U of M thread (in the Lions Forum) :)

[El Axe]

Grantland's NFL writer on the possibility of Harbaugh to Michigan:

Most Overblown Coaching Rumor of the Year: Jim Harbaugh to Michigan

I get the alma mater thing. Jim Harbaugh went to Michigan. Michigan is an institutional mess right now. Harbaugh isn’t exactly on the greatest of terms with 49ers general manager Trent Baalke or his players these days, which was part of why he almost went to Cleveland this offseason. Put two and two together and you get Harbaugh to Michigan. Sure.

One question, though: Why would Harbaugh want to take a step backward? Is the pull of coaching Michigan really that strong? The Wolverines aren’t a very good football team, and it’ll take years to recruit and rebuild them into a national powerhouse. The money won’t be better; Michigan can surely afford to match the $5 million Harbaugh’s making now, but his next NFL contract should put Harbaugh in the range of $7.5 million per year, a figure only Nick Saban can approach in the college ranks.

And a second question: Has anybody ever done this before? Has a successful NFL coach in the prime of his career left, in the middle of a run of success, to go run a college program? I can’t think of a recent example. The likes of Saban, Pete Carroll, and Bobby Petrino all came back to college football after disappointing seasons as NFL head coaches. If Harbaugh left after two or three disappointing, sub-.500 seasons, that would be more understandable, but NFL head coaches seem to return to the college ranks only when they can’t get another NFL head coaching job.

That’s not a problem for Harbaugh, not right now. Even if the 49ers go 8-8 this year and the two sides agree to mutually part ways, he’ll have his pick of a number of jobs next year. It’s not impossible to imagine Miami owner Stephen Ross, who wanted Harbaugh in 2011, offering him the chance to be both head coach and general manager as part of a hiring package. The Rams could offer Harbaugh a talent-rich roster in need of a quarterback, in a very similar situation to what Harbaugh entered into when he joined the 49ers three years ago. Prestigious jobs like the Cowboys and Giants could open up and easily make Harbaugh the highest-paid coach at any level. Michigan just isn’t on this list.

[*JD*]

One question, though: Why would Harbaugh want to take a step backward? Is the pull of coaching Michigan really that strong? The Wolverines aren’t a very good football team, and it’ll take years to recruit and rebuild them into a national powerhouse.

I'm not so sure about that last part. Jimmy Ballgame has been pretty successful in general, as well as creating quick turnarounds at Stanford & SF. At Stanford, he took over a 1-11 team and beat USC in his first year. By year 3, they had a winning record for the first time since 2001. By year 4, they were 11-1 and in a BCS Bowl. At SF he took over a 6-10 team and got them to 13-3 the next year. Also, Michigan has some talent. I think he could at least have them in the Rose Bowl by Year 3.

That said, I don't know how likely it is that he'd come to save the day. Lloyd supposedly spurned him back around 2001 when he wanted to be an assistant, they passed on him on 2007 and Brand-on reportedly didn't offer (may not have even contacted him) in 2011. That bridge may be burned.

I'd still like to see them actually try and get him. That would be a proactive step at least. Brandon has to go first, though.

[chemiclord]

Jim Harbaugh is persona non grata in Ann Arbor ever since he committed the cardinal sin of saying Michigan wasn't any better or worse than any other school in college football. The Cult of Bo excommunicated him. The entire makeup of the Athletic Department would have to change before he would be allowed to return.

[jaadam4]

You're probably right chemi which makes it top priority to remove the entire makeup of the Athletic Dept.

[Malto Marko]

Not like it can't use it.

[Drew]

Protests=stupid

People in large groups = stupid, yes, meaning the average intelligence of said group is low, however, people in large groups can put fear in the hearts of the powerful, so protests are valuable. Not to mention, they are a right that is supposedly guaranteed for Americans.

[CGVT]

They are still stupid

[chemiclord]

Stupid yes, but sometimes a stupid display is what spurs change. Highly visible displays catch the attention of the average human (who mind you, is pretty stupid by default).

[Drew]

Copy that, just saying they can still get things done.

[chemiclord]

Copy that, just saying they can still get things done.

Well, in THIS case, the protest means fuck all. The students are about to learn how little they matter to the University when their protests are completely ignored by the regents.

As long as Brandon keeps the money coming in, he's staying.

[Newbomb Turk]

one loss closer to the end............

[Paul L]

If the two fucks haven't been fired yet, they're not gonna be.

This changes nothing, unfortunately.

[chemiclord]

MICHIGAN MAN!

When U-M goes 3-9 this year, I wonder what excuse Wolvy will have to claim the problem really was RichRod.

[Cody_Russell]

Rich Rod and Hoke both sucked. Rich Rod with his teams getting blown out and an offense that never showed up in a "big game" (excluding ND)... and Hoke with this crap now.

[chemiclord]

Rich Rod and Hoke both sucked. Rich Rod with his teams getting blown out and an offense that never showed up in a "big game" (excluding ND)... and Hoke with this crap now.

Pssst. Rutgers QB had never broken 300 yards passing in his career. He went 404 with 3 TDs today.

It's not like Hoke's defense is bringing the heat either, and the offense isn't even showing up in the "little games" at this point.