Report: Michigan pursuing new contract for Jim Harbaugh

Aug 31, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh before the game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Harbaugh has the Michigan Wolverines poised to contend for a championship, and a reward may be coming his way.

According to longtime Michigan insider John U. Bacon, Michigan is looking to sign Harbaugh to a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. The report cites a pair of high-ranking Michigan sources that say the university’s leadership is in full agreement on such a proposal.

I just received this from two high-ranking UM officials: “The Regents, Warde Manuel, and President Ono are all in alignment that Jim (Harbaugh) should have an extension within the next month that makes him the highest paid coach in the conference.”
That should settle that.

— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) October 9, 2023

Reports suggested that Michigan wanted to sign Harbaugh to a new contract at the start of the year, but an NCAA investigation was a complicating factor. That investigation is still ongoing, but the Wolverines appear convinced that it is a move worth making anyway. His last contract, signed in February 2022, ties him to the Wolverines through 2026.

Harbaugh has undoubtedly earned a big payday, as he has Michigan unbeaten with the College Football Playoff in its sights for a third straight season. Whether this would ward off speculation about him returning to the NFL remains to be seen, but it probably would not.