Michigan still does not have a football coach, and it still appears as though the San Francisco 49ers are going to part ways with Jim Harbaugh after the season. Many people believe those two pieces of information are closely related.
Take this for what it’s worth, but a number of “inside sources” tied to the Michigan community have expressed confidence over the past several days that Harbaugh is destined to wind up in Ann Arbor. One local sports anchor in Arizona even claims to know someone close to the Michigan program who says the school has offered Harbaugh more than $8 million per season.
Nick Saban is currently the highest-paid coach in college football at $7.3 million. According to 247Sports.com, no NFL coach makes more than $8 million per year.
If that report is true (and we’re not saying it is), it would be awfully difficult for Harbaugh to turn down that kind of money from his alma mater.
A day after the Seattle Seahawks eliminated the Niners from postseason contention, LSU coach Les Miles made it clear that he has no intention of leaving his current job and has not been contacted by anyone at Michigan. Miles is another big name that many have speculated the Wolverines could target.
MGoBlog.com, a respected source of news for Wolverines fans, notes that there are a ton of people within the Michigan community that seem to think Harbaugh will be their next coach. That could simply be wishful thinking, but if you’re a big believer in all that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” stuff…
Yesterday I was 60-40 that Harbaugh was coming to A2. After talking to sources, I was told to move that to 90-10! Too big of a jump but …
— The Michigan Insider (@michiganinsider) December 17, 2014
… My optimism is rising. Not willing to jump to 90-10 but definitely getting more optimistic.
— The Michigan Insider (@michiganinsider) December 17, 2014
Again, there have been no indications from major media outlets and top college football writers that Michigan is closing in on a deal with Harbaugh. But one thing seems obvious — the Wolverines are dragging out their search. That could mean Harbaugh has not given them an answer.
Harbaugh has strong family ties to the west coast. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported earlier this month Michigan is “convinced” Harbaugh wants to remain in the NFL. Does that make the Oakland Raiders his most likely suitor? The Michigan faithful don’t seem to think so.
H/T LBS reader Scott
