before the NCAA back tracked on that. It's obvious a suspension was coming. The smart play was to take a self-imposed 3-game this season against cupcakes to mitigate any upcoming punishment.
Whether Ward is the liability you claim remains to be seen. He took quick action to replace Harbaugh, whose dalliance with the NFL again left the program in a weak position.
As for the Stalions suspension, that came from the Big Ten, not the NCAA. There are a lot of posts about what would have happened had Michigan fought until the bitter end with the TRO, but it appears that the Big Ten may have felt they were a bit over their ski's and told Michigan if they take the punishment, then they are out of it. IF the NCAA does ever come up with something, they can use Harbaugh's 3-game suspension as part of their defense. This already happening with the unresolved level 1 infraction hanging over the University head.
I am fully in the camp of the difference between 3rd party video and scouting camp, but the fact remains that it probably was Connor Stalions on the Central Michigan sideline in East Lansing. Now I tend to believe that was more of a favor for Central Michigan than actually scouting a bad Michigan State team, but Stalions was part of the Michigan staff. Whether Stalions activities were in a gray area or illegal, he did a really horrible job of covering his tracks. He went just short of having his StubHub ticket account tied to his U of M email. Harbaugh said that he didn't know, and I believe him, but the NCAA rules are now that the coach is responsible for this staff. In 2021, when Warde offered Harbaugh the extension, Harbaugh could have either accepted it, negotiate, or decline it. He accepted it. That was his choice.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:15 PM ^
Sometimes what Jim says can be taken at face value. I think this is one of them. He just wanted to have another chance at the NFL thing. Warde had nothing to this. There was nothing Warde was going to be able to do to keep him here and he definitely wasn't chased out.
We'll see how long it lasts. 3-4 years is my guess.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:24 PM ^
Warde should still be fired regardless.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:57 PM ^
Indeed - for drawing the line between middle and upper level seat license fees at Row 60 instead of Row 55.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:17 PM ^
This was always the reason.
No reason to stay in college once the natty was won.
January 29th, 2024 at 1:34 AM ^
Then why did Saban stay at Albama for so long?
January 28th, 2024 at 4:22 PM ^
Warde told him to say that he was happy!!! Don't even try it!!!
January 28th, 2024 at 4:23 PM ^
He didn't want to be at Michigan anymore so time to move on. I personally don't care about the Chargers with or without Harbaugh. If it makes you feel better to continue cheering Jim on after he dumped us for bigger and better things (in his mind) then go for it. I'll always appreciate his contributions and they can put a statue in front of the stadium. He deserves it all. He went on top, but my interests as a fan is what's best for Michigan football. Time to stop talking about Jim and talk about the people who are all in for Michigan.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:36 PM ^
I'm ready to be where the head coach worship dies down, it gets really old sometimes.
I wasnt alive for Bo but, while growing up and being fed the Bo worship I've really come to dislike it especially because it seemed like everyone couldnt make a decision without bringing up what Bo would do, or once he passed what he would have done.
Not that Harbaugh worship has gotten to be like Bo, but at times it's seemed like people were bigger Harbaugh fans than Michigan fans.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:37 PM ^
Harbaugh was all in for Michigan football and brought it to a place that they realistically shouldn’t have been able to get to. Him leaving to pursue his final goal doesn’t change that a bit.
January 28th, 2024 at 5:39 PM ^
“He went on top, but my interests as a fan is what's best for Michigan football.”
That’s exactly where I’m at.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:27 PM ^
First half blowout. Macdonald does not look prepared for this. With Ben Johnson interview prepping, I’m concerned
January 28th, 2024 at 4:29 PM ^
Wrong thread?
What does it mean to "look prepared for this?"
People make that argument all the time, like Mac was working hard most of the year, but just decided to take the week off and mail it in.
You're talking about the best QB in the league and a HOF offensive genius coach. This is big boy football. You get beaten sometimes.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:37 PM ^
Hasnt been great, but giving up 17 points to a healthy Chiefs team isnt a blowout
January 28th, 2024 at 4:27 PM ^
2 things can be true!
January 28th, 2024 at 4:28 PM ^
Thanks for posting this interview. I am still processing this huge week in Michigan Football after such an awesome and turbulent season. Very thankful and elated Michigan won the National Championship in the face of everything they faced. This actually helps, seeing Coach seem so genuinely happy. Will wish him the best always, and appreciate his nine years leading Michigan football and and getting our team to the very top of the summit. Personally will always be curious how close he was to staying. We may never know. We do know he now wants a Super Bowl win. Just thankful for what he, the staff and team 144 accomplished.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:30 PM ^
I'm not mad at him for chasing his dream, He came to Michigan and accomplished the mission. I don't think theirs dollar amount or any language that would of kept Harbaugh at Michigan.
The only thing I'll say, if the decision made was truly because "There’s no Lombardi in college football" then his comments made to Warde after his last NFL interview with Minnesota is a bit disappointing.
good luck and thank you for everything coach!
January 28th, 2024 at 4:34 PM ^
It sounds like he’s feeling great, and that’s the most open I can remember him being in an interview. Nope, there’s nothing Michigan could’ve done.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:47 PM ^
Definitely not as guarded as he normally is.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:49 PM ^
Openness struck me too. Just seems he’s more at ease around NFL guys. What people don’t want to admit is the NFL is just as much home for him as UM.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:34 PM ^
Yeah. Warde still massively fucked this up.
Harbaugh should have been extended over 2 years ago at bare minimum.
Warde is a fucking failure.
Coach Harbaugh made the right move because of Wardes failures.
Good luck coach.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:39 PM ^
Harbaugh should have been extended over 2 years ago at bare minimum.
Didn't he sign an extension in 2022? He was under contract through 2026.
January 28th, 2024 at 4:56 PM ^
Everytime you beat Ohio State, win a B1G championship and proceed to make the final 4 (CFP) you should deserve a contract reconstruction . It's business 101. Do whatever you can to keep talent.
Warde fucked this up. Big time.
You'll never convince me otherwise.