Maybe my conspiracy theory has some basis in fact....
One Of Two Things About Jim Harbaugh's Future Must Be True
Based on how things are playing out, there's only a couple possible realities surrounding Jim Harbaugh and his future at Michigan.
At this point, the Jim Harbaugh situation is becoming one of the jokes in the world of college football. College coaches can't and don't operate on an expiring contract, but that's exactly what Harbaugh has been doing at Michigan, really for more than a year.
So that means one of two things must be true — either Harbaugh doesn't want to be at Michigan or Warde Manuel and the administration don't want him at Michigan. Actually, both might be true.
If Harbaugh wanted to be back, and the administration wanted him back, there's literally no reason why a deal shouldn't be done already, and really, a long time ago. There is NOTHING to gain by prolonging the process at this point. During a recent press conference, Manuel kept referencing the way he and Harbaugh always do things. In a nutshell, he said that they wait until the year is over before sitting down and discussing the season, the future and what needs to happen. Except for everything this year is different because of the shifted timeline, the horrible product on the field and the fact that Harbaugh is entering the final year of his contract. If Manuel can't see that this year is different from years past, then he's either incompetent or has no intention of extending Harbaugh.
Another angle is the impact this is having on the future roster of the Michigan football program. National Signing Day is next week and those incoming student athletes have a right and a need to know who their coach is going to be. A lot of young players played for the Wolverines in 2020 — most of the receiving corps, a lot of offensive linemen who started, quarterback Cade McNamara and arguably the best defensive player, Daxton Hill. They all deserve to know who is going to lead them into the prime of their collegiate careers.
Of course, maybe the coaches are telling the recruits and players something behind closed doors, but I just can't see why that would be the preferred approach. Actions speak louder than words and if I was an incoming recruit or young player on the roster, the first thing I'd ask is, "Well then why hasn't a contract been signed and why hasn't anything been announced?" That's just how my mind works.
We've just now started to see the transfer process begin and, while there are different reasons for every player that chooses to leave, some actual leadership and a clear direction of the program would certainly make the decision to walk away a bit harder. With how things look right now, that's going to be option No. 1 for a lot of players.
It's become quite clear that either Harbaugh is looking for a way out, or the administration is looking for an amicable way to force him out. I do realize that Michigan technically could still play two more games, and normally waiting until the end of the season is the way these things play out, but the entire timeline is shifted this year because of the pandemic. Michigan is usually done with its regular season two weeks ago, giving ample time to get prepared for National Signing Day, which occurs in mid-December. That's not the case this year, so the extension or termination needs/needed to be handled in a different way as well. But that hasn't happened.
If Harbaugh wanted to be the coach at Michigan, and Manuel wanted to extend him, then you just do it. Case closed. End of story. But that's the exact opposite of what's happening, so something is up. There is no other explanation. You don't need to wait until the end of the season to extend a coach that you're happy with. That's why I think something else, quite the opposite of an extension, is ultimately what's going to happen.
A source very close to the situation told us, "Jim Harbaugh will never coach at Michigan again," earlier today. Believe what or who you want, and want what you want for Harbaugh and/or Michigan, but try to rationally come up with a reason why an extension hasn't been signed already and you'll probably start to believe that declaration.
Or maybe not. Because what's even worse than how all of this is playing out, is what might happen at the end of it all, and that's that Jim Harbaugh is still coaching at Michigan even if he and the administration don't really want that. Apparently Manuel is not going to fire Harbaugh, and
we know that Harbaugh certainly isn't going to just walk away of his own volition leaving a massive buyout on the table and telling the world that he's a quitter. So there he could be, on the sidelines next year, with a contract written on toilet paper and still no real direction or winning culture in place.
The situation is certainly fluid, and there are definitely a lot of moving parts still, but one this is abundantly clear, at least to me — giving Jim Harbaugh an extension is not option No. 1 — either because of Harbaugh or because of Manuel and Co. If it was, it would be done, but it's not. So if that's not option No. 1, what is?
That's the million dollar question and one no one has an answer to it yet.
