Jim Harbaugh barely had time to enjoy taking his alma mater Michigan to a National Title before the media peppered him with questions over his coaching future. Not surprisingly, Harbaugh dodged the questions while savoring Michigan’s 34-13 conquest of Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
A few days have passed since the national title and the question is still omnipresent. Will the ultimate Michigan Man stay in Ann Arbor where he has rebuilt the Wolverine program while achieving his ultimate goal or will he return to the NFL?
If Harbaugh chooses to stay with Michigan, the school will likely become a dynasty. If he jumps back to the NFL, his chosen team will start winning. That is what history tells us.
Harbaugh has won at the University of San Diego, Stanford, and Michigan at the college level. He also won in San Francisco in the NFL.
Harbaugh does it the old fashion way. A toughness image emerges along with an old fashioned running game. The championship game on Monday put the trait on display as the Wolverines had two running backs go for more than 100 yards on the ground (Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards). The Wolverines’ 303 yards rushing were not only more than the Huskies’ total yardage in the game (301) but the most on the ground by a national title winner in the BCS/CFP era (since 1998).
Toughness on both sides of the ball as previously unbeaten Washington and its top-ranked passing offense was held to its lowest point total of the season.
Michael Penix, the Huskies’ star quarterback and a Heisman Trophy finalist, completed only 15 of 30 passes for 157 yards to his talented wide receiver group.
Harbaugh won with the 49ers, but he did not win a Super Bowl. Realistically, winning one is the only coaching challenge he has left. One has to think he will be tempted to join the short list of coaches who have won both a national title and a Super Bowl (Pete Carroll, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer.)
There are already a handful of NFL teams looking for saviors to coach their franchise. Harbaugh will have options and the football world want to know what his decision will be.
