ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The phone call wasn’t scheduled or prearranged.
Though optimism had been building about Jim Harbaugh returning to Michigan for a ninth season, no one knew for sure until Harbaugh picked up the phone Monday and informed president Santa Ono of his decision. Soon after, statements were hitting social media. The outcome wasn’t completely unexpected, but as people around the program know all too well, nothing is done until Harbaugh decides it’s done.
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“Jim Harbaugh works on his own timeline,” said a source familiar with the conversation.
Once again, Harbaugh explored his NFL options and, finding no immediate takers, made a dramatic return to Michigan. His latest spin of the NFL wheel played out almost exactly like the previous one, with one twist. This time, it wasn’t athletic director Warde Manuel picking up the phone when Harbaugh called to inform Michigan of his intentions.
“I just got off the phone with Coach Harbaugh and Jim shared with me the great news that he is going to remain as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines,” Ono posted on Twitter. “That is fantastic news that I have communicated to our Athletic Director Warde Manuel.”
I just got off the phone with Coach Harbaugh and Jim shared with me the great news that he is going to remain as the Head Coach of the Michigan Wolverines. That is fantastic news that I have communicated to our Athletic Director Warde Manuel. #GoBlue! pic.twitter.com/3LJzsv4zN9
— Santa Ono (@SantaJOno) January 16, 2023
Manuel, who didn’t comment, must have been celebrating just outside the frame. Perhaps he and Harbaugh could have worked this out on their own, but Ono was the catalyst who accelerated the process. It’s fair to wonder what that means for Harbaugh’s relationship with his boss, but as it pertains to Michigan’s football fortunes in 2023, Harbaugh’s return means one thing: national championship expectations.
Blake Corum is coming back. So are Zak Zinter, Trevor Keegan and Cornelius Johnson. As a run of players announced their decisions in the past two days, it seemed increasingly unlikely that their coach would leave them hanging. With Harbaugh now joining them, the Wolverines have everything they need to return to the College Football Playoff and make a run at the national championship.
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Just as he did last year, Harbaugh looked around and realized there’s no better place for him than Michigan. Only a fool would declare this to be the end of his NFL aspirations, but after the past two offseasons, Michigan fans no longer have to live in fear of an NFL team swooping in and stealing their coach.
Harbaugh isn’t a one-size-fits-all coach. He never was, and he certainly isn’t now at age 59. That’s not to say the NFL fit doesn’t exist, but if it’s not Denver or Indianapolis or Chicago or Minnesota or Carolina, then where is it?
Harbaugh fits at Michigan. He wins at Michigan. And because he wins, Michigan can deal with the other stuff.
When people point out that Harbaugh has been at Michigan more than twice as long as any other coaching stop, that’s not because he likes the cheesesteaks at Mr. Spots. It’s because people at Michigan have figured out how to work with him, how to give him what he needs, how to handle the ups and downs and tolerate the tension.
Manuel will conclude his seventh year as Michigan’s athletic director at the end of this month. That is a long time to be Jim Harbaugh’s boss. Manuel and Harbaugh have coexisted this long in part because they overlapped as teammates in the 1980s, giving them a common bond as Michigan men. Nonetheless, seven years of working in the fishbowl of Michigan athletics is plenty of time for two strong-willed people to grow apart.
The relationship has grown particularly distant in recent months, two sources said, with Harbaugh and Manuel communicating mostly through intermediaries. That might explain why Ono, who took office in October, felt a need to intervene.
With Ono’s help, Harbaugh and Michigan have a path forward. Harbaugh agreed to return without a contract extension in front of him, though sources said the details of one could come together quickly. Ono’s decision to publicly support Harbaugh in the face of NCAA allegations — including a Level I charge for allegedly misleading investigators — suggests there’s nothing in the Notice of Allegations that would jeopardize Harbaugh’s future.
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Ono was the right person at the right time to bring this NFL standoff to a resolution. He’s gotten strong reviews so far as a president who can involve himself in multiple areas without micromanaging. This is the honeymoon phase, of course, and there’s no easier p.r. victory than retaining a football coach who has gone 25-3 the past two seasons, especially when it’s not clear that the head coach has anywhere else to go.
Still, Ono’s willingness to take charge was a refreshing change from previous years, when Michigan seemed powerless to stop the NFL rumors. Those rumors may not go away completely, even if Michigan raises Harbaugh’s buyout and bumps his salary near the top of the Big Ten head coach leaderboard. But if Harbaugh chooses to explore the NFL again next year — and at this point, it’s impossible to rule it out — it doesn’t have to be cause for panic.
That’s assuming Harbaugh can maintain a productive working relationship with Michigan’s administration, including the athletic director. People familiar with the relationship believe it can be fixed. Harbaugh isn’t going anywhere, so it’s in the best interest of everyone to work things out.
Manuel made a hard decision by cutting Harbaugh’s salary after the 2020 season. That move surely didn’t sit well with Harbaugh, not because of the money but because of the message it sent. Yet anyone who has studied the arc of Michigan’s program can see that as the decision that precipitated all the success of the past two years.
Harbaugh is at the top of his game as a coach. The staff around him is the best he’s had at Michigan. He’s built a team that’s capable of winning a national championship, and now he has a chance to see it through. Someday, perhaps, he’ll thank Manuel for giving him the nudge he needed to set it all in motion.
All he has to do is pick up the phone.
(Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
