So now everyone is scared Harbaugh is leaving? [See edit]

Submitted by OaklandInPlay on January 4th, 2022 at 9:37 PM

12 months ago most of the fan base wanted him gone so don't cry now. Cutting his salary in half was publicly humiliating and will make it a lot easier for him to walk away. How soon Warde forgot what Michigan was in the 7 seasons before the Harbaugh era. In my opinion, he gone. 

 

[Edit 1/5/22 10:10am: MGoUser 'BTB grad' has a great rebuttal (with receipts) to the trolling OP post:

https://mgoblog.com/comment/244426517#comment-244426517

Thank you, BTB grad! -rob f]

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energyblue1

January 4th, 2022 at 9:59 PM ^

It was true and the vitriol towards Harbaugh was real!  This fan base doesn’t see now toxic it had become towards Harbaugh.  
 

I’ve always said it to fans who crossed the line with the personal insults and derogatory names and remarks!  They forgot Coach Harbaugh, his family, the staff, players and their families are people and they do see that stuff and it does affect them.  
 

No I don’t think Harbaugh is going anywhere but fans acting like 2020 and the fan mistreatment and the forced pay reduction doesn’t affect them, they are wrong and fully have their head In the sand away from reality!

Joined: 03/19/2010

MGoPoints: 5293

TheCube

January 4th, 2022 at 10:48 PM ^

Generally the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Harbaugh isn't RR status, but he isn't Nick Saban either. I'd be surprised if he left given his comments after the UGA game and would hope he stays to continue the momentum (or at least groom a successor given the young coaches on staff prior to leaving). 

Anyone playing the "I told you so" card is doing it in bad faith b/c name me another blue blood fanbase that wouldn't be itching to pull the trigger finger given Harbaugh's results prior to this year? Many ADs, not named Warde Manuel, would've parted ways instead of crafting a contract in which both sides win given what's going on in and outside of the program. 

I say this as someone who wanted him gone last year, and he proved me wrong this year. 

Edit: Just saw the post from below saying that Harbaugh might be trying to force the AD to implement an official NIL policy. If so, then fucking finally. Michigan cannot afford to fall behind on this. Kudos to coach. Hopefully Warde n co can come up with something. 

Joined: 12/19/2018

MGoPoints: 31598

RAH

January 4th, 2022 at 11:05 PM ^

Other elite teams have fans who are obnoxious A-holes and treat coaches and players like crap. Michigan must keep pace to show that it is an elite program too. 

Think how embarrassing it would be if Michigan fans behaved like reasonable, decent human beings who treated people with respect. 

Joined: 02/23/2018

MGoPoints: 7614

StirredNotShaken

January 4th, 2022 at 9:40 PM ^

Take a deep breath. The guy just gave away a material amount of earnings to AD employees. If he was a mercenary he would have said "fuck you" and left with all of his salary. I won't be shocked if he leaves, but I would be very surprised. 

Joined: 12/09/2011

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BTB grad

January 4th, 2022 at 10:23 PM ^

Tweets tonight from both John U Bacon (who’s very close to Harbaugh’s camp) and Todd Anson (Harbaugh’s close friend and confidant) essentially say don’t worry about anything but mention that the program needs to commit to a big time NIL program (Todd says a “top 5 NIL program in CFB”). Seth concludes the same thing and Todd responded confirming. My take is Harbaugh saw from the UGA game we’re just not even on the same planet talent wise as national title contenders; therefore, he’s using NFL interest as leverage to get the Athletic Dept to commit to get big time serious about using NIL to compete for the best recruits in order to compete for national titles. Boss move by Harbaugh if true. 

https://twitter.com/johnubacon/status/1478559261055664132?s=21

https://twitter.com/tja4michigan/status/1478559186128572419?s=21

https://twitter.com/misopogon/status/1478560859324624896?s=21

https://twitter.com/tja4michigan/status/1478562464794959872?s=21

Joined: 12/01/2015

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The Oracle 2

January 4th, 2022 at 11:34 PM ^

He may very well want the university to commit to a big time NIL program, but he’s also going to want a new contract that reflects a big time commitment to him. The idea that he doesn’t really care what they pay him is childish. No one, and particularly not a high profile athlete or coach, wants to let their employer take advantage of them by paying them less than they’re worth,

Joined: 02/25/2018

MGoPoints: 19191

Twitch

January 5th, 2022 at 12:05 AM ^

I don't think it's necessarily him he wants the university to commit to, or NIL.  My guess is he wants the university to commit to football in general.  That means a top notch NIL program (paramount), a fat contract for himself (perhaps), but also fat raises for his assistants and his off the field staff, beefing up the off-field staff (more recruiting positions and full time NIL positions), perhaps upgrades or something different for facilities.  An all around effort so to speak.  Anybody who has paid attention knows if the football program does very well the entire university and by extension, Ann Arbor itself, will do very well.  Just ask Tuscaloosa what Nick Saban has meant to them.  Ask Clemson what their recent success has done for applications.  I remember when Butler made their two national title games their admissions went way up.  For Michigan, nothing can do that for the school and the community like football can.

Joined: 01/01/2019

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crg

January 5th, 2022 at 5:58 AM ^

Anybody who has paid attention knows if the football program does very well the entire university and by extension, Ann Arbor itself, will do very well.

Not sure this blanket statement is quite accurate, especially in the case for UM.  You point to the admissions of Butler & Clemson after their sporting success, yet those are two relatively small schools that will always be fighting uphill battles to attract applicants from the larger universities.  Michigan does not have that problem - they *turn away* such a large proportion of their applicants (2021 acceptance rate was only 18.2%) that it has been a meme for decades (e.g. all the Spartans that couldn't get into UM).  Those students who turn down UM to go elsewhere are highly unlikely to care about the athletic programs - they are typically going to the Ivies, Stanford, MIT, sometimes NW, etc.

Of course athletic success is a boon to the community and the university, but the degree of impact depends on what the position of the university is.  Many people point to the relative strength of OSU (as an academic institution, which is not quite at UM level but they do have some amazing resources there) and imply that their athletic success is a major cause.  Yet the *true* cause is that they are a nearly one-horse contestant in a large population state  with an extremely close relationship to state government.  Most other major states have multiple premier universities to compete for influence & resources (look at CA, NY, FL, PA, TX... even MI).  Yet the other universities in OH just pale in comparison to OSU in terms of size, budget, etc. - this is a systemic issue that has almost nothing to do with athletic success.

Joined: 04/30/2015

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LDNfan

January 5th, 2022 at 4:12 AM ^

Hope this is true. Otherwise, why would he stay when the expectations now are only going to grow after this dream season?

If you are going to expect big time wins then you have to do everything to compete for a big time roster. No more talk about rule breaking concerns when there are no rules. UM should have a unique NIL program built around its unique brand, seek out the players that fit the culture and make certain they are properly compensated. 

Joined: 09/28/2014

MGoPoints: 10477

Midukman

January 5th, 2022 at 7:07 AM ^

He’s not going anywhere. Last year was prime time to walk and he stayed. After seeing A&M doll out 30 million in nil money and sign the best class ever is eye opening. Georgia just proved you won’t go past round 1 without a cupboard full of 5 stars. Making $5 off of an Mden jersey sale isn’t gonna cut it. 

Joined: 09/13/2018

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OfficerRabbit

January 5th, 2022 at 12:38 PM ^

I'm still curious how the TAMU situation works out. At some point, you need to have players on your roster that want to play football at TAMU. Just because they signed (or are signing) a class like that doesn't guarantee future success. Quinn Ewers was enrolled at OSU for four months, got a million dollar deal, then hit the TP to go to the program he actually wanted to be at. There's no guarantee all or any of the 5 stars TAMU signed will be there for the 2023 season. They signed, got millions of dollars, and can still transfer out to a blue blood anytime they wish. 

Crazy times in college football.. Its the NFL with no salary cap and total free agency.

Joined: 10/27/2013

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BoCanHam15

January 5th, 2022 at 8:53 AM ^

So most people are surprised by Ojabo leaving.  Just look up what happened to his NIL rights will explain ? percent as to why Harbaugh is not happy(pissed).  This is purely speculation on my part but me thinks, Ojabo takes another year to get greater at Michigan, if our policy was on par with other elite programs.

Joined: 07/08/2016

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BTB grad

January 5th, 2022 at 9:29 AM ^

Ojabo can’t earn NIL because of his US student visa and the federal laws around that. It’s literally way above U-M and Harbaugh. He still would have gone to the NFL if he could earn NIL. Literally youre the only person surprised he’s leaving. He has a top 10 grade from a few places; you can’t expect to get much better. Youre risking way more with injuries than what you might marginally gain. 

Joined: 12/01/2015

MGoPoints: 23523

Durham Blue

January 5th, 2022 at 9:59 AM ^

Fuck yeah, baby!  Harbaugh knows what's up in the CFB world and what it will take to create a national championship for Michigan.  These are the new rules and Harbaugh is saying no way in hell are the OSU's, Bama's, TAMU's and Georgia's of the world skating by without a fight.

To add to this, Harbaugh knows the draw of Michigan football nationwide.  Look at the TV ratings for the MSU and OSU games.  Highest rated games of the year.  Michigan fans are large in number and starving for seasons like the one we just had.  Now that we've taken the step of beating OSU and winning a B1G championship, the next step is taking down the SEC and winning a national championship.  Let's go get it!

EDIT: and BTW, I saw a Tweet from Aaron McCann (no idea who that is) that Michigan-UGA drew 17.2M viewers and peaked at 20.5M.  It was the most viewed non-NFL sporting event across ANY network in 2021.  Michigan has played in 4 of the 6 most-watched CFB games of 2021.  To put this in perspective, the NE-TB game in week 4 drew 28.5M viewers on NBC and it was the highest rated NFL game of 2021.  So the Orange Bowl was not far off that which is pretty amazing.

Michigan is an attractive product.  Tons of potential here for an embarrassment of riches with a smart and well-funded NIL program. 

Joined: 10/09/2008

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rob f

January 4th, 2022 at 10:25 PM ^

After some consideration and a look at OaklandinPlay's posting history, he does deserve a warning. 'OiP' has an obvious habit of crawling out of the woodwork when Michigan teams have subpar performances and he seems to relish going on ad hominem attacks.  I also seem to recall another OP shitpost several weeks ago that I'm pretty sure was by the same guy (but haven't been yet able to locate it)

This is your warning ⚠️  'OaklandinPlay': if you continue to troll the board and post such garbage, you WILL have your account blocked.

Joined: 11/11/2010

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BleedThatBlue

January 4th, 2022 at 9:43 PM ^

Can Harbaugh or someone please come out and just give us the decision? It’s only been a couple hours since the article and we’re getting obscure random I told you so opinionated posts. This shit is awful

Joined: 03/17/2015

MGoPoints: 8081

Robbie Moore

January 4th, 2022 at 10:17 PM ^

Harbaugh will not comment. Period. We will know he is leaving when he takes an NFL gig. We will know he is staying when all the NFL openings are gone and he didn't take one.

Just because I want to, here's the question. Were Harbaugh to leave at this juncture, what does Warde do? Hire Matt Campbell or someone like him, risk the recruiting class and rebuild the coaching staff a year after successfully doing so? Or hire from the existing staff a young coach with no previous head coaching experience? 

Joined: 12/01/2008

MGoPoints: 46230

demardorsey

January 4th, 2022 at 11:38 PM ^

I would have to assume that Gattis would get the job. All of the coaches that are worth anything have already made their moves. The move that makes the most sense to me would be Gattis but let’s just hope Harbaugh stays where he is. He finally got this program rolling and it would be a real shame if he walked away now. And why does the idiot OP have his moniker as Oakland is in play?? If you’re going to troll at least try to get the city right. It’s the Las Vegas Raiders now moron. If Oakland is in play it’s either the A’s or a high school team. Just go to 11 Warriors and play with those losers. We don’t want your negativity here. Do you think you’re funny because you’re not. You just look like a jackass!! Get a life!!

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