Jim Harbaugh signed a contract to become the new head football coach at Michigan, a person with direct knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no formal announcement from the Big Ten school or from Harbaugh, who didn’t return calls or text messages. Not long after Harbaugh arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Monday night, Michigan scheduled a news conference Tuesday for a “major” announcement regarding its football team.
“I think we’ll have some comments (Tuesday),” Harbaugh, 51, told The Michigan Daily, the student newspaper in Ann Arbor.
Harbaugh coached the San Francisco 49ers to a 44-19-1 record and three consecutive NFC title games, and San Francisco lost the 2013 Super Bowl to a Baltimore Ravens team coached by his brother, John. After the 49ers slipped to 8-8 this season and missed the playoffs, Harbaugh parted ways with the franchise Sunday in what both sides called a mutual decision.
Just a day later, his name was the buzz of the Big Ten.
The idea of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry spiced up with Harbaugh vs. Urban Meyer harkens to the conference’s glory days, when coaches Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes ruled it.
“He’s basically Michigan royalty right now,” former Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson, now a Jacksonville Jaguars running back, said of Harbaugh. “He’s ‘the man’ right now. He’s going to do a great job and help out recruiting. He’s had success at every school he went to. It’s a great fit for Michigan.”
Big Ten Network analyst and former college coach Gerry DiNardo said Michigan, the only school with more than 900 all-time wins, would be bringing in a “rock star” capable of returning the Wolverines to elite status in a short time.
But Harbaugh, a former Michigan QB, will have his work cut out for him in a Big Ten East Division that’s only getting tougher. Meyer is preparing the Buckeyes for Thursday’s semifinal against Alabama in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio has built a program that has staying power. Penn State’s James Franklin is a celebrated recruiter who is determined to restore the Nittany Lions as a national power.
Harbaugh replaces Brady Hoke, whom Michigan fired Dec. 2. Michigan went 5-7 this year and was among only four Big Ten teams that didn’t earn a bowl bid. The Wolverines were 31-20 in Hoke’s four seasons.
Harbaugh went 58-27 as a coach at the University of San Diego and Stanford.
