Michigan football fans have to believe what they want but there are reports that Jim Harbaugh will meet with staff and announce his deal in the coming days.
It’s likely that Michigan football fans are sick of hearing about Jim Harbaugh and his possible contract extension. But there appears to be more new developments.
There were reports earlier this week from Chris Balas of Rivals (subscription required) that the contract between Michigan football and Harbaugh was basically done.
Others insisted Harbaugh was delaying things so he could try and attract an NFL offer and there are even some whispers now that the Lions have interest.
But from Balas, here’s the latest:
“We reported this morning (Friday) that the assistant coaches would meet with head coach Jim Harbaugh Monday, at which point it was expected (strongly) that he’d be announcing his extension and sorting out his staff.”
Balas went on to report (subscription required) that the meeting could be pushed back a day but that some new assistant coach hires could be announced.
What does it all mean?
It sounds like we might get an answer about who some of the new assistants could be. I’ve said before that Tim Banks would be a great fit and an experienced offensive coordinator or someone else such as Mike Hart on the offensive staff would be a welcome addition.
The key thing is that none of that works if Harbaugh isn’t around, which is why I believe he will be back for next season with at least a three-year extension signed.
The reality is that if this extension has a lower buyout, then it’s basically a year-to-year deal. Michigan football won’t want Harbaugh to be a lame duck if he turns things around in the next two years, so two years down the road, a new deal will need to get done.
It just depends if Harbaugh is negotiating from a position of strength or not. To be honest, he will need a couple of solid years just to keep his job. A losing season or a really substandard year in 2021 might be enough for him to be shown the door.
By the same token, he just landed five top-100 recruits and a five-star quarterback, so as long as progress is made next season, it’s likely Harbaugh would get more chances to prove himself.
At this point, there isn’t much to do but wait and hope, that whatever happens, this ridiculous saga comes to an end soon, because something Michigan football fans can all agree on is that this isn’t good for the program. It needs to resolved soon and by Tuesday, we’ll have our answer.
