Jim Harbaugh remains Michigan Wolverines head coach
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh will stay with the Wolverines.
Several people familiar with the situation confirmed to the Detroit Free Press, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, that Harbaugh informed UM athletic director Warde Manuel on Wednesday of his intention to stay after his interview with the Minnesota Vikings. of the NFL. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because Harbaugh’s decision was not yet public.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to break the news of the decision.
Harbaugh flew on a private plane Tuesday night to Minnesota for an in-person interview Wednesday. Originally scheduled to return to Michigan on Wednesday, the blizzard that hit the Midwest is believed to still have UM coach in Minnesota.
Still, Harbaugh’s intention is to return to Ann Arbor, and for good. Schefter reports that Harbaugh told Manuel that the flirtations with the NFL would not happen again and that he would stay at UM as long as he wanted.
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Attention now turns to two things. First, multiple sources have confirmed that Harbaugh has a new contract extension ahead of him. Harbaugh signed a reworked deal last year that halved his base salary, but since then he has led the team to its best season in decades, which included a Big Ten championship and its first appearance in the college football playoffs.
Second, Harbaugh is to replace defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who left late last month to return to the Baltimore Ravens as defensive coordinator. Macdonald’s year at UM was a defining 12-2 season, helping turn three defensemen into likely first-round picks.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Just minutes after the Harbaugh news broke, the Vikings are focused on Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as their next head coach. Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham are the other reported finalists.
USA Today
