The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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name on the lips of many Michigan fans was that of Harbaugh, the fiery 49ers head coach, who appears to be on his way out with the franchise he led to the Super Bowl, because of a rocky relationship with team owner- ship. Harbaugh is saying nothing at this point, wisely slapping down an in- quiry with the response: "I only talk about my own team." Those in a position to know in- sist Harbaugh has a strong interest in returning to the school where he played under Bo Schembechler. There are plenty of potential road- blocks, such as interest by another NFL franchise. ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter, among a number of NFL writers, has insisted he expects Harbaugh to remain in the NFL. Others strongly counter that talk, while acknowledging Harbaugh will have a decision to make. He can leave the highest level of the sport and the pursuit of a Super Bowl championship to come back and take his alma mater to renewed heights, or remain in the professional ranks. There have been strong indications that it's not a Harbaugh-or-bust ef- fort. Michigan, sources say, has been quietly gauging interest on a number of fronts, including with some big names. Some question why someone like Stoops — well entrenched at Okla- homa, with a national championship, a 168-42 record, and a salary topping the $5 million mark — would be in- terested in what many would per- ceive as a lateral move to Michigan. Stoops hails from Youngstown, "This is the time for both to start moving toward college football's upper crust again. The first step: bringing in the right leaders … "Hoke checked a lot of boxes that Rich Rodriguez didn't in Ann Arbor, but his Michigan Man shtick quickly grew old once the wins stopped. Did Michigan settle for Hoke, a 47-50 coach prior to his arrival? Perhaps. It cannot settle this time. Interim athletic director Jim Hackett must start his search with prominent can- didates who will listen. "If you want to be great, you have to commit to being great. Look at the Pac-12. Not only has every school made significant invest- ments in facilities — some Big Ten schools have done the same — but the quality of coaching has skyrock- eted in recent years." M ichael Rosenb erg, SI.com: "Hackett just fired a coach, Brady Hoke, who fit the university in every way, to the point where he prob- ably would have kept his job if he just went 7-5 this year. Instead, Hoke went 5-7 and was [justifiably] fired. Michigan doesn't need to hire a Michigan [person] to replace him. But the spirit behind the term is in- grained in this Michigan coaching search, starting with the top two candidates for the job. "People connected to the school, but not directly connected to the search, agree that 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has to be the leading candidate. He makes almost perfect sense. Harbaugh is only 50, he is one