[jwplayer zdKivSNU-XNcErKyb]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On Monday evening, there were reports as to what Michigan might do with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is about to enter the final year of his seven-year contract — unprecedented in college football.
With both Harbaugh and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel being present on a conference call to discuss the team’s cancellation of the Ohio State game, neither wanted to share whether or not Harbaugh has been extended another term, or if discussions have been had to this point.
“This is a time where we’re going to focus on the pandemic,” Manuel said. “Jim and I will meet, as we have said, at the end of the year to discuss the program and where we’re gonna go and all those different things. How rumors get started about things before Jim and I sit down and have a conversation, I’m not gonna get into. That’s not for me to try to track down. But that’s where that is, and that’s where we’ll be — at the end of the season.”
Not only did Manuel say that they weren’t going to discuss Harbaugh’s contract situation, but Harbaugh reiterated it when he was asked.
“As Warde said, this isn’t the forum to discuss that,” Harbaugh said. “For months, we long agreed we’ll talk about the extension at the end of the season.”
Manuel clarified, however, when he and Harbaugh would formally discuss a possible extension to his contract. With Michigan’s future not promised due to the current COVID-19 situation on the team, Manuel says that once there are no more games on the schedule, then that conversation will take place — while reaffirming his confidence in the football head coach.
“We have one last game we’re scheduled to play,” Manuel said. “We’re hopeful, as Jim said, that we can play as scheduled. We’ll get through the next few days and continue to monitor the situation with COVID on our team with quarantine and all the things we’re dealing with now that has led us to this point. What I mean by the end of the season is the end of our season. That is we have one more game currently scheduled. That’s when a conversation when the season shortly ends, will begin.
“And just to clarify, Jim and I have always talked at the end of the season — always. This is not — not making it up this year — we sit down, we talk. Sometimes we’ll talk in November in general just to get a sense. And we’ll have a lot of conversations in-between. It’s not like we don’t talk. Sometimes daily, depending on the issues, sometimes weekly. It’s just, I don’t want to make anybody feel or think that Jim and I have been sitting around just waiting and not talking to each other about things. We’ve had a lot to talk about.
“My coaches across the board — Jim has been a leader and phenomenal in his efforts with his team. He is co-chair (on the COVID-19 committee with softball coach Carol Hutchins). He has led that, he has been there. He is committed to his team, he is committed to his department, he’s committed to this university. From my standpoint, he has been doing everything and at a high level, including his efforts with the team. From that perspective, I don’t want people to get this sense that we’re just sitting around and nobody’s talking to each other, waiting and waiting. That is the furthest thing from the truth. We’ve had a lot to do, a lot of other things to talk about.”
But, with early signing day coming up on Dec. 16, what about other programs working to poach current Wolverines commits?
Turns out, Manuel isn’t too concerned about it, as that type of practice, unlike the pandemic, are relatively commonplace.
“You know what’s not unique in college athletics? Negative recruiting,” Manuel said. “Negative recruiting occurs all the time. All the time. I’ll let (end) at that.”