Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh inherited a down-and-out program when he arrived in 2015.
In 2023, he's sitting on a monster.
There is no reason for Harbaugh to flirt the NFL anymore, not after a second cycle in which the former 49ers coach reportedly took interviews with NFL teams. On Monday, Harbaugh released another statement through the Michigan football Twitter page re-affirming his commitment to the program.
Happy Mission#GoBlue https://t.co/EQ1PksGYBX pic.twitter.com/KNNuYASJWz
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 16, 2023
"I love the relationships that I have at Michigan — coaches, staff, families, administration and President Santa Ono and especially the players and their families. My heart is at the University of Michigan. I once heard a wise man say, 'Don't try to out-happy, happy.' Go Blue!"
Harbaugh needs to follow that advice because what is coming back to Michigan next season would make any FBS coach happy. He has the Wolverines in position to win a national championship, and now that his annual NFL inquiries are done, that process can begin.
Sporting News looked at Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings across 10 publications, and Michigan had a composite of No. 2 behind two-time defending national champion Georgia. The rest of the top five consisted of Alabama, Ohio State and Penn State. The Wolverines are the only one of those five teams with a returning starting quarterback.
There are varying opinions on what J.J. McCarthy's next-level value is, especially in a potential draft class that could include USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and even Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. McCarthy, however, has 27 TDs and seven interceptions with a 154.6 passer rating the last two seasons. There is no starting quarterback drama, and that's not the only good news.
Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are the best backfield tandem in the FBS. Corum and Edwards combined for 2,454 rushing yards and 25 TDs on 6.3 yards per carry. Guards Trevor Keegan and Zack Zinter and receiver Cornelius Johnson returned, and co-offensive coordinators Matt Weiss and Sherrone Moore are back.
The defense will have to retool after losing Mazi Smith, Mike Morris and D.J. Turner, but Mike Sainristil returns for another year along with a core that includes veterans Junior Colson, Michael Barrett, Rod Moore and sophomore cornerback Will Johnson – who has All-American talent. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is back, too.
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Transfer portal additions of Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann and Arizona State tackle LaDarius Henderson should be immediate impact players. From a talent and experience standpoint, this is Harbaugh's best team coming back.
The schedule is set up for another fast start with a non-conference schedule that includes East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green. The Big Ten road schedule has potholes at potential potholes at Nebraska, Michigan State and Penn State, but the main event remains Nov. 25 at Michigan Stadium.
The Wolverines have a chance to win three in a row against the Buckeyes for the first time since 1995-97. C.J. Stroud announced he's entering the NFL Draft, so the Buckeyes will have a new quarterback. There is more pressure in 2023 on Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who is 1-2 against the Wolverines.
Harbaugh figured out opportunities with Carolina, Denver or Houston in the NFL – franchises with a combined record of 31-70-1 (.309) the last two seasons -- would not be ideal. All of those places would require at least three years of building through the draft and free agency – not to mention a franchise quarterback – to get into the Super Bowl discussion.
He did the building at Michigan. He endured five straight losses to Ohio State from 2015-19 while trying to close the talent gap and a bottoming out in 2020 that had Wolverines' fans hoping he would take the parachute to the NFL.
The Wolverines have turned it around in remarkable fashion the last two seasons. Michigan is one of four Power 5 programs with a winning percentage better than 80% – a list that includes Georgia at 29-1 (.967), Michigan at 25-3 (.893), Alabama at 24-4 (.857) and Ohio State at 22-4 (.846). The Wolverines have replaced Clemson at 21-6 (.778) as the fourth dinner guest in that group.
Harbaugh has led back-to-back Big Ten championship runs with consecutive victories against the Buckeyes since 1999-2000. He's 2-1 against Ohio State coach Ryan Day. The 51-45 loss to No. 3 TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl was a flagrant case of missing identity for the Wolverines.
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Still, the Wolverines are a contender now.
Michigan won its last national championship in 1997; one year before the Bowl Championship Series era started. Will they do the same in the final year of the four-team CFP? It's possible, and that should be enough to keep Harbaugh happy, even in a changing college football landscape. Harbaugh has found a way to use the transfer portal much like NFL free agency. Recruiting in the NIL era has been a little trickier. This year's class ranked No. 17 according to 247Sports.com, and the 2024 class sits at No. 13. There is a way to change that …
Stop flirting with the NFL. The "Harbaugh wears on people" narrative remains prevalent with good reason. Still, he's been at Michigan eight years now – twice as long as his four-year stints with Stanford and the 49ers. Ono, the school president, seems to be a fan. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is still there, too, and there is only one thing left to do to make everybody in the room happy.
A national championship.
In that chase, Harbaugh has reached the point of no return.
