Michigan football still technically has a head coach, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning out names to replace Brady Hoke. Former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh, currently the (unsettled) head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, appears to be the dream candidate, but it turns out people might be looking at the wrong Harbaugh!
How likely is Michigan to land Ravens head coach John Harbaugh?
Could the Wolverines be looking elsewhere in the Harbaugh family tree?
Maddie Meyer
Speculation looms about #Michigan & Jim Harbaugh… but sources tell me #Michigan prefers #Ravens coach John Harbaugh over Jim at this point.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 28, 2014 Harbaugh makes $7 million a year with the Ravens and led the team to a victory in Super Bowl XLVII. Baltimore made the playoffs in each of his first five seasons with the team, and he's posted a 64-35 record with the Ravens.
Update, 9/29: The Baltimore Sun is reporting Harbaugh is not expected to pursue the position, both due to his friendship with Hoke and his happiness with his current position. And Harbaugh added this:
John Harbaugh on Michigan rumors: "I'm interested in Brady Hoke being the head coach at Michigan for a long time to come."
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 29, 2014 So, what do we make of this?
Why it could happen
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Michigan is one of the most storied programs in college football, and the Wolverines have money -- lots of it. Their past two hires have seen them go down and grab an up-and-coming coach from a smaller school, so reaching up might be the Wolverines’ next move.
Sure, he has no connection to Michigan (other than familial) and hasn’t coached in college since he was the special teams coordinator/defensive backs coach at Indiana in 1997, but he’s had proven success in Baltimore and would be a huge splash hire for a program in need of a PR boost.
Why it won’t happen
He’s the Harbaugh brother who didn’t go to Michigan, for starters. The Wolverines are also going to have to pay a ton of money to pull this one off, which would only increase scrutiny for the program should it not work out.
Likelihood: 2/10
If Michigan is going to spend that kind of money, it’ll likely want someone who A) has a meaningful connection to Michigan and B) has proven success at the highest level of college football.
If the Wolverines are going to spend the money to go after any Harbaugh, former Stanford head coach Jim seems like the better pick, despite the challenges there. They might have a better chance with him, too, as it doesn’t seem like John is all that interested.
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