College football insider reveals likelihood of Jim Harbaugh leaving for NFL amid NCAA drama

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has entertained the idea of a return to the NFL each of the past two offseasons. They both ended the same way, with negotiations falling through and Harbaugh returning his alma mater for another year.

But as Harbaugh enters his ninth season as the Wolverines head man, that interest in the pros isn’t likely to go away. Word came out this week that a proposed four-game suspension for Harbaugh to begin the 2023 season as a result of alleged recruiting violations will now not take place.

As the case against Harbaugh is likely to drag over into this upcoming offseason, Ralph Russo of the Associated Press addressed the possibility the coach may leave simply to avoid it.

“When this issue first arose, there were some murmurs about it late last year heading into the Playoff and then we started hearing more about Harbaugh leaving,” Russo told On3’s Andy Staples. “Then as you did a little reporting on this and sunk your teeth in it you realize these two things might be related. He might be heading to the NFL because he either doesn’t want to deal with this stuff or maybe this stuff is legit bad. Maybe he’s looking at like a year’s suspension.

“So there was this feeling that these two things were linked. Then there was this feeling that, ‘well, it won’t be that bad so we’re gonna run it back.’ There’s just so many layers to Harbaugh because there was also the idea that maybe if somebody would’ve really wanted him he would’ve gone to the NFL. Because that’s also been another piece of this the last couple of years.”

Harbaugh has continuously denied any wrongdoing. The NCAA accused him of lying about the incidents in question — which the coach also denied — causing the violations to go from Level 2 to Level 1. It wouldn’t be surprising given his past interest in the NFL if he did decide to leave in the midst of this drama.

Harbaugh interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings opening in 2021 but was reportedly never offered the position. He was also a candidate for the Broncos, Colts and Panthers jobs earlier this year.

“Depending on who you believe, maybe he wasn’t prepared enough,” Russo said. “Maybe he was their second choice all along. Even last year with the Broncos there was some interest but then Sean Payton came. I would believe though that if he gets his act together and really wants to be in the NFL, my suspicion is he could probably end up in the NFL next year if that’s what he wants.

“Especially coming off of a year where maybe he wins a playoff game and, hell, maybe he wins a national championship. You would like somebody out there might think he would be a good NFL head coach again because he’s already been a good NFL head coach.”

Harbaugh, the brother of Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, was previously the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14 after spending four seasons at Stanford. He enjoyed plenty of on-field success during his tenure, finishing with a record of 44-19 and leading the team to three straight NFC Championship games with one Super Bowl appearance.

However, there was reportedly a power struggle between Harbaugh and the 49ers management. He was fired after an 8-8 finish to the 2014 season as San Francisco failed to make the playoffs for the first time in his four seasons.

Whether Harbaugh can prove he won’t have the same issues if given a second opportunity in the NFL is perhaps the biggest thing standing in his way. But Russo doesn’t see that ultimately being an issue, saying he’d be “surprised” if Harbaugh is still at Michigan after this season.

“What he did at San Francisco was similar to the Stanford situation and the Michigan situation,” Russo said. “He flipped it almost immediately. Listen, he comes with the Harbaugh thing. He left the San Francisco situation because people were like, ‘Jim, we are tired of you.’ I think in college that doesn’t happen quite as much because the roster flips over and assistant coaches flip over. You don’t have an owner and a GM. You have an AD and a president. It’s a different dynamic so I think he’s a little more tolerable, his quirkiness, in a college setting.

“I’m at the point where I’d be surprised if Harbaugh’s the coach at Michigan. I think they have at least one, if not two, possible successors on the staff right now.”

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