Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan for NFL's Chargers: 'I'll always be a loyal Wolverine'

Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh, who earlier this month led the Wolverines to a national championship, his crowning achievement during nine years with the program, is leaving his alma mater to return to the NFL, where he will coach the Los Angeles Chargers.

Harbaugh, 60, a former Michigan and NFL quarterback, was a first-round NFL Draft pick by Chicago in 1987 and spent two seasons (1999-2000) late in his career with the Chargers and made 17 starts.

"My love for Michigan, playing there and coming back to coach there, leaves a lasting impact," Harbaugh said in a statement on the Chargers website. "I'll always be a loyal Wolverine. I'm remarkably fortunate to have been afforded the privilege of coaching at places where life's journey has created strong personal connections for me. From working as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky alongside my father, Jack, and time as an assistant with the Raiders, to being a head coach at USD, Stanford, the 49ers and Michigan — each of those opportunities carried significance, each felt personal. When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been more gracious or more welcoming. Being back here feels like home, and it's great to see that those things haven't changed."

He is expected to speak to the Michigan players on Friday, a source told The Detroit News.

"For the fans, the players, and for me personally, we are sad to hear of Jim’s departure," University of Michigan president Santa Ono said in a statement. "His drive and ambition turned our program around, delivered our first national championship in a quarter century and maintained Michigan as the all-time winningest team in the history of college football. I thank Jim for all he has done for the University of Michigan and respect his decision. He has been an extraordinary leader and a friend. I will be cheering for Jim as he embarks on this next adventure."

While mulling a contract extension offer from Michigan of six years and $11.5 million annually that would have made him the nation’s highest-paid college football coach, Harbaugh interviewed with the Chargers on Jan. 15, a week after the 15-0 Wolverines won the national championship with a 34-13 win over Washington on Jan. 8 and two days after a parade for the team in Ann Arbor and a celebration at the Crisler Center. It always seemed to be Chargers-or-Bust for Harbaugh, who also interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons on Jan. 16 and reportedly was scheduled for a second interview this week.

"We have been discussing a new contract that would make Jim the highest paid coach in college football," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. "In the end, he wanted to explore and ultimately decided to pursue a return to coaching in the NFL. We can’t thank Jim enough for all that he has done for our student-athletes, staff and Michigan Football. He will always be a huge part of our rich history, and will be remembered as an all-time great Wolverine, as both a championship player and coach.

"Jim has always been extremely upfront with his communication regarding NFL opportunities and has been helpful with this transition in leadership. We had a great conversation tonight when he informed me of this decision to return to the NFL and offered his assistance in helping identify the needs for the program moving forward."

Michigan Regent Sarah Hubbard said in a statement Wednesday night that there was considerable effort to try to keep Harbaugh at Michigan.

"We put so much support on the table and did everything we could," Hubbard said. "But at the end of the day, we can't give him a Super Bowl ring. I hope he goes out and wins one and make us proud."

Harbaugh's attorneys, who had been trying to work with Michigan to keep him in Ann Arbor, said, however, it took until the proverbial 11th hour on Wednesday for Michigan to give in on certain contract language. By then, it was too late. After months of Michigan rejecting the contract terms his lawyers proposed in late 2023, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told The Detroit News that Michigan finally agreed to Harbaugh's proposal on Wednesday afternoon when Harbaugh was already in the final stage of discussions with the Chargers.

The Michigan football program and Harbaugh are involved in two NCAA investigations, one for which Harbaugh faces a Level I violation for misleading investigators and the other for an alleged sign-stealing scheme of which Harbaugh has said he had no knowledge. His lawyers wanted contract language that would protect Harbaugh. Michigan finally "caved" on the major issue that had hung up the deal for months, the source said — that Harbaugh could not be fired for any Level I or II sanctions he might face based on the alleged misconduct of Connor Stalions, the low-level staffer who allegedly orchestrated the illegal scouting/sign-stealing scheme, or another member of his staff.

Now, Manuel will have to find Harbaugh's successor, although there has been strong speculation offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Sherrone Moore, 37, who was 4-0 as acting head coach last season, with significant wins at Penn State and in the regular-season finale against Ohio State, will be elevated to head coach.

"We are working quickly to hire the next head coach for the program and will do everything possible to keep this current staff and team together," Manuel said in a statement.

Harbaugh led the Michigan program to an 89-25 record. The Wolverines' last three seasons were their most impressive as they went 40-3, including three consecutive Big Ten championships and three straight College Football Playoff semifinal appearances. Michigan lost in both of its first two semifinals before beating Alabama in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day and then Washington for the national title.

During Harbaugh’s Michigan coaching career, he led the Wolverines to six seasons with 10-plus victories and the last three with 12-plus wins: 12-2 in 2021, 13-1 in 2022 and 15-0 in 2023, a program-best, making Michigan one of four teams in college football to achieve that record.

But also since 2023, Michigan’s football program has been involved in two unresolved NCAA investigations, the first stemming, in part, from impermissible recruiting visits that led to Harbaugh missing the first three games as part of a school-imposed suspension. He missed the final three regular-season games because of a Big Ten suspension relating to an NCAA investigation into an illegal scouting/sign-stealing scheme. Harbaugh faces a Level I violation, the NCAA’s harshest, for the first investigation and a hearing before the Committee on Infractions is expected in the spring. He could face additional suspension and other penalties. Regarding the second investigation, Harbaugh has denied knowledge of an illegal sign-stealing scheme.

More:Who from Michigan football's staff could follow Jim Harbaugh to the NFL?

That Harbaugh is returning to the NFL is not a complete surprise after flirtations the previous two seasons. He hired high-powered agent Don Yee, with deep NFL ties, early last December to work on negotiations with Michigan while also exploring interest from NFL teams. In 2022, Harbaugh flew to Minnesota for an interview but returned without an offer and signed an extension with Michigan through the 2026 season. And in 2023, he was in conversations with the Denver Broncos regarding their opening.

Harbaugh began his head-coaching career at the University of San Diego (2004-06) and finished with back-to-back 11-1 season. He then took over at Stanford (2007-10), and in 2010, the Cardinal went 11-1. But in 2011, Harbaugh left college coaching for the NFL and became head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, whom he led to three NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl after the 2012 season. He lost Super Bowl XLVII to his older brother, John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Harbaugh had a 49-22-1 record with the 49ers, including 5-3 in the postseason.

Throughout his career at Michigan, Harbaugh’s name would pop up as an NFL coaching prospect, usually in December, when jobs started to open. During the Michigan team banquet in 2016, he assured the crowd he was sticking with the Wolverines.

“I'm not leaving Michigan. Not even considering it,” Harbaugh said at the time. “A lot of this talk is coming from our enemies, from coaches — you know the names. You probably know the names of the top three I'm referring to. They like to say that to the media. They like to tell that to the recruits, to their families, try to manipulate them into going to some other school besides Michigan. We know them as jive turkeys. Say it like it is. That's the way it is."

Two years later, he had a similar message to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.

"This is a choreographed message that comes up at this time every year before signing day," Harbaugh said in 2018. "It's people spreading messages to further their own personal agenda. But I'm on record right here, right now: I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying at Michigan. We have big plans here, and there's a lot we want to accomplish."

Following a 2-4 record in the COVID-19-shortened season in 2020, Harbaugh accepted a contract that slashed his initial contract in half to about $4 million a year with incentive bonuses. The Wolverines had their breakout season in 2021, going 12-2. Harbaugh made $2.225 million in bonuses and gave $1.5 million to members of the Michigan athletics department who endured pandemic-related pay cuts from 2020-21 and had remained on staff.

But after the 2021 season, Harbaugh flew to Minnesota in February 2022 on National Signing Day to interview for the head-coaching job with the Vikings. He did not receive an offer and signed an extension with Michigan. Harbaugh would later reveal the thought of trying for a Super Bowl victory tugged at him.

The Wolverines went 13-1 in 2022, its only loss to TCU in the national semifinals, and in early 2023, shortly after Michigan received a draft of the NCAA Notice of Allegations regarding, in part, the COVID-recruiting violations, Harbaugh was in discussions with Denver.

More recently, the rumors of a Harbaugh return to the NFL grew louder. During Michigan’s postseason run, he dismissed questions about those rumors with various versions of response that included that he and the team had a “one-track mind” and he was focused on winning a national title.

“Every single year I've been here, that's always been a rumor,” said Trevor Keegan, who had been Michigan’s starting left guard and is now moving on to the NFL Draft, last month before the Rose Bowl. “Obviously, there's been the NFL stuff up in the air and stuff like that, but we know he wants to win a national championship, and that's all that matters right now.”

During the team celebration last Saturday night at Crisler Center, Manuel told the crowd he was working to keep Harbaugh at Michigan, a sentiment he shared with The News before and after the national title game.

“I am working on getting this man a new contract. I promise you,” Manuel told the crowd. The cheers roared in response, and Harbaugh, sitting on the stage to Manuel’s right, patted his heart, then placed his hands together as he acknowledged the crowd.

A draft of a contract with unique provisions was presented from Harbaugh’s side to Michigan last Friday and included pushing the start date of his contract to Feb. 15, which would give him a window to consider NFL options. His buyout had dropped to $1.5 million on Jan. 11. It also had language regarding a penalty matrix for NCAA investigations and also a three-person arbitration committee to make big decisions like a firing, taking it out of the hands of Manuel.

All of that is moot now. Harbaugh is back in the NFL and will try to check “Super Bowl champion” off his list now that he has a coveted college football national championship. He leaves Michigan with a positive program culture the players have said grew deeper the last three seasons and is now firmly entrenched. Players from the 2023 season said they saw Harbaugh grow as an individual, and they’ve learned valuable lessons from him.

“In the two years I've been here previous to this year, I've never seen him as happy as he was this year, even with everything that was going on,” said quarterback J.J. McCarthy, 27-1 as a starter and now preparing for the NFL Draft, before the Rose Bowl. “He's a special guy, special, special dude.

“Just being able to see how he handled everything and just the effect that he had on the players and the coaches, just taking everything on the chin, always welcoming the hate, welcoming all the noise his way and trying to deflect it off his players and coaches, it's like everything you want in a leader. It inspires me to be like that as a man later down the road, whether I get into coaching or just playing in the NFL. Just being that kind of guy that always takes responsibility and will do anything for the team.”

achnegelis@detroitnews.com

@chengelis