Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is leaving his position to become the head coach of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, according to several reports.
Harbaugh, who played quarterback at Michigan, has spent the last nine seasons with the Wolverines, collecting a 144-52 record (60-17 in the Big Ten) three conference championships and the College Football Playoff National Championship this past season, the program’s first since 1997.
He finishes with a 3-5 record against the Buckeyes – including the last three contests, even though he was suspended for The Game this past season but still given credit for the win – as the teams did not play in 2020. Harbaugh was also suspended for three games to begin this past season due to alleged recruiting violations, and was suspended for the final three games of the regular season as a violation of the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy as it relates to the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal.
Harbaugh was formerly the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14, where he made three playoff appearances, including a losing effort in Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens. Harbaugh had flirted with a return to the NFL over the past several seasons, taking interviews with different franchises before coming to terms with the Chargers to become their next head coach.
Harbaugh replaces former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, who was fired after three seasons, a 24-24 record and just one playoff appearance in 2022. The Chargers finished this past season just 5-12 but will return quarterback Justin Herbert, considered among the best in the NFL, to begin Harbaugh’s tenure.
As it impacts Michigan, Harbaugh is reportedly looking to take defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh, while offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is considered a candidate to replace Harbaugh after he coached the Wolverines to wins in the final three games of this past regular season. Michigan’s players now also have 30 days to enter the transfer portal if they so choose.
