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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — At this juncture, with one year left on his current contract, we don’t know whether or not Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh will be donning a headset on the sidelines in 2021. He and athletic director Warde Manuel were in process of hashing out an extension earlier this year, but then the COVID-19 pandemic put that all on pause.
While fans can speculate and some in the media have put together future head coach wish lists, it’s far from certain that Harbaugh either returns or departs. And the people that affects most are those who are just days away from signing on the dotted line, securing their own futures with the Michigan football program.
Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 16, and at this moment, those commits who are intending on signing their national letter of intent don’t know whether or not they’re committing to a school that will retain the head coach that recruited them, or if they’ll be playing for someone else. Naturally, that’s something that Harbaugh has to address — especially considering that he and Manuel both shared last Tuesday that they won’t figure out the future plan until after the season has culminated. But, Harbaugh says, he has addressed it with recruits and that his plan is to remain in Ann Arbor for the foreseeable.
“Yeah, that question does come up,” Harbaugh said. “Tell them my plan is committed to Michigan. I have been and will remain. As far as the (contract), we’ll sit down, Warde Manuel and I will talk at the end of the season on the current contract. That’s the truth. That’s where it stands.”
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As far as some wavering that might exist among the currently committed class, Harbaugh was mum, just noting that high school players are excited, regardless, to take on the new challenge of playing college ball by signing with their school of choice.